Mirror Columns That Actually Update: How to Copy Dynamic Data in monday.com

Monday.com mirror columns do update automatically—they create a live connection between boards that syncs data in real-time without duplication. When you change a cell in a mirror column, it reflects on connected boards instantly, and vice versa. However, mirror columns come with significant limitations that often require workarounds for advanced workflows.

What Are Mirror Columns in monday.com?

Mirror columns reflect information from one board to another, creating visibility across your workspace. They work alongside Connect Boards columns, which link items together, while mirror columns display the actual data from those linked items.

The key advantage is real-time synchronization. Once you've set up Connect Boards and Mirror Columns and connected the respective items, mirrored information appears right away. Changes flow both directions automatically—update a status on the source board, and it instantly appears in the mirror column on the destination board.

How Mirror Columns Handle Dynamic Updates

Mirror columns ensure connected columns are fully synced—every time you change a cell in the mirror column, it reflects on the connected board(s) as well, and vice versa. This creates a powerful system for centralizing important information while maintaining data integrity across multiple boards.

When multiple items are connected, mirror columns show aggregated data intelligently. For status columns, when multiple statuses are mirrored, the mirror column shows only their colors, not labels. You can hover to see each status label and the percentage of items with that status.

For data consistency, you must select the same column type for each connected board so data can be aggregated through the mirror column. You can't mix a status column from one board with a text column from another—the column types must match.

Key Limitations That Impact Real-World Use

While mirror columns update automatically, they have several critical limitations that affect how you can use them in complex workflows:

No Automation Triggers

The biggest limitation: users cannot use a mirrored column as a trigger for automations. When attempting to create an automation where a mirrored column changes or matches a value, this simply isn't possible according to monday.com support confirmation.

Manual Item Management

Mirror columns don't automatically add new items created in source boards. When new tasks are added to a project board, users must manually go to the high-level board and add that new task to the mirror column. This breaks the "set it and forget it" workflow many users expect.

No Filtering Capability

Mirror columns don't support filtering—you cannot filter mirrored results to show only items with specific filters. You must see all results, which can create cluttered views in large datasets.

Subitem Limitations

Mirror columns cannot mirror subitem columns from one board to another board item. This is particularly limiting for project management workflows that rely heavily on subitems.

Mirroring Depth Restrictions

You can only mirror mirror columns up to two times (e.g., from board 1 to board 2, then from board 2 to board 3 works, but adding a third level from board 3 to board 4 does not). This prevents complex multi-level reporting structures.

Working Around Mirror Column Limitations

Given these constraints, many users need workarounds to achieve their desired workflows. One of the most common needs is copying mirror column data to a regular editable column that can trigger automations.

Community Cookbook's Copy Mirror Column Value to Editable Column recipe solves this exact problem. It reads a mirror column and writes its value to a real column that you can then use in automations, notifications, and formulas.

For complex cross-board synchronization needs, consider Community Cookbook's bidirectional sync options. The Sync Status Bidirectionally recipe keeps statuses in sync between boards in both directions without creating infinite loops, while Update Status in Connected Board provides one-way sync when you need more control.

Performance and Scale Considerations

Monday.com currently limits the number of linked items to 10,000 per board, which affects mirror column performance at scale. As workspaces grow, mirror columns have additional limitations—only some columns mirror correctly, comments don't move, and subitems don't sync properly.

The Updates section cannot be mirrored, though you can view it by clicking on an item in the Connect Boards column, then clicking the three dots in the top right corner of the item card.

Privacy and Permissions with Mirror Columns

When mirroring from a private or shareable board with column viewing permissions, only those with access to the original data can view the mirrored data. This maintains data security but can create confusing experiences where some users see blank mirror columns.

Mirror columns require linking individual items across boards and cannot sync column lists or dropdown options between boards without this manual task linking, which becomes cumbersome in permission-restricted environments.

Making Mirror Columns Work for Your Workflow

Despite their limitations, mirror columns remain valuable for creating visibility across boards when used appropriately. They work best for:

• Displaying project status across portfolio views
• Aggregating data from multiple boards into dashboards
• Creating read-only views of critical information
• Maintaining data consistency across teams

For more complex automation needs, combine mirror columns with Community Cookbook recipes that can copy their values to actionable columns or create custom sync behaviors that work around monday.com's native limitations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I automatically mirror new items that are created after initial setup?+

Can I use a mirrored column as a trigger for automations?+

How deep can I nest mirror columns?+

Can I filter which items appear in a mirror column?+

Do mirror columns work with subitem columns?+

What happens to mirror columns if I delete the source board?+