Monday.com Native CSV Import: What It Supports
Monday.com has a built-in import feature accessible from the board header (the + button or "More" → "Import"). It accepts CSV and Excel (.xlsx) files and can create new items in a board. Here's what the native import handles well:
- Top-level items — creates a new item per row
- Text and numbers columns — maps directly from CSV values
- Item names — first column or a designated name column
- Groups — can assign rows to an existing board group
Monday.com native import does not support subitems, complex column types (People, Status, Dropdown, Timeline, Checkbox), or row counts over a few hundred reliably. For those cases, use Monday.com Inspector.
Native Import vs. Monday.com Inspector — Full Comparison
The table below compares what monday.com's built-in CSV import handles versus what Monday.com Inspector adds on top.
| Feature | monday.com Native | Monday.com Inspector |
|---|---|---|
| Import top-level items | ✓ | ✓ |
| Import subitems | ✗ | ✓ |
| Text & number columns | ✓ | ✓ |
| Status column | Limited | ✓ |
| People column | ✗ | ✓ |
| Date column | Limited | ✓ |
| Timeline column | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dropdown column | ✗ | ✓ |
| Checkbox column | ✗ | ✓ |
| Link / URL column | ✗ | ✓ |
| Phone & Email columns | ✗ | ✓ |
| Rating column | ✗ | ✓ |
| Re-import board export (.xlsx) | Partial | ✓ Full fidelity |
| Large files (1000+ rows) | May time out | ✓ Unlimited |
| Progress visibility | Spinner only | ✓ Per-row status |
| Error details per row | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cost | Free (built-in) | Free extension |
How to Format Your CSV for Monday.com
Whether you're using monday.com's native import or Monday.com Inspector, your CSV file needs to follow a few rules to import cleanly.
Basic CSV Rules
- Header row first: The first row must be a header row with column names.
- UTF-8 encoding: Save as UTF-8 (not Windows-1252 or Latin-1) to avoid special character issues.
- Comma-delimited: Standard CSV uses commas. If your data contains commas, wrap the field in double quotes.
- One item per row: Each data row creates one item (or one subitem if using the subitem import mode).
- Column names match: When column names in the file match column titles in your board exactly, they auto-map on import.
Column Type Formatting Reference
Monday.com Inspector parses common formats for each column type. Use these formats in your CSV to ensure clean imports:
| Column Type | Accepted CSV Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Any string | Project Alpha launch |
| Numbers | Numeric value (integer or decimal) | 1250.50 |
| Status | Label text (must match board label) | In Progress |
| People | Full name or email address | jane@acme.com |
| Date | ISO 8601: YYYY-MM-DD | 2026-04-15 |
| Timeline | Two columns: start date + end date (YYYY-MM-DD) | 2026-04-01 / 2026-04-30 |
| Dropdown | Label text (must match dropdown option) | High Priority |
| Checkbox | true / false or 1 / 0 | true |
| Email address | sam@acme.com | |
| Phone | Phone number string | +1 555 123 4567 |
| Link / URL | Full URL (optionally: URL,Label) | https://example.com,Visit |
| Rating | Integer 1–5 | 4 |
Subitem CSV Format
To import subitems using Monday.com Inspector, your CSV needs at minimum:
- A parent item column — item name or item ID of the parent
- A subitem name column — the name of each subitem to create
- Any additional subitem columns you want to populate
Parent Item,Subitem Name,Status,Assignee,Due Date
Website Redesign,Define scope,Done,jane@acme.com,2026-04-01
Website Redesign,Design wireframes,In Progress,bob@acme.com,2026-04-10
Website Redesign,Development sprint 1,Working on it,sam@acme.com,2026-04-20
Mobile App,Create backlog,Done,jane@acme.com,2026-03-15
Mobile App,Sprint planning,In Progress,bob@acme.com,2026-04-05If a parent item from the "Parent Item" column doesn't exist on the board yet, Monday.com Inspector will create it automatically before adding the subitems. Great for full board migrations.
Step-by-Step: CSV Import with Monday.com Inspector
Install Monday.com Inspector
Install the free Monday.com Inspector Chrome extension. No account or sign-up required. Works on any monday.com account.
Prepare your CSV file
Follow the formatting rules above. Make sure your header row matches your board's column names, use the correct date format (YYYY-MM-DD), and save as UTF-8.
Open Inspector on your board
Navigate to your monday.com board. Click the Monday.com Inspector icon in the Chrome toolbar. Click Open Inspector Panel. The panel appears on the right side of the board.
Upload and map columns
Click the Import tab. Drag and drop your CSV (or click to browse). The tool auto-maps columns where names match. Review any un-mapped columns and assign them manually from the dropdown. Toggle Import Subitems if your file includes a parent-child structure.
Start import and monitor progress
Click Start Import. The progress panel shows total rows, rows succeeded (green), rows failed (red), and remaining rows (gray). You see per-row status in real-time. If any rows fail, the error is shown inline — fix and re-import just the failed rows.
Monday.com Inspector is free and takes 30 seconds to install. Add to Chrome →
Best Practices for Monday.com CSV Import
- Test with 5–10 rows first. Run a small test import before committing hundreds of rows. Verify that column mapping is correct and values appear as expected.
- Match status labels exactly. Status column values must match an existing label on your board (case-insensitive). If the label doesn't exist, the field is left blank.
- Use ISO dates. Always use YYYY-MM-DD for date columns. Regional date formats (DD/MM/YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY) may be misinterpreted.
- Use email for People columns. Matching by email address is more reliable than full name, especially for teams with duplicate names.
- Don't include IDs for new items. If you're creating new items, omit or leave blank any "Item ID" column — monday.com assigns IDs automatically.
- Keep an error log. After import, review the failed-rows report in the Inspector panel and export it to fix issues before re-importing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CSV format does monday.com accept?
Monday.com accepts standard UTF-8 comma-delimited CSV files with a header row. Column names should match board column titles for auto-mapping. For best results, use a modern spreadsheet editor (Google Sheets, Excel, LibreOffice) to export the file as "CSV (UTF-8)".
Is there a row limit for monday.com CSV import?
Monday.com's native import can be unreliable above a few hundred rows and may time out on large files. Monday.com Inspector has no row limit — it handles batching and rate limiting internally, so you can safely import thousands of rows in a single operation.
Can I import multiple column types (Status, People, Date) from CSV?
Yes, with Monday.com Inspector. The native import has very limited column type support, but the Inspector handles Status, People, Date, Timeline, Dropdown, Checkbox, Link, Phone, Email, Rating, and Numbers columns — for both parent items and subitems.
Can I import subitems from a CSV into monday.com?
Not with the native import — it only creates top-level items. Monday.com Inspector supports subitem import: include a "parent item" column (item name or ID) and a "subitem name" column in your CSV, enable the subitem toggle, and the extension creates the full hierarchy. Full subitem import guide →
How do I format dates for monday.com CSV import?
Always use ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2026-04-15). For timeline columns, use two date columns — one for the start date and one for the end date, both in YYYY-MM-DD format. Avoid regional date formats (DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY) as they can be misinterpreted.
Can I re-import a monday.com board export back into monday.com?
Yes. Monday.com Inspector can import a monday.com XLSX board export with full fidelity — preserving groups, parent items, subitems, and all supported column types. This is the fastest way to copy or migrate a board between workspaces or accounts.