Create a Gantt Chart in Excel [Free Template]

A Gantt Chart in Excel is a bar chart that visually represents a project schedule. It displays start and finish dates for project elements, aiding project managers in tracking progress and managing tasks effectively.

How to Create a Gantt Chart in Excel from Scratch

When it comes to creating a Gantt chart in Excel, we can either use a predesigned template or create our own from scratch. To manually make a Gantt chart in Excel, follow the steps given below for our reference:

Step 1: Preparing our Data

This table must contain tasks, start dates, end dates, and duration. Duration can be easily calculated using a formula (END DATE - START DATE)

How to Create a Gantt Chart in Excel — Create your Project Table

"Start Date" represents when a task starts.
"Duration" is the number of days a task will take. It’s already calculated.

Step 2: Insert a Stacked Bar Chart

Highlight the Data:

Select the Tasks, Start Date, and Duration columns ( Do not Select End Date).

Insert Stacked Bar Chart:

Go to the Insert tab on the Excel ribbon.
In the Charts group, click on the Insert Bar Chart dropdown.
Select the Stacked Bar Chart option.

Create a Gantt Chart in Excel — Select the Data >> Go to Insert Tab>> Select Stacked Column Chart

Step 3: Add Data to the Chart

Right-Click on the Chart:

Click anywhere on the bar chart.
Right-click and choose Select Data.

Add a New Series:

In the Select Data Source window, click the Add button.
A small box named Edit Series will appear.
Type "Duration" in the Series Name field.
Click the small icon (above the OK button) in the next field to enter the data.

The Result will Look like this.

Step 3: Format the Chart

Remove Start Date Bars

Click the bars representing Start Date.
Right-click and select Format Data Series.
Set Fill to No Fill.

Reverse Task Order

Right-click on the vertical axis (Task names).
Select Format Axis.
Check Categories in reverse order.

Step 4: Customize the Horizontal Axis

Right-click on the horizontal axis (dates).
Choose Format Axis.
Adjust the Minimum Bound and Maximum Bound to align with our project timeline.

Step 5: Add Task Descriptions

Right-click on the chart and choose Select Data.
Select the series for Tasks and click Edit.
Highlight the list of tasks in our data table.

Step 6: Customize the Chart and Preview Results

Overlap Bars:

Right-click on the bars (Duration) and select Format Data Series.
Set Overlap to 100% and adjust the Gap Width.

Change Bar Colors:

Right-click on the bars and customize the fill color for better visualization.

Add Chart Title:

Click on the chart title to edit it.

Tips: we can design our Excel Gantt Chart in different ways by changing the fill color, border color, shadow and even applying the 3-D format. All these options are available in the Format Data Series window.

Using Free Excel Gantt Chart Template

If we prefer not to create a Gantt chart manually, Excel offers free Gantt chart templates to simplify the process.

How to Use a Gantt Chart Template in Excel

Follow the below steps to learn how to use a gantt chart in Excel:

Step 1: Open Excel

Launch Excel on our computer.

Go to the File Menu and Click on "New"

Step 3: Search for Gantt Chart

Type "Gantt Chart" in the search bar to find available templates.

Step 4: Select and Create

Choose a template that fits our needs and click Create.

Step 5: Customize the Chart

Add our project tasks, start dates, and durations to tailor the Gantt chart for our project.