A Gantt chart shows your whole project on one screen: what happens when, who’s doing it, and what’s running late. This free template builds the chart for you. Just type each task’s start and end date, and the bars appear automatically.
Download the free Gantt chart template (.xlsx)
What is inside
| Feature | How it works |
|---|---|
| Automatic bars | Each task’s bar fills the days between its start and end dates |
| Progress shading | The dark part of the bar shows the % complete |
| Today marker | Today’s column is highlighted yellow |
| Overdue alerts | Unfinished tasks past their end date turn red |
| Status drop-down | Not started, In progress, Done, Blocked, each color-coded |
| Weekend shading | Friday–Saturday weekends shaded grey (easy to change) |
| 70-day timeline | Change the start date to scroll through longer projects |
How to use it
- Set the start date in the yellow cell, usually the first day of your project.
- List your tasks in order, with an owner for each one.
- Enter start and end dates. The number of days and the bar appear automatically.
- Update % done and status once or twice a week.
- Look for red: these tasks are past their end date and need attention.
Example: a 4-week website project
This is how a small team might fill in the Gantt chart template for a new website. Dates follow each other, so each task starts after the one it depends on.
| Task | Owner | Start | End | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agree goals and pages | Sara | 1 Dec | 3 Dec | 3 |
| Write content | Ali | 4 Dec | 12 Dec | 9 |
| Design and build | Omar | 7 Dec | 19 Dec | 13 |
| Test on phone and desktop | Sara | 20 Dec | 23 Dec | 4 |
| Launch | Omar | 24 Dec | 24 Dec | 1 |
“Write content” and “Design and build” overlap on purpose: design can start once the page list is agreed. The bars make overlaps like this easy to see, and if writing runs late, the red overdue alert shows it straight away.
Why use an automatic Gantt chart in Excel?
- No drawing: bars are created by conditional formatting from your dates, so changing a date moves the bar instantly.
- No special software: anyone with Excel or a free Google account can open and update it.
- Easy to share: print it on one page for a meeting, or share the Google Sheets version with your team.
For bigger projects with many dependencies and resources, project software such as Microsoft Planner or ClickUp may suit you better.
Tips for a good project plan
- Keep tasks small: 1–10 days each. Long tasks hide problems.
- Add buffer: leave a few days before important deadlines.
- Show dependencies with order: list tasks in the order they happen, and start a task only after the one it depends on ends.
- Review weekly with your team and update the dates honestly.
- Print it for meetings. See how to print on one page.
Gantt chart or project tracker?
Use this Gantt chart when timing matters and tasks follow each other. For a simple list of tasks with owners, priorities and deadlines, use our project tracker template. Many teams use both.
Use it in Google Sheets
Download the file, then in Google Sheets go to File → Import → Upload. The bars and colors keep working.
FAQ
My weekend is Saturday–Sunday. Can I change it?
Yes. Go to Home → Conditional Formatting → Manage Rules, edit the weekend rule, and change it to =OR(WEEKDAY(I$5)=7,WEEKDAY(I$5)=1).
Can I add more tasks?
There’s room for 30 tasks. To add more, copy the last row down. The formatting copies with it.
Is this Gantt chart template automatic?
Yes. Enter a start and end date for each task and the bar, duration, progress shading, today marker and overdue alerts update by themselves.
Can I use it for a project longer than 70 days?
Yes. Change the timeline start date to scroll the 70-day view forward, or add more date columns and copy the formatting across.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. The bars and colors use conditional formatting, which Google Sheets supports.