How to Create a Gantt Chart in Microsoft Word (With Templates!)

A Gantt chart gives a visual representation of a single project’s tasks and resources scheduled over time. Suitable for any team or industry, Gantt charts are a valuable tool for project managers to keep teams and stakeholders informed of progress at every phase.

We’ll cover not one but two ways to build a Gantt chart in Microsoft Word with easy-to-follow tutorials! ⚙️

This Article Contains:

How to Make a Gantt Chart in Word

If you’d like to create a simple Gantt chart table in Microsoft Word, jump to the Version 2 tutorial.

Note: In this tutorial, we use Microsoft Word for Mac Version 16.54. The steps and features may look different if you’re on another platform or version such as Google Docs or Google Sheets.

👉 Version 1: Creating a Gantt chart with a Excel table

1️⃣ Add the project schedule data into Microsoft Excel

First, open a new Word document
Select Blank Document > Create
Under the Layout tab, select Orientation > Landscape

change the page orientation to landscape in word — Created in Microsoft Word

4. Go to the Insert tab > Chart > Column > Stacked Bar graph, and under 2-D Bar, click the middle chart

Note: An Excel window will open automatically

stacked bar chart in word — Created in Microsoft Word

5. In the Excel application, rename the first row of columns B, C, and D to Start Date, End Date, and Duration respectively

edit the first row of column with text in excel — Created in Microsoft Excel

6. Highlight the cells B and C and right-click. Scroll down to Format Cells and choose your desired date format

Note: The number of cells highlighted depends on the number of tasks you’re adding to the Gantt chart

click date to change the date format in excel — Created in Microsoft Excel

7. Starting with the first task, edit the placeholder data by adding your project information:

Column A: task name
Column B: start date
Column C: end date

edit data for all start dates and end dates in exel — Created in Microsoft Excel

8. Select cell D2 and type =C2-$B2 in the formula bar

use the formula to populate the duration days in excel — Created in Microsoft Excel

9. Select cell D2 again and click to drag the square at the bottom right corner until the last task in the column

click and drag within the duration column to copy the formula in excel — Created in Microsoft Excel

2️⃣ Edit the Gantt chart in Word

Return to the Word application
Right-click End Date in the Chart legend > Delete Series

press delete to remove the series in word — Created in Microsoft Word

3. Click a blue bar to select them all > Fill > No Fill

change the fill on each bar in word — Created in Microsoft Word

3️⃣ Customize the Gantt chart in Microsoft Word

Optional: Add a color scheme to the chart by selecting the table, and under the Format tab > choose your desired table color

use the format tab change the color theme in word — Created in Microsoft Word

Optional: Add a color scheme to the task bars by selecting a task bar > Format tab > choose your desired table color

choose a chart table color in word — Created in Microsoft Word

4️⃣ Save as Gantt chart template

Go to File > Save as Template… and a dialog box will appear
Enter your calendar template name under Save As
Add relevant tags under Tags (for Mac users)
Choose where you want to save your calendar template
Check the File Format is set to Microsoft Word template (.dotx)

save as a gantt chart template — Created in Microsoft Word

👉 Version 2: Creating a Gantt chart with a Word table

1️⃣ Insert the table and add the project schedule data

Launch Microsoft Word
Select Blank Document > Create
Under the Layout tab, select Orientation > Landscape
Add your Gantt chart title
Place the cursor at the desired location to insert the table
On the Insert tab, select Table > hover over a 2×8 table, and click to populate

add a table to the new document in word — Created in Microsoft Word

7. Click and drag the centerline towards the left with enough space for the task names

click and drag the center line to add more space for the task names in word — Created in Microsoft Word

8. Highlight all right columns and under the Layout tab, click Split Cells. Then, type 8 in the Number of columns box, and click OK

split cells to create the first row in word — Created in Microsoft Word

9. In the table, type Week 1 through Week 8 in the first row and add all task names in the first column

add text to the chart in word — Created in Microsoft Word

10. Highlight all rows except the first row, and under the Layout tab, click the up arrow under Height control to adjust the row height

adjust the table row height in word — Created in Microsoft Word

11. Highlight all rows except the first row again, and under the Layout tab, select the Center icon to center align text

center align the table text in word — Created in Microsoft Word

2️⃣ Add a color scheme to the task bars

1. Highlight the cells and go to Table Design tab > Shading > choose your desired color(s)

add colors to the task bar in word — Created in Microsoft Word

Optional: Highlight the task bars in a single row, then go to the Layout tab > Merge Cells

add text inside the task bars in word — Created in Microsoft Word

3️⃣ Customize the table border thickness

Click the square icon at the top left of the chart to select everything in the table
Go to the Table Design tab > under 1/2 pt > click 3pt
Click Borders > Outside Border

adjust the table border thickness in word — Created in Microsoft Word

4️⃣ Save as Gantt chart template

Go to File > Save as Template… and a dialog box will appear
Enter your calendar template name under Save As
Add relevant tags under Tags (for Mac users)
Choose where you want to save your Microsoft Word calendar template
Check the File Format is set to Microsoft Word template (.dotx)

save as a gantt chart template in word — Created in Microsoft Word

✨ Bonus tutorials:

Create Professional Gantt Charts in ClickUp

While it’s handy to know how to create Gantt charts in a popular tool like Microsoft Word or any project management software, that was a ton of work for a chart that will be unusable the next day… maybe in the next hour or two.

As we all know (and experience), projects change daily. So while you’re busy manually creating a dynamic Gantt chart in MS Word, the data, people, and circumstances might change, and you’ll have to start over.

This inevitable situation is why it’s essential to use an intuitive software tool to remove the manual work and update in real-time. With ClickUp, a powerful Microsoft Project alternative, you won’t need to create multiple versions of Gantt chart templates!

ClickUp is the ultimate productivity platform allowing teams to manage projects, collaborate smarter, and bring all work under one tool. Whether you’re new to productivity apps or an expert project manager, ClickUp’s customization can stretch to any team size for consistent collaboration.

clickup gantt chart — Access ClickUp on any device, anywhere, any time

ClickUp’s Gantt view couldn’t be any easier to create and manage.

Click + View in your desired Space, Folder, or List
Select Gantt
Enter a name for this view
Check the Personal view box if you don’t want anyone else to access it
Check the Pin view box if you want it always to display
Click Add View

clickup gantt view — Add a view through the + in the Views Bar

What Microsoft Word can’t do that the ClickUp’s Gantt chart feature exceeds at is setting and managing dependent tasks:

Quickly determine how much time is required to complete a task by hovering over the progress bar
View the critical path (chain of tasks crucial to a project’s completion)
Manage project tasks in singles or groups

clickup critical path — Set dependencies and determine the chain of tasks crucial to a project’s completion with Critical Path and Slack Time

With the drag-and-drop editor, make changes in seconds to your Gantt Chart without starting from scratch:

Adjust start dates and due dates without creating a second table
Add tasks at any given time to accommodate the project plan scope
Open a task for description, assignees, project data, and more

What’s next?

Create your professional Gantt chart in ClickUp, a feature-rich project management tool, and share it with anyone for free today!

Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.

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How to Create a Gantt Chart in Microsoft Word (With Templates!)

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How to Make a Gantt Chart in Word