Turn an Excel file into a Gantt chart

What happens to the file

The workbook is opened by SheetJS, an open-source spreadsheet reader, running in this page. It is not sent anywhere. Each sheet is read cell by cell, and the first sheet that looks like a task list (it has a task column and a start date or duration) is used. If the workbook has more than one sheet, a Sheet menu appears next to the column matches so you can switch.

The reader takes the first 5,000 rows and 60 columns of a sheet, which is plenty for a plan. Files over 25 MB are refused; copy the task rows and paste them instead.

How cells are read

• Date cells (cells formatted as dates in Excel) are read as real dates, so there is no day/month confusion at all.
• Percent cells such as 60% become 60% done, whether Excel stored them as 0.6 or typed text.
• Formulas are read as the value Excel last saved with the file. A start date like =C4+1 comes through as the date it showed when the file was saved.
• Text is read as Excel displays it. Dates typed as text are parsed the same way as pasted ones.
• Merged cells keep their value in the first cell only. If a phase name is merged across a row, it is still read as a phase heading.

CSV files and Google Sheets

CSV files with commas or semicolons (common in European Excel exports) are both read, along with tab-separated .tsv files. From Google Sheets you can either select the rows and paste them, or use File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) and drop the file here. Smartsheet, Asana, Monday.com and Jira exports to Excel or CSV usually have headers like Task Name, Start Date, Due Date, Assignee and Predecessors, which are matched automatically. If a header isn’t recognised, pick its role from the menu under the paste box.

A layout that converts cleanly

Rows 1 and 4 have only a name, so they become phases. Row 3 has a duration of 0, so it is a milestone, and it depends on row 2, so it sits on the day the interviews finish. Row 5 has no dates either: it starts the working day after the sign-off and runs for two working weeks. Keep durations in their own column rather than in End; the End column is for dates. Anything the page had to guess is listed row by row above the edit table.

When the dates look wrong

If bars land in the wrong month, the usual cause is day/month order in text dates. Check the Date order menu in the column row. If a date shows as a five-digit number like 46329, that is Excel’s serial date with the formatting stripped; it is converted automatically. If a cell says something like TBC, the row is still drawn (after the row above, or from its dependency) and flagged so you can fill it in.

Edits made in the table can be taken back to Excel with the free CSV download, which writes the same columns the tool reads.

Drop your workbook on the tool above. Charts, editing, PNG and SVG are free with no sign-up. Editable PowerPoint and PDF cost one credit per chart (10 for £5).

Related: Make a Gantt chart from Excel · Make a timeline from Excel · Free online Gantt chart maker