Excel Gantt chart template
A free Excel workbook with the Gantt chart already built in. Type a task, its Start and Finish dates and how much is done, and the bars draw themselves across the weeks. The bars are conditional formatting, so there is no macro to enable and nothing to install.
- Phases and tasks, with WBS numbers and an Owner column
- A dark share of each bar for % Complete, and a milestone marker
- Duration in working days, worked out from the dates
- A Predecessors column, and a How to use tab
How to make a Gantt chart in Excel
The cleanest way is conditional formatting on a grid of weeks: each cell colours itself when its week falls between a task's start and finish. It is what the template does, and it takes about ten minutes to build yourself.
- List your tasks one per row, with a Start date in column D, a Finish date in column E and % Complete in column F.
- Right of the table, in row 1, type the Monday of the first week (say in L1). In M1 type
=L1+7and fill it to the right for as many weeks as the plan needs. - Select the grid under those dates, starting at L2. Choose Home, Conditional Formatting, New Rule, then Use a formula to determine which cells to format. Enter this formula and pick a light fill:
=AND($D2<L$1+7,$E2>=L$1) - Add a second rule with a darker fill for the part that is done:
=AND($F2>0,$D2<L$1+7,$E2>=L$1,L$1<=$D2+($E2-$D2+1)*$F2-1) - In Conditional Formatting, Manage Rules, move the done rule above the first one and tick Stop If True on it, so a done week shows dark rather than light.
- Optional: a third rule for milestones, such as a Milestone column in I with Yes in it:
=AND($I2="Yes",$E2>=L$1,$E2<L$1+7)
The other common method is a stacked bar chart: plot the start dates as a first series with no fill, the durations as a second series on top, then reverse the category axis so the first task is at the top. It looks more like a chart, but it has to be re-ranged every time you add a task, and it shows no progress.
The shortcut is the template: all three rules, the week dates, a Duration column in working days and a Milestone list are set up already.
Drop your filled-in template
Filled the template in? Save it, then drop it here or choose Open a file, and see it as a real Gantt chart: the phases as summary rows, the milestone, and the links from the Predecessors column drawn between the bars. Keep the column names in row 1 as they are.
A spreadsheet is uploaded and converted on Onplana's servers to open it, and the viewer asks first. The uploaded copy is deleted within 3 days, and removed from backups 7 days after that.
Rows that should stay in your browser? Paste them into the generator to make a Gantt chart from Excel, which uploads nothing.
The viewer reads the plan and changes nothing. To edit the dates and save the plan, use Onplana Schedule, free for Windows and Mac
Want a whole project plan instead of a blank chart? The project management templates for Excel are ready-made plans with every phase and task written out, each a spreadsheet Excel opens.
Updated .
Frequently asked questions
Is this Excel Gantt chart template free?
Yes. It is a plain .xlsx file you download from this page, with no sign-up, no email and no trial.
Does the template use macros?
No. The bars are conditional formatting: each week cell checks the task's Start, Finish and % Complete and colours itself. Excel opens the file without a macro or security warning, and the bars redraw as you type.
Which versions of Excel does it work in?
Current Excel on Windows and Mac, and Excel for the web. The template uses formula-based conditional formatting and the NETWORKDAYS function, both of which those versions support.
How do I add more tasks or more weeks?
Type new tasks under the last row: the bars are set up to row 200. For more weeks, copy the last week column and paste it to the right; Excel copies the formatting rules with it, and each new week is the one before plus 7 days.
Does the chart move dates when a task slips?
No. Excel draws the bars from the dates you type, and the Predecessors column is a note to yourself, so moving one task moves nothing else. Drop the file on the viewer on this page to see the plan with its links drawn, or open it in Onplana Schedule, the free desktop app, which reschedules the tasks that follow.
Is my file uploaded when I drop it on the viewer?
Yes. A spreadsheet is converted on Onplana's servers to open it, and the viewer asks first. The uploaded copy is deleted within 3 days, and removed from backups 7 days after that. To keep the rows in your browser, paste them into the Gantt chart generator instead, which uploads nothing.
When the plan outgrows the sheet
In Excel, moving one date moves nothing else. Onplana Schedule, the free desktop app, opens the same file and moves the tasks that follow for you. A free Onplana account keeps the plan online with your team, with dependencies, the critical path and progress that rolls up. No credit card.