How to zip multiple files in monday.com

Zipping multiple files in monday.com is not a native feature — monday.com holds files in a Files column but has no action to bundle them. The File Compress app by ColumnMate adds one. It reads every file in a source column, packs them into a single ZIP archive using the archiver library at maximum deflate compression, and uploads the ZIP to a target column.

Why bundle files into a ZIP inside monday.com

A finished item often has ten or twenty attachments: source files, exports, a brief, reference images. Sending those to a client or a teammate means either downloading each one or sharing a messy list. A single ZIP is one download, one attachment, one link — and it keeps the delivery attached to the item it came from.

Does zipping save storage?

A little, sometimes a lot. The ZIP applies DEFLATE compression at its strongest setting. Files that are already compressed — JPEG, PNG, PDF, MP4, MP3 — are near their floor and will not shrink much. Uncompressed formats — CSV, TXT, JSON, WAV, TIFF, PSD in some cases — can drop 50% or more. Either way, one file is easier to manage than twenty.

Step by step

1. An admin installs File Compress from the monday.com marketplace.
2. In the board's automation center, add a Zip Files recipe.
3. Pick a trigger. A button column ("Package") lets you bundle an item on demand; a status change ("Ready to deliver") bundles it automatically when the work is done.
4. Choose the source Files column (where the files are now) and the target Files column (where the ZIP will go).
5. Turn it on. When the trigger fires, the ZIP appears in the target column, named after the item.

Zipping automatically on a status change

For a repeatable delivery process, skip the manual step. File Compress includes a Zip Files automation action. A common recipe:

When Status changes to Ready to deliver, zip files from Working Files into Delivery.

Now every item that reaches that status gets a bundle with no manual step. See how I automatically compress client deliverables in monday.com for a full setup.

Common questions about the ZIP

Can I zip files from multiple columns at once?

Each Zip Files action reads one source column. If your files are spread across several columns, either consolidate them into one column first, or run the action per column into per-package targets.

What are the files named inside the ZIP?

Each file keeps its original monday.com file name. If two files share a name, the archive keeps both.

The short version

monday.com cannot zip files by itself. A File Compress recipe reads a source Files column, builds one ZIP with maximum compression, and writes it to a target column — on a button click, or automatically on a status change. Pair it with a dedicated delivery column and you have a clean handoff every time. See the setup guide or read about downloading multiple monday.com files as one ZIP.