How I keep project files small when managing projects in monday.com
Key takeaways
- Why do project boards in monday.com get heavy?
- Every phase adds files — briefs, drafts, exports, screenshots, sign-offs. Without a hygiene step, a six-month project accumulates gigabytes of attachments that are never cleaned up.
- What is the single most effective habit?
- A compress-on-upload automation on the project template so every new board inherits it. Files arrive small and stay small with zero ongoing effort.
- How should file columns be structured?
- Separate columns by role: Inbox for incoming, Working for drafts, Final for approved deliverables, Archive for the zipped closeout. Compression and zipping target specific columns.
- What happens at project close?
- Zip the Final column into one archive on the summary item, keep the ZIP, and clear the loose working files. The project's output becomes one downloadable package.
I run projects in monday.com and I build a file-compression app, so file hygiene has become part of how I set up every board. The goal is simple: a project board should be as fast on day 180 as it was on day one. Here is the structure that gets me there.
The column structure
Most project boards use one Files column for everything. I use four, each with a job:
| Column | Holds | What acts on it |
|---|---|---|
| Inbox | Incoming files from clients and stakeholders | Compress-on-upload automation |
| Working | Drafts, work-in-progress exports | Manual compression as needed |
| Final | Approved deliverables | Compress-on-upload automation |
| Archive | The project closeout ZIP | Zip Files action at close |
Separating by role means automations have a precise target and I always know which file is authoritative.
Why not just one column?
Because "compress everything in this column on every change" is a blunt instrument when the column mixes a client's raw 20MB photo with a 200KB approved logo. Role-based columns let me apply the right treatment to the right stage.
The automations
On the project template board, I set up two recipes so every new project inherits them:
When a file column changes on Inbox, compress images and PDFs from Inbox, save to Inbox, medium.
When a file column changes on Final, compress images and PDFs from Final, save to Final, medium.
See automatically compress images and automatically compress PDFs for the setup. Working files I compress by hand when a phase wraps, because those are more variable.
The closeout step
When a project ends:
- Run the Zip Files action: bundle Final into one archive on the project summary item.
- Confirm the ZIP downloads and opens.
- Clear the loose files from Working and Inbox.
- Empty the board recycle bin.
The project's entire output is now one file, attached to the record of the project.
The short version
Keep project files small by making it structural, not manual: role-based Files columns, compress-on-upload automations on your project template, hand-compress working files at phase boundaries, and zip the Final column at close. See reducing monday.com file storage usage for the account-wide version and the setup guide to start.
Frequently asked questions
- Should I compress files at the start of a project or the end?
- Continuously. An automation that compresses on upload means you never have a cleanup task — the board is always in a good state.
- Can I add compression to a monday.com board template?
- Automations are configured per board, but you can set them up on your project template board so every board created from it starts with the recipe in place.
- How do I handle files that must stay at full resolution?
- Keep them out of monday.com. Link to the master in your storage system and keep a compressed preview on the board.
- Does zipping at project close save much space?
- The space saving depends on the file types, but the real win is organization: one archive per project instead of dozens of scattered attachments.
- What compression level for project work?
- Medium as the default. It keeps drafts and deliverables reviewable while roughly halving image size.
Zack
File Compress Developer at ColumnMate. Writes about file management, storage, and automation inside monday.com.
Related reading
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