You can easily import Excel files into monday.com to turn your spreadsheets into smart, trackable boards. This feature helps you move data seamlessly, stay organized, and start managing your work in one place — no manual setup needed.
Import your data from an Excel file
1To start, click on your profile picture on the top right corner of your screen and click on Import Data:
2Next, click on Excel in the popup window that opens up:
3Drag your Excel file into the popup in the center of the screen or select the Click to browse option.
For the import to work properly, the spreadsheet must have at least 2 columns.
4Once you've selected your file, your data will be uploaded.
Click on Let's customize your new board to make sure everything appears exactly how you want on your monday board.
Customizing your new board
Select the row in your spreadsheet that you want to use as the column titles, then click Next. Remember that everything above your first row will not be imported into your board.
On the next screen, select the column in your spreadsheet that will become the first column in your board (these will become the names of your items), and then click on Next.
Our system will suggest column types that it detects are a good fit for your data, but you can change them manually by clicking on the drop-down menu for each column and selecting.
You can only import columns as a Number, Status, Email, Date, or Text column. You can also change the column type after the import is done.
If your column has 9 or fewer labels, the column suggestion on your imported sheet will be status. If your columns have more than 9 labels, the column suggestion on the import will be text.
When you're done, click on Create Board.
That's it! Now you can see all of your data in a monday board.
Import data into an existing board
You can also import data from an Excel sheet or a CSV file into an existing board. Here's how:
1To start, click on the arrow next to the New item button in the top left corner of your board.
2Select Import items from the dropdown menu.
If you have customized your Item Column or chosen a specific board template, your New Item button may be called New Contact, New Project, or something similar.
3Choose your Excel or CSV file.
You can either drag your Excel or CSV file into the frame or click Browse to select the document from your computer.
4Map your Excel columns to your board.
Mapping your columns allows you to filter the imported data onto your board to match your existing columns, or create new ones if necessary. There are two options for mapping your columns.
Map from column header
Click the dropdown arrow next to the column header on your import screen to view a list of available columns on your board where you can map your data. Then select the board column where you want to import your Excel data.
Use the Map columns button
If you have many columns and want to see the mapping process in a list, this is a good option for your import. Click the Map columns button in the bottom right corner of the screen, then click the arrow in the Board columns dropdown menu, and select an available column on your board to map the data.
The available column types for import include Numbers, Text, Date, Email, Dropdown, Timeline, and Phone. Any other column types will not be updated during the import, but you can change them later.
You can determine whether unmapped columns in your file are imported to the board as new columns or excluded from the import by using the Import unmapped columns toggle at the bottom of the Map columns window.
5Manage matching items on your board.
A matching item means that a row from your imported data has the same value, in a chosen column, as an existing item on your board. This step is important to ensure you upload your data exactly as it needs to be included in your monday board.
Add all rows as new items
This option will create new items on your board for every row, regardless of whether matching items are found. All new items will be added to a new group on your board.
Skip matches
When you select a specific column at this step, rows in Excel with a value matching an item in that monday column will be skipped and not imported. This prevents duplicate items on your board and allows you to import only new items.
Update matches
When importing an Excel file containing rows that already exist as items on the monday board but with new data, you can opt to update these existing items. Any new data from your file will be added as separate new items. Keep in mind, if the existing data matches the Excel data, it will remain unchanged; if it has been modified, it will be updated to match the Excel data.
If you add new columns in the Excel sheet, you will need to add corresponding columns on your monday board to ensure this new information is included.
Once your import has finished, you'll see that the new data has been added to the new columns.
Import parameters
When importing a file to your board, there are two sets of parameters to consider in terms of how many columns and rows can be imported at a time.
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Import to a new board - In this case, you can select a file containing up to 100 columns and 8000 rows; however, only the first 50 columns will be imported. If you try to upload a file that exceeds this limit, you'll see an error message asking you to reduce the file size first.
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Import to an existing board - In this case, you will be able to import up to 100 columns and 8000 rows. If your file exceeds this limit, you'll see an error message asking you to reduce its size.
Copy and paste multiple items
You can easily copy and paste multiple items from your Excel spreadsheet directly into your monday board. Check out this article to see how simple it is.
Limitations
- Before importing your Excel file, please make sure the spreadsheet isn't protected; otherwise, the data will not upload to your monday account.
- If your Excel spreadsheet contains multiple tabs, only the first tab will import. Subitems from Excel will be imported as items onto your monday board, after which you can manually convert them to subitems.
- Copying and pasting multiple items is only available for the first column on an existing board, meaning that you cannot paste a list of data into other columns.
- The following file types are supported in the import: .xlsx, .xls, and .csv. As of now, XLSM files are not supported.
- Data cannot be imported to the Updates Section. The data will be imported to a column on the board, after which you can change the column type or move the data around as needed
Why is my import failing after working before?
If your import has worked in the past but is now failing, the steps below will help you identify and resolve the most common causes.
Check whether the import window closed silently
If the import window disappears without showing an error message and without loading your data, this is a silent failure. No progress bar appears, and no confirmation is shown. This is different from a visible error, and it means the file itself needs to be checked before attempting the import again.
Test for hidden formatting
Hidden formatting from other applications can survive a copy-paste and cause the import to fail without any error message. To strip it, use the Sample Excel file available directly in the import window:
1Open the import window and download the Sample Excel file.
2Paste your data into the sample file as plain text only. This removes any hidden formatting carried over from other tools.
3Save the file and attempt the import again.
Check the Status column label limit
There are two separate thresholds to be aware of when importing Status columns:
- If a column has 9 or fewer unique labels, the import will suggest it as a Status column. If it has more than 9, it will be suggested as a Text column instead.
- If a column has more than 40 unique labels, the import will fail. This is a hard limit. If your Status column exceeds 40 unique labels, reduce the number of labels before importing or map the column to a Text column type instead.
FAQs
If you have any questions, please reach out to our team right here. We’re available 24/7 and happy to help.