Subitem Pro Templates User Guide
Save subitems, or a whole group of items with their subitems, as reusable templates. Apply them manually or with an automation, with column values, dates, and updates filled in.
1. Install the App
The app has two views. Add the one you need, or both. Each view is added once per board.
Add the Item View (Subitem Templates)
Open Any Item on Your Board
Select an item’s name to open it. The item panel shows its tab row along the top, starting with Updates.
Add a New Item View
Select the + next to Updates, choose Apps, then select Subitem Pro Templates. If the app is not yet installed on your account, install it from the monday.com marketplace first, then return to this step.
Open the Tab
The Subitem Pro Templates tab is now present on every item of this board.
Add the Board View (Group Templates)
Open Your Board
Go to the board where you want to save or add groups.
Add a New Board View
Select the + next to the board’s views, choose Apps, then select Group Pro Template.
Open the View
The Group Pro Template view opens on Group templates. From here you can save a group as a template or add a template’s group to this board.
The Getting started button (?, bottom right of the app) introduces the other view and lists the steps to add it.
2. Subitem Templates
Create a Subitem Template
Open the Editor
Open any item and go to the Subitem Pro Templates tab. With no template selected in Available Templates, select Create New Template.
Name It and Choose Who Can Use It
Enter a name your team will recognise. Under Access level, choose User level to keep the template to yourself, or Account level to list it for everyone in your account. See Access Levels.
Add the Subitems
Each row becomes one subitem. Select a cell to set its value, and drag a row’s handle to reorder it. Blank rows are ignored when you save. To start from subitems you already built, select Sync all from this item: it copies this item’s subitems and values into the table, replacing what is there.
Add Columns
Add the subitem columns the template should fill, chosen from this board’s subitems board. Date and timeline cells can be dynamic, and a name can include the apply date. See Dynamic Values.
Add Updates (Optional)
Open a row’s Updates panel to write up to 5 updates, posted right after the subitem is created. See Updates and Mentions.
Save the Template
Select Save template. Nothing is stored until you do; Back to Templates or Cancel discards the draft. The saved template appears in Available Templates.
To start from an existing template, select it and choose Duplicate. The copy opens in the editor and is saved only when you select Save template.
Apply a Subitem Template
Apply a subitem template manually from the item view, or automatically with an automation.
Manually
Open the Target Item
Open the item to fill and go to the Subitem Pro Templates tab.
Select the Template
Choose the template from Available Templates and review the preview.
Select Apply Template
If a template column is not found on the item’s board, the app asks how to handle it first. See Mismatched Columns. The card then shows the progress, for example “3 of 8 subitems”.
Review the Result
A message at the top of the card shows the outcome. Any subitem or update that monday.com refused is listed with its reason. Rows already created are not rolled back.
With an automation
The Apply template action adds the template’s subitems to the item that triggered the automation.
Create a Custom Automation
On your board, select Automate, then Create a custom automation, and choose a trigger, for example When status changes to something or When an item is created.
Add the Action
Select then do this and search for Apply template from Subitem Pro Templates. On plans with the Workflow Builder, add the same action to a workflow instead.
Select the Template and Create
Select the template field and choose a template, then select Create automation. The list may take a few seconds to load. If monday.com briefly returns you to the board, go back to the automation and the templates will be listed.
The Apply template action does not run from subitem column triggers, such as a change in a subitem’s status. The only exception is When a subitem is created. This is a monday.com limitation.
The action lists the automation creator’s own User level templates and all Account level templates. Mismatched columns are skipped and reported, as described in Automation Apply.
3. Group Templates
Create a Group Template
Open the Editor
Open the Group Pro Template board view. With no template selected in Available Templates, select Create New Template.
Name It and Choose Who Can Use It
Enter a name and choose User level or Account level under Access level. See Access Levels.
Set Up the Group
Set the group’s title and colour. Use + Value to add the apply date to the title, so Sprint kickoff becomes Sprint kickoff Oct 20, 2026 on the day it is applied.
Add Items and Subitems
Each row becomes an item. Expand an item to add its subitems underneath. Item columns come from this board, and subitem columns from its subitems board. To copy a group that already exists, use Import from board instead.
Save the Template
Select Save template. Nothing is stored until you do. The saved template appears in Available Templates.
Import a Group From the Board
In the group template editor, select Import from board to copy an existing group of this board, with its items, subitems, and values. Tick Include updates to copy their updates as well (text and user or team mentions; files and replies are not copied). The import replaces the editor’s current content, after confirmation, and nothing is saved until you select Save template.
A group larger than the template limits is imported up to the limits, and the editor states what was left out. See Limits.
Only a whole group can be saved as a group template. You cannot save an individual item on its own as a template.
Apply a Group Template
Applying a group template adds the group, its items, and their subitems to the bottom of the board. Apply it manually from the board view, or automatically with an automation.
Manually
Open the Board View
Open the Group Pro Template board view on the board that should receive the group.
Select the Template
Choose the group template from Available Templates. Expand an item in the preview to see its subitems.
Select Apply Template
If template columns are not found on this board or its subitems board, the app asks how to handle them first. See Mismatched Columns. The app then shows each stage: creating the group, the items, the subitems, and posting updates.
Review the Result
The message confirms that the group was added to the bottom of the board and shows the totals, for example “8 of 8 items · 24 of 24 subitems · 3 of 3 updates”. Any row monday.com refused is listed with its reason. Rows already created are not rolled back.
If the template has subitems but the board has no Subitems column, the app asks whether to Apply items only. Choose it to create the group and its items without subitems, or Cancel to stop.
With an automation
The Apply group template action adds the template’s group to the bottom of the board each time the automation runs.
Create a Custom Automation
On your board, select Automate, then Create a custom automation, and choose a trigger, for example Every week for a recurring sprint or When status changes to something to add an onboarding group when a deal is won.
Add the Action
Select then do this and search for Apply group template from Subitem Pro Templates. On plans with the Workflow Builder, add the same action to a workflow instead.
Select the Template and Create
Select the template field and choose a group template, then select Create automation. Group templates appear only in this action, not in Apply template.
The action lists the automation creator’s own User level templates and all Account level templates. Mismatched columns are skipped and reported, as described in Automation Apply. If the board has no Subitems column, the items are applied without subitems.
4. Dynamic Values
Dynamic values are calculated when a template is applied, using today’s date in the time zone of the person applying, or of the automation’s creator.
| Where | Dynamic options |
|---|---|
| Date cell | Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday, or Today plus or minus days or working days |
| Timeline cell | Next week, Next month, or a custom start and end counted in days or working days |
| Names and group title | The Apply date, for example Sprint {date} becomes Sprint Oct 20, 2026 |
Working days are Monday to Friday; public holidays are not skipped. Use the Pick a date tab of a cell to set fixed dates instead.
5. Updates and Mentions
Each row can carry updates that are posted after the row is created. In a row’s Updates panel, type @ to mention a person or team, or Applier to mention whoever applies the template. Updates are posted by the person applying the template, or by the automation’s creator.
6. Mismatched Columns
A template stores its columns by title and type, not by the board they came from. This lets one template work on many boards. Each time a template is applied, every template column is matched to a board column:
- Title is compared without regard to letter case or surrounding spaces. “Owner” matches ” owner ”.
- Type must be the same. A Status column never matches a Text column, even with the same title.
- Each board column is used once. If a board has two columns with the same title and type, template columns take them in order.
A template column with no match is mismatched. Typical causes are a column that was renamed, deleted, or changed type, or a template applied to a different board. For a group template, item columns are matched against the board and subitem columns against its subitems board, separately.
What happens next depends on how the template is applied.
Manual Apply
Before anything is created, the app checks every column. If all columns match, the template is applied straight away. Otherwise, the Resolve columns to apply dialog lists each mismatched column, marked Not found on this board. For a group template, the dialog shows two sections: Item columns · this board and Subitem columns · subitems board.
Choose one option for each column, then select Apply template:
| Option | What happens | Lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Create a new column (default) | The column is added to the board (or subitems board) with the template’s title and type, then its values are applied. | Permanent: later applies, including automations, match it |
| Map to an existing column | The values go into a board column you choose. Only board columns of the same type that are not already matched are offered; the option is unavailable when there are none. | This apply only |
| Skip this column | The column’s values are left out. Everything else is applied. | This apply only |
Map and Skip do not change the template or the board, so the dialog appears again on the next apply. To resolve a mismatch permanently, choose Create, rename the board column to match the template, or edit the template.
Selecting Cancel stops the apply: nothing is created on the board and no template application is counted. If a column cannot be created, the app shows an error and applies the template without that column’s values.
Automation Apply
An automation runs unattended, so it cannot ask. It applies the same matching, then:
- Skips every mismatched column. Rows are still created, without those columns’ values.
- Never creates or remaps columns on the board, so a renamed column cannot produce a duplicate.
- Notifies the automation’s creator after the run, with a monday.com notification titled Skipped columns that names the template and the skipped columns and asks you to update the template or the board. The notification is attached to the item that triggered the automation (for a group template without a trigger item, to the first item created).
When an automation applies the same template on many items of one board, for example a status change across 50 items, the same skipped columns are reported once, not 50 times. The notification is repeated for the same template, board, and columns after 30 minutes.
Manual and Automation Compared
| Situation | Manual apply | Automation |
|---|---|---|
| A template column has no match | You choose Create, Map, or Skip | The column is skipped |
| New columns on the board | Only when you choose Create | Never |
| How you are told | The dialog, before anything is created | A notification to the automation’s creator, after the run |
| Group template, board has no Subitems column | The app asks whether to apply items only | Items are applied without subitems |
| Status or dropdown label missing on the board | The label is created | The label is created |
| monday.com refuses a row’s value | The row is listed in the result message with the reason | The row is skipped; only skipped columns are notified |
Preventing Mismatches
- Keep column titles and types the same on the boards where a template is used.
- When a mismatch appears in a manual apply, choose Create a new column if the board should have that column, or rename the board column, so later automation runs also match.
- If a board intentionally lacks a column, edit the template and remove the column, or keep a separate template for that board.
- Act on Skipped columns notifications; they mean an automation applied the template with values missing.
Common Use Cases
Project Management
Project phases (subitem template). Every new project gets the same phases.
- Planning: owner Project Manager, due Today +2 working days
- Execution: owner Development Team, timeline Next month
- Testing: owner QA Team, due Today +25 working days
- Launch: owner Marketing Team, update “@Applier please confirm the launch date”
Automation: when status changes to “Project Started”, Apply template “Project Phases”.
Appendix
Supported Column Types
| Column type | Supported |
|---|---|
| Status | Yes |
| Dropdown | Yes |
| People | Yes |
| Date | Yes |
| Timeline | Yes |
| Numbers | Yes |
| Text | Yes |
| Long text | Yes |
| Link | Yes |
| Checkbox | Yes |
| Rating | Yes |
| Connect boards | No |
| Mirror | No |
| Dependency | No |
| Formula | No |
| Progress | No |
| Item ID | No |
| Creation log | No |
| Last updated | No |
| Time tracking | No |
| Color picker | No |
| Files | Yes, on Growth, Scale and Unlimited plans. See Files |
| monday Doc | No |
Access Levels
| Access level | Who can see and apply it | Available in automations created by |
|---|---|---|
| User level | Only the template’s author | The author |
| Account level | Everyone in the account | Anyone in the account |
Build and test a template at User level, then switch it to Account level with Edit once it is ready for your team.
Limits
| Limit | Subitem template | Group template |
|---|---|---|
| Items | Not applicable | 100 |
| Subitems | 50 | 20 per item, 500 in total |
| Updates per row | 5 | 5 |
| Updates in total | 100 | 300 |
| Characters per update | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Mentions per update | 10 | 10 |
| Characters per name | 255 | 255 |
The editor stops adding rows at a limit, and a save over a limit is refused with the reason.
Files
On the Growth, Scale and Unlimited plans, a template can fill a File column. Add the column in the editor, then upload files into its cells. When the template is applied, every file is copied into the File column of each row created. On other plans, the File column is listed as Not in your plan.
| Limit | Growth | Scale | Unlimited |
|---|---|---|---|
| Files stored per account | 200 | 1,000 | 2,500 |
| Storage per account | 2 GB | 10 GB | 25 GB |
| Size of one file | 25 MB | 50 MB | 100 MB |
| Files copied by one apply | 100 MB | 200 MB | 200 MB |
| Files copied per month | No cap | No cap | 500 GB |
A cell holds up to 10 files. Supported file types are PDF, Word (DOC, DOCX), Excel (XLS, XLSX), CSV, PowerPoint (PPT, PPTX), TXT, JPG, PNG, GIF, and MP4. The size of one apply counts each copy, so a 5 MB file on 10 items counts as 50 MB.
Copying files into monday.com needs a one-time connection to your monday.com account. The first time you apply a template with files, the app asks you to Connect, or to Apply without files.
App Usage
Each time a template is applied counts as one template application on your plan. An automation run that creates nothing is not counted. Select App Usage at the top right of the app to open your account’s Operation Counter. If your trial or plan does not allow another template application, the app sends a monday.com notification and does not apply the template.
Troubleshooting
Why did my automation not apply the template?
The most common cause is the trigger: the Apply template action does not run from subitem column triggers, except When a subitem is created. Also check that the automation uses the action for the template’s kind (Apply template for subitem templates, Apply group template for group templates), that the template still exists, and that the automation’s creator can access it. If none of these is the cause, open App Usage to confirm your plan still allows template applications.
Why are some values missing after an automation ran?
The template had columns that were not found on the board, so the automation skipped them and applied everything else. The automation’s creator receives a Skipped columns notification naming them. Rename the board columns to match the template, or edit the template. See Mismatched Columns.
Why does the Resolve columns dialog appear every time I apply?
Map to an existing column and Skip this column apply to one run only, so the mismatch remains. Choose Create a new column, rename the board column to match the template, or edit the template to resolve it permanently.
Why are my templates not listed in the automation?
The list can take a few seconds to load, and monday.com may briefly return you to the board; go back to the automation and the templates will be listed. Each action lists only its own kind of template, so group templates appear only in Apply group template. If the list is still empty, refresh the page.
Why can I not find a template in the app?
Subitem templates are listed in the item view and group templates in the Group Pro Template board view. A User level template is visible only to its author; ask them to switch it to Account level.
What does the “No Subitems Board” message mean?
The app could not reach this board’s subitems board, which usually happens on a new board. Create one subitem on any item through monday.com (it can be deleted afterwards), then reopen the app.
Why are some status or dropdown cells grey in the editor?
The column is not on the current board, so its labels and colours are not known here. The stored values are kept and can still be saved, and any missing label is created on the target board when the template is applied.
Contact Support
Need help with subitem templates, group templates, or other Subitem Pro Templates features?
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Our dedicated support team is ready to help you get the most out of Subitem Pro Templates. Whether you have questions about template design, automation setup, or troubleshooting, we’re here to assist.
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