Vendors, clients and team leads still send project managers their schedules as Excel files. Retyping a 200-row task list into Microsoft Project wastes a day and adds errors. The good news is that Project desktop has a built-in Import Wizard that turns a well-prepared spreadsheet into a linked project schedule in a few minutes. This guide walks you through every screen with real Microsoft Project screenshots, shows how to prepare the sheet so the columns map by themselves, and fixes the errors project managers hit most often.
- The built-in route works: in Microsoft Project desktop, choose File > New > New from Excel workbook and the Import Wizard turns your sheet into tasks.
- The sheet decides the result: one header row, no blank rows, an Outline Level column for phases, and durations typed as 5d or 2w.
- Columns map by themselves only when headers match Project field names (Name, Duration, Predecessors). Everything else must be matched on the Task Mapping screen.
- Planner has no Excel importer for premium plans: Project for the web moved into Planner in 2025 and Project Online retired in September 2026, but Project desktop is still the place to import Excel.
You will also find a free Excel import template, a free Import Map Builder that tells you which Project field each of your columns should go to, and a clear update on where Microsoft Planner fits now that Project for the web and Project Online are gone.
Why Project Managers Import Excel Into Microsoft Project
Excel is the common language of project teams. It is easy to share, every vendor has it, and it is perfect for a first task list. But a spreadsheet cannot calculate dates from dependencies, roll tasks up into phases, show a critical path or compare progress against a baseline. Microsoft Project can. Importing lets the project manager keep Excel as the input and use Project for the scheduling.
The most common reasons project managers run the import:
- Consolidating vendor schedules: each supplier sends its plan in Excel, and the project manager appends them to one master project.
- Turning a brainstormed task list into a real schedule: the team builds the list in Excel during planning, then the project manager imports it to add links, resources and a baseline.
- Moving from a spreadsheet tracker to a proper Gantt chart: once a project outgrows its tracker, Project adds the dependencies and the Gantt charts stakeholders expect.
- Weekly progress updates: a vendor sends % complete or new finish dates in Excel, and the project manager merges them into the existing tasks.
What You Need Before You Start
The Import Wizard is part of Microsoft Project desktop: Project Standard and Professional 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024, and the desktop app that comes with the Planner and Project Plan 3 and Plan 5 subscriptions. If you do not have it yet, our Microsoft Project pricing guide compares the options, from the subscription plans to Microsoft Project Desktop (Project Professional 2024) as a one-time purchase.
- The Excel file saved as .xlsx (or .xls or .xlsb). Project cannot open .xlsm macro workbooks.
- The file closed in Excel. An open workbook can be locked and fail to load.
- About 15 minutes for the first import. Once you save the map, the next vendor file takes about two minutes.
If Project shows a message about legacy or non-default file formats when you open the workbook, an administrator or a previous setting has blocked those formats. Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Legacy Formats and choose the option that allows loading files with legacy or non-default file formats, then try again.
Step 1: Prepare Your Excel Sheet
Nine out of ten failed imports are caused by the spreadsheet, not by Project. Spend five minutes here and the wizard will do the rest.
- One header row, one table. Row 1 holds the column titles and the tasks start in row 2. Remove report titles, logos and merged cells above the table.
- No blank rows or blank columns. The wizard stops reading at the first blank row, so everything below it is silently lost.
- Name the headers after Project fields. A column titled Name, Duration or Predecessors maps by itself. A column titled Activity or Owner must be matched by hand.
- Add an Outline Level column. Use 1 for phases, 2 for the tasks under them, 3 for sub-tasks. Without it, every task imports at the same level and you lose the work breakdown.
- Type durations with a unit: 5d, 2w or 4h, and 0d for milestones.
- Use row order for predecessors. Row 2 becomes task ID 1, row 3 becomes ID 2, and so on. A Predecessors cell of 4 means “after the task in row 5”. Do not sort the sheet after you add links.
- Give a Start date to the first task only. On auto-scheduled tasks, an imported Start date becomes a Start No Earlier Than constraint, so the task will not move when its predecessor slips. Let the links calculate the other dates.
Microsoft also ships a Microsoft Project Task List template in Excel (File > New in Excel, then search for it). Our free template below goes one step further: its headers already match Project fields, and it includes outline levels, predecessors and a field guide.
Free Excel to Microsoft Project Import Template
A Tasks sheet with headers that map by themselves, a 15-row office relocation example, a How to Use sheet and a Field Guide. Free, no sign-up.
Excel columns and the Project fields they map to
Use these exact header names and the Import Wizard maps each column on its own.
| Excel header | Format | Example | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Text | Select moving vendor | Required. Map it to Name, not Task Name. |
| Outline Level | Whole number | 1 or 2 | Rebuilds phases and sub-tasks. |
| Duration | Number with unit | 5d, 2w, 0d | 0d creates a milestone. |
| Start | Date | 2027-01-04 | First task only, to avoid constraints. |
| Predecessors | Task IDs | 2 or 2FS+1d,5 | IDs follow row order. |
| Resource Names | Text, commas | IT Support,Moving Vendor | New names are added to the Resource Sheet. |
| % Complete | 0 to 100 | 40 | Above 0 also sets an Actual Start. |
| Notes | Text | After-hours move | Imported into task notes. |
| Baseline Start / Finish | Date | 2027-01-04 | Only for an approved plan you must track against. |
Field names from Microsoft Project desktop. See also Microsoft Support: Export or import data to another file format.
Step 2: Start the Import in Microsoft Project
These are the real screens you will see in Microsoft Project desktop. The look changes a little between versions, but the commands are the same in Project 2016 to 2024 and the subscription desktop app.
Choose File > New > New from Excel workbook
Open Microsoft Project, select File > New, and on the New page select New from Excel workbook. Use this route when you want the Excel file to become a new project. To add the rows to a plan you already have, open that plan first and use File > Open > Browse instead.
File > New: the New from Excel workbook tile opens the Open box. Source: Microsoft Support.
Set the file type to Excel Workbook
The Open box starts on XML Format, so your spreadsheet is hidden. Select the file type list next to the File name box and pick Excel Workbook (or Excel 97-2003 Workbook for an old .xls file). Your workbook now appears. Select it and choose Open.
Open box: switch the file type from XML Format to Excel Workbook, or your file stays invisible. Source: Microsoft Support.
Start the Import Wizard
The Import Wizard opens on its welcome screen. Choose Next.
Import Wizard: the welcome screen. Choose Next to start the mapping. Source: Microsoft Support.
Step 3: Walk Through the Import Wizard
The wizard has six screens. Most of them take one click. The one that decides whether your import works is Task Mapping.
Map: create a new map or reuse one
Choose New map for your first import. If you saved a map from an earlier vendor file with the same columns, choose Use existing map and pick it from the list. Then choose Next.
Import Mode: new project, append or merge
This screen decides where the rows go:
- As a new project: creates a new plan from the sheet. Use it for a first import.
- Append the data to the active project: adds every row after the last task of the plan you have open. Use it to bring a vendor schedule into your master plan.
- Merge the data into the active project: updates existing tasks that match a merge key. Use it for weekly updates of progress or dates.
Map Options: tick Tasks and Import includes headers
Under Select the types of data you want to import, tick Tasks. Tick Resources or Assignments only if your workbook has separate sheets for them. Then tick Import includes headers, so Project reads row 1 as column names and not as a task. Choose Next.
Task Mapping: match every column
First set Source worksheet name to the sheet that holds your tasks. The wizard lists each Excel column under From: Excel Field and suggests a Project field under To: Microsoft Project Field. Columns whose header matches a Project field name are filled in for you. Any row that shows (not mapped) will not be imported, so click it and pick the right field.
- Use Delete Row to drop columns you do not want, such as a vendor’s internal task number.
- Send extra columns you want to keep, such as a vendor WBS code or status, to a custom field like Text1.
- In Merge mode, select the Name (or Unique ID) row and choose Set Merge Key.
- Check the Preview at the bottom: it shows the first rows as Project will import them.
End of Map Definition: save the map and finish
Choose Save Map, give it a clear name such as “Vendor schedule” and choose Save. Saved maps appear under Use existing map next time, and you can copy them to other files with the Organizer. Then choose Finish. Project builds the plan in a few seconds.
Watch the Import in Microsoft Project
In this 8-minute video, Microsoft Project trainer Tom Henry imports a task list from Excel, maps the columns and fixes the details the wizard does not handle on its own.
Video by Tom Henry on YouTube: How to Import into Microsoft Project from Excel.
Step 4: Check the Imported Schedule
An import that finishes without an error is not always right. Before you share the plan, the project manager should check:
- The hierarchy: phases appear in bold as summary tasks, with their tasks indented under them. If everything sits at one level, the Outline Level column was missing or not mapped.
- The task mode: imported tasks can come in as manually scheduled, depending on your Project options. Select the tasks and choose Auto Schedule on the Task tab so links drive the dates.
- The links: add the Predecessors column to the Gantt Chart view and confirm each task points to the right ID. Then check the critical path, as explained in our guide to calculating float.
- Constraints: a calendar icon in the Indicators column means a task has a date constraint. Remove unwanted ones with Task Information > Advanced > Constraint type: As Soon As Possible.
- Milestones and resources: 0d tasks show as diamonds, and new names in the Resource Sheet are spelled the way your team expects.
- A baseline: once the plan is approved, choose Project > Set Baseline so you can track slippage, then save the file as .mpp.
WORKED EXAMPLE
Office relocation: 15 Excel rows become a linked schedule
A project manager receives the relocation plan as a spreadsheet with four phases and eleven tasks. Only the first task carries a date (Monday, January 4, 2027). Every other task has a duration and the row number of its predecessor.
After the import, Project rolls the tasks up under the four phases, chains the eleven tasks finish-to-start, and calculates the dates: the move plan is approved on January 13, the office opens on March 2 and the project closes on March 3, 2027.
Why it matters: when the furniture order slips by five days, the project manager changes one duration and every later date moves. If the vendor had sent fixed Start and Finish dates instead, all of them would have to be edited by hand.
Example built from the free template on this page. Dates assume the default Standard calendar (Monday to Friday).
Free Excel to Microsoft Project Import Map Builder
Paste the header row of any Excel schedule and the builder tells you which Microsoft Project field each column should go to, which ones map by themselves, and what will go wrong (missing outline levels, dates that become constraints, ID columns that clash with Project’s numbering). It also writes your Import Wizard checklist, screen by screen, and gives you a renamed header row so the next import maps by itself.
How to use it: 1. Paste your header row. 2. Pick New, Append or Merge and check the field for each column. 3. Copy the checklist or the auto-mapping header row, or download a CSV template.
Step 1. Paste your Excel header row
Copy row 1 of the vendor’s sheet (the column titles) and paste it here. Tabs, commas or semicolons all work. An example vendor schedule is loaded so you can see how it works.
Runs in your browser. Your column names are not stored or sent anywhere.
Common Excel Import Errors and How to Fix Them
Import problems project managers hit most often
Find the symptom you see in Microsoft Project, then apply the fix.
| What you see | Why it happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Your Excel file does not appear in the Open box | The file type is still set to XML Format. | Switch the file type to Excel Workbook or Excel 97-2003 Workbook. |
| A message about legacy or non-default file formats | A Trust Center setting blocks non-.mpp files. | File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Legacy Formats, then allow loading those files. |
| Only part of the list was imported | A blank row in the middle of the table. | Delete blank rows in Excel and import again. |
| The Task Mapping list is empty | Wrong sheet, or Tasks was not ticked on Map Options. | Pick the right Source worksheet name and tick Tasks and Import includes headers. |
| A column was not imported | It showed (not mapped) on Task Mapping. | Map it to a Project field, or rename the Excel header to the field name. |
| All tasks are at the same level | No Outline Level column was mapped. | Add Outline Level (1, 2, 3) or indent the tasks after the import. |
| Dates do not move when a task slips | Imported Start or Finish dates became constraints, or tasks are manually scheduled. | Import Duration and Predecessors instead of dates, switch tasks to Auto Schedule, set constraints to As Soon As Possible. |
| Every task lasts 1 day? | No Duration column, or durations were text Project could not read. | Map Duration and type values like 5d or 2w. |
| Links point to the wrong tasks | Predecessor numbers came from the vendor’s own IDs, or the sheet was sorted. | Renumber predecessors to row order (row 2 = ID 1). |
| Merge added rows instead of updating them | Task names do not match exactly (extra spaces, typos). | Clean the names or merge on Unique ID, and set the merge key. |
Based on Microsoft Support and MPUG: Import Excel Data into Project, Tips and Troubleshooting.
Microsoft Project, Planner and Excel in 2026
The old version of this article said that imported schedules could be published straight to Planner. That is not how the tools work, and a lot has changed since 2025, so here is where things stand for project managers.
- Project for the web is now Planner. In August 2025 Microsoft redirected Project for the web and the Project and Roadmap apps in Teams to Planner. Its scheduling features live on as premium plans in Planner.
- Project Online is retired. Microsoft retired Project Online on September 30, 2026. Microsoft confirmed that Project desktop, Project Server Subscription Edition and Planner are not affected.
- Project desktop still does the Excel import. The Import Wizard described above has not changed. Nothing in Planner replaces it.
- Planner premium plans have no Excel importer. Moving rows from Excel into a premium plan needs a Power Automate flow with Dataverse, which requires premium licenses. There is also no publish-to-Planner command in Project desktop.
In practice, project managers who need a real schedule import Excel into Project desktop and share the .mpp file, a PDF or an Excel export with the team. Teams that live in Microsoft 365 can track the day-to-day work in Planner, but should know its limits first: see our cons of Microsoft Planner and the pros and cons of Microsoft 365.
Excel to Microsoft Project Import: Facts Worth Checking
Claims you will read online, checked
Many guides on this topic, including the old version of this page, repeat claims that are out of date. Here is what the sources say.
| Claim | Verdict | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
| Project can create a new plan from an Excel workbook. | True | File > New > New from Excel workbook starts the Import Wizard. Microsoft |
| The Import Wizard maps every column automatically. | Partly true | It suggests fields, but only headers that match Project field names map by themselves; the rest must be matched. Microsoft |
| The wizard has been redesigned with direct .xlsx support in 2026. | False | The wizard and its steps are the same as in Project 2016; .xlsx has been supported for years. Microsoft |
| Project can open .xlsm macro workbooks. | False | Project cannot open or save .xlsm files. Microsoft |
| The wizard stops at the first blank row. | True | Keep the data in one solid block. MPUG |
| Import maps can be saved and reused. | True | Save Map on the last screen; copy maps with the Organizer. Microsoft |
| Excel includes a Microsoft Project Task List template. | True | Microsoft recommends it to make mapping easier. Microsoft |
| Project for the web was merged into Planner. | True | Users were redirected to Planner starting in August 2025. Microsoft Tech Community |
| Project desktop retired along with Project Online. | False | Only Project Online retired on September 30, 2026. Microsoft Tech Community |
| You can publish an imported plan from Project desktop to Planner. | False | There is no such command, and premium plans have no Excel importer. Microsoft Q&A |
Checked November 7, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import Excel into Microsoft Project without the Import Wizard?
Yes, for short lists. Open a Gantt Chart view whose columns are in the same order as your Excel columns, copy the cells in Excel and paste them into the Task Name column. Copy and paste does not create a hierarchy, so you still indent tasks by hand. For anything longer than a few rows, the Import Wizard is faster and you can save the map.
Why does Microsoft Project say it cannot open my Excel file?
Check three things. The Open box must show Excel Workbook (it starts on XML Format), the file must be .xlsx, .xlsb or .xls (Project cannot open .xlsm macro workbooks), and the file must be closed in Excel. If a message mentions legacy or non-default file formats, go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Legacy Formats and allow loading those files.
How do I keep the summary tasks and phases from my Excel plan?
Add an Outline Level column: 1 for each phase, 2 for the tasks under it, 3 for sub-tasks. Map it to the Outline Level field on the Task Mapping screen. Leave Duration, Start and Predecessors blank on the phase rows, because Project calculates summary tasks from their sub-tasks.
Can I import Excel directly into Microsoft Planner?
Not into premium plans. Planner premium plans (the former Project for the web) have no built-in Excel importer, and Microsoft’s suggested workaround uses Power Automate with Dataverse. Basic Planner plans can be filled from Excel with a Power Automate flow. For a full schedule, import the sheet into Project desktop.
Can I update an existing project from Excel every week?
Yes. Choose Merge the data into the active project on the Import Mode screen, map only the columns you want to update (for example % Complete or Finish), then select the Name or Unique ID row and choose Set Merge Key. Rows whose key matches update the existing tasks; rows that do not match are added at the end of the plan.
How do I reuse the same import map for every vendor file?
On the last screen of the Import Wizard, choose Save Map and give it a name. Next time, choose Use existing map on the Map screen. To share a map with another project file or a colleague, copy it with the Organizer (File > Info > Organizer, Maps tab).
Final Thoughts
Importing Excel into Microsoft Project is not a workaround any more than it was ten years ago: it is a dependable, built-in workflow, as long as the sheet is clean. Give vendors the template, keep one header row with Project field names, use outline levels and predecessors instead of fixed dates, and save your map. The project manager gets a linked schedule in minutes, and every later update is a two-minute merge. For more planning help, browse our Free Project Management Toolkit, the WBS templates that make outline levels easy, and our guide to writing a project plan.
Suggested articles:
- Top 10 Cons or Disadvantages of Using Microsoft Planner Software
- Microsoft Project Pricing Plans & Costs Guide
- The Pros and Cons of Using Microsoft 365 Software (formerly Office 365)
Andrew Makar, DMIT, PMP, CSM is an IT director with delivery experience across projects, programs and portfolios in Digital Marketing, Automotive, Software and Financial Management industries. He is an enthusiastic leader who effectively translates project management theory into practical application. His area of interest and practice is in implementing Agile processes and SCRUM techniques to deliver better software to his customers. Find out more about Andrew on andymakar.com and please reach out and connect with Andrew on LinkedIn.