How I manage large design files in monday.com without slowing down my workflow
Key takeaways
- Why does a design board in monday.com get slow?
- Board and item views load file thumbnails and previews. When each item carries 15–30MB of full-resolution PNGs and layered exports, opening the board means pulling hundreds of megabytes.
- What is the fix that does not change how the team works?
- Keep design masters in your DAM or drive, put only compressed working copies on the monday.com board, and use a File Compress automation to compress on upload so nobody has to remember.
- Do you lose quality doing this?
- Not the quality that matters. The master is untouched. The board copy is a medium-compressed version that is fine for review, comments, and status tracking.
- How much faster does the board get?
- On my boards, medium compression cut per-item file weight by about 55%, and the item view went from a visible load delay to instant.
I build File Compress, and I also use it every day on my own design tracking board. Large design files — 24-bit PNG exports, TIFF mockups, multi-artboard PDFs — are the thing that quietly makes a monday.com board feel sluggish. Here is the exact system I use to keep the board fast without asking anyone to change how they work.
The problem: the board loads everything
monday.com renders file thumbnails and previews in the board and item views. That is a great feature until each item has a dozen full-resolution exports attached. Opening a board with 200 items can mean the browser fetching hundreds of megabytes of images it will only ever show at 300px wide. The Files column does not resize anything — it serves what was uploaded.
Why not just tell people to upload smaller files?
I tried. It lasts about a week. Designers export at full quality because that is the correct habit for their deliverable, and a client uploading feedback screenshots is not going to run them through Squoosh first. Any system that depends on discipline at the moment of upload will drift.
My three-layer setup
| Layer | Lives in | Holds | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master | DAM / Google Drive / Dropbox | Layered source, print-res exports | Full |
| Board copy | monday.com Files column | One compressed export per deliverable | ~40–50% of master |
| Reference | monday.com item body / links | URLs to the master location | Text |
The board is layer two only. It has enough visual fidelity to review and approve, and a link up to layer one when someone needs the real thing.
The automation that makes it stick
The piece that makes this maintainable is a single automation:
When a file column changes, compress images from Deliverables and save to Deliverables (medium).
Every upload — from a designer, a PM, or a client — gets compressed in place within seconds. Loop prevention stops the automation from re-triggering on its own output, so replace-in-place is safe. I do not think about it anymore.
What changed
- Item views open instantly instead of after a beat
- The board's storage footprint dropped by more than half
- Nobody changed their export settings or their upload habits
- The full-resolution masters are exactly where they always were
The short version
Keep design masters out of monday.com, put compressed working copies on the board, and run a File Compress automation so compression happens on upload without anyone remembering. Do one board-wide pass first to clear the backlog. See the setup guide and how I keep project files small in monday.com.
Frequently asked questions
- Should design source files live in monday.com at all?
- Layered source files (PSD, AI, Figma exports, INDD) are better kept in dedicated storage. monday.com is where the work is tracked and reviewed, so it only needs a lightweight visual of each deliverable.
- What compression level is right for design review copies?
- Medium. It is visually clean enough for a client or art director to review and comment, and it roughly halves the file. Use low if pixel-level scrutiny is expected.
- How do I compress files that are already clogging the board?
- Add a status-triggered File Compress recipe at the medium level, then use a batch status change to fire it across every existing item at once. Then keep a compress-on-upload recipe so it does not build back up.
- Does compressing break the link between a file and its item history?
- No. The compressed file is uploaded to the same item and column. Comments, updates, and activity stay intact.
- What about very large single files near the 500MB limit?
- Those usually should not be on the board. Link to them in your storage system and keep a compressed preview image on the item instead.
Zack
File Compress Developer at ColumnMate. Writes about file management, storage, and automation inside monday.com.
Related reading
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