5 min read

Feature

Columns are one of the main building blocks of your board. They let you display and customize data from your workflows however you like! We offer many column types so you can build your board exactly as you want.

Add a column with AI

You can utilize AI to determine which column to add to your board based on the desired function of that column. Simply type a description of the type of column you need into the search bar at the top of the column menu. The AI feature will then suggest options, such as a Status Column, and automatically generate recommended labels for the column.

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You can easily change the labels or column setup, as you would any other column added to the board.

Tip: Using monday Sidekick in your left-hand pane is also a great way to begin brainstorming your board's needs, and generating the customized board with AI!

The suggested options will also include AI-powered columns! When choosing an AI-powered column, you will be redirected to a window where you can set up the column.

Proactive AI column suggestions

If you already have a column on your board that can be enhanced with AI, a tooltip may appear suggesting converting it to an AI column. This helps you save time by automatically identifying opportunities to streamline your workflow with AI.

The suggestion will show you a preview of AI-generated values based on your existing data, allowing you to review the results before taking action. The preview will only show for items without a column value; existing column values will not be changed. To preview a newly created item on the board and see how the column works for new items, click the cell to view the autofill.

The suggested AI Column enhancement applies to a Status Column or a Text Column, where the AI-powered action can assign labels or extract information.

Note: Using the preview feature will not consume any credits. Credits will be consumed only after the column is converted into an AI Column.

If you are happy with the suggested AI column, you can then go ahead and choose to Apply the suggestion to convert the column into an AI column, or you can Dismiss it if you are content with your original column.

Note: You can adjust the AI column settings after the column has been converted to further refine the action to suit your needs.

Add a column manually

You can add a new column by taking the following steps:

Click on the + button on the far right side of the board.
Select the column you would like to add, either from the drop-down menu, by using the search bar, or by clicking in the full column center.

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Note: There is a limit of 500 columns per board.

You can also add a column directly to the right of another one! Just open an existing column menu and click on "Add column to the right," and then select your column of choice.

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To learn more about the different types of columns that we offer, check out this article.

Note: When adding a column to your board, it will be added across your entire board. It is not possible to add a column solely to a specific item or group on your board.

Add a column description

You can add a column description by clicking on the column menu and then "add description," as shown below:

Display column summaries

Certain column types, such as the Status Column, People and Numbers, and more, will allow you to reflect a summary of the column data at the bottom of the group. To enable it, simply click on "Show Column Summary" from the column settings.

Tip: To learn more about group and board summaries, check out this article.

Deleting columns

To delete a column, click into the column menu and select "delete column," and here you go!

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Set permissions on columns

You can set permissions on your columns to restrict who can edit or see them. This is really helpful when you want your team members and guests to be able to collaborate and update a board with the exception of only certain details. For more details about how it works, check out this article.

Pin columns

You can pin, or "freeze," certain columns to the left side of your board so that you can scroll smoothly, keeping all relevant information in your view at all times. To select which exact columns you'd like to pin, click on the three-dot icon at the top of your board, then click on the pin icon and mark off the relevant columns.

Note: When pinning a column, the name of the column will appear greyed out for both items and subitems within that column.

Sorting columns

Use the sorting option found above each column in each group of items. Clicking on the sort button once will sort your items one way, and clicking it again will sort them the opposite way.

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Once you have sorted a column, if you want the sort to save, you can click on the tick button to the left of the sort button.

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Tip: To sort according to the opposite order, i.e., Z-A instead of A-Z, click the sort button twice. To undo the sort, click on "clear".

You can also sort multiple columns at once. Check out this article to learn more about it.

Duplicating columns

To duplicate a column, click into a column menu and choose "Duplicate". You can then choose to duplicate the column without its content or with all of its values.

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Note: When duplicating a column, any set column permissions will also be duplicated.

Creating column templates

By saving your favorite customized columns as a template, you can save and reuse them with the click of a few buttons! You can then access this templated column from the column center to easily add it to any of your workflows.

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Collapsing columns

You can collapse any of the columns of your board. This option works the same as the existing group collapse option, so when you're collapsing a column, it'll only affect your view and will remain collapsed until the setting is changed. This way, you'll be able to keep your boards nice and tidy. To collapse a column, click on the column menu, select "Collapse," and you are done!

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Note: Collapsing a column on the Main Table will collapse the same column on any other saved views you have on that board. For instance, if you are using the item card view, the collapsed column will not be displayed on that view.

Resizing columns

If you need to make your column width smaller or larger so you are able to see what is in the cell, these simple steps will show you how! Click on your cursor in the middle of any two columns (right in between the column title) that you'd like to resize and glide it along to change the column width. 😊

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