Gantt chart template for Excel

A Gantt chart that draws itself. List tasks with a start date, a length in days and how much is done; the end date is calculated and coloured bars fill the timeline across eight weeks, darker for the completed part. Today is highlighted, weekends are shaded, and tasks are numbered in WBS style so phases and sub-tasks read clearly. It is built with conditional formatting, so there are no macros or chart objects to fix.

Templates

Gantt chart (Excel spreadsheet): A Gantt chart template for Excel: tasks with start dates and durations draw their own bars across an 8-week timeline, shaded by progress, with a today line.
Project tracker (Excel spreadsheet): A project task tracker with owners, priority and status dropdowns, due dates that turn red when late, and a progress summary.
Yearly calendar (Excel spreadsheet): A printable yearly calendar for Excel that works for any year: change the year and all 12 months redraw, with weeks starting on Monday.

How to use these templates

Set the project start date; the timeline begins there and every date along the top follows.
Write your phases as whole numbers (1, 2, 3) and their tasks as 1.1, 1.2 and so on.
Give each task a start date and a length in days. Bars appear across the timeline and move when you change the dates.
Update the Done column as work progresses; the completed part of each bar darkens.

How to make a Gantt chart in Excel that stays useful

Keep tasks between a day and two weeks long. Longer tasks hide problems; shorter ones turn the chart into a to-do list.
For a task that must wait for another, set its start date to the day after the other task’s end date, or use a formula such as =F12+1 so it moves automatically.
Show milestones as one-day tasks, such as a launch or a sign-off, so they stand out as single blocks.
Share it as a PDF for status meetings and keep the spreadsheet as the working copy.
For projects longer than eight weeks, change the project start date to slide the visible window along.

Frequently asked questions

How does the Gantt chart draw bars without a chart?

Each cell in the timeline checks whether its date falls between a task’s start and end date and colours itself with conditional formatting. Change a date and the bar moves.

Does it work in Google Sheets?

Yes. Import the .xlsx into Google Sheets; the conditional formatting rules come across and the bars still draw.

Can I add more tasks?

There are ten blank rows ready. To add more, insert rows inside the task table and copy a row of timeline cells down.

What is WBS numbering?

A work breakdown structure number shows where a task sits: 2 is a phase and 2.1 and 2.2 are the tasks within it.