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Gantt charts for Excel

Your Excel plan, a live Gantt chart in two clicks

SimpleGantt turns the task table you already keep in Excel into a professional Gantt chart that sits on the sheet and redraws the moment a date changes. When the status meeting comes, one click puts it on a PowerPoint slide.

  • Live on the sheet: edit the table, the chart follows
  • PowerPoint, PDF, PNG or an interactive HTML file in one click
  • No macros and no account, and your plan never leaves Excel
Coming soon to Microsoft Marketplace Read the docs

Every feature is free for 14 days, with no account. A free version with up to 10 tasks stays free after that.

Website relaunch.xlsx Live ABCDEF OctoberNovemberDecember512192629162330714 IDTask StartEndDoneAfter Oct 5Oct 13100%Oct 14Oct 21100%2Oct 23Oct 233Oct 26Nov 6100%4Nov 9Dec 140%6Oct 26Nov 2060%4Dec 2Dec 90%7Dec 11Dec 119, 8 1Plan2Research3Requirements4Sign-off5Build6Design7Develop8Content9Testing10Launch 100%100%Oct 23100%40%60%Dec 11Today Use selected data PlanBuildMilestoneToday Ready One click from the sheet toPowerPointPDFPNGHTML fileSnapshot linkPicture in sheet Website relaunchStatus review · Nov 17, 2026OctoberNovemberDecember5121926291623307141Plan2Research3Requirements4Sign-off5Build6Design7Develop8Content9Testing10Launch100%100%Oct 23100%40%60%Dec 11Today1 PowerPoint slide Website relaunch.xlsx Live ABCDE OctNovDec512192629162330714 Task StartEndDoneAfter Oct 5Oct 13100%Oct 14Oct 21100%2Oct 23Oct 233Oct 26Nov 6100%4Nov 9Dec 140%6Oct 26Nov 2060%4Dec 2Dec 90%7Dec 11Dec 119, 8 PlanResearchRequirementsSign-offBuildDesignDevelopContentTestingLaunch Oct 23100%60%Today Use selected data PlanBuildMilestoneToday Ready Website relaunchStatus review · Nov 17, 2026OctNovDec512192629162330714PlanResearchRequirementsSign-offBuildDesignDevelopContentTestingLaunchOct 23100%60%Today1 PowerPoint slide

An Excel table with ten tasks, start and end dates, progress and predecessors becomes a Gantt chart on the sheet: the phases Plan and Build, progress bars, dependency arrows, the milestones Sign-off on October 23 and Launch on December 11, and a today line on November 17. One click puts the chart on a PowerPoint slide.

2 clicks
From your task table to a finished chart
Live
Redraws the moment a cell changes
1 click
From the sheet to a PowerPoint slide
0
Macros, accounts or plan uploads

Stop rebuilding the chart before every status meeting

The plan lives in an Excel table. The chart your stakeholders see is a copy: a template, a screenshot or a slide that someone redraws by hand whenever a date moves. By the next meeting it is out of date again.

Templates break

Colored cells and formulas look fine until you insert a task, stretch the timeline or add a dependency. Then the grid needs fixing before it can be shown.

Copies drift

The slide says one date, the table another. Every pasted picture is a snapshot that nobody updates, and the meeting ends up discussing which version is right.

Hours every week

Dragging bars, redrawing arrows and resizing boxes is work nobody asked for. It is also work that has to be done again next week.

SimpleGantt keeps one source: your table. The chart on the sheet, the slide and every export are drawn from it, so there is nothing to rebuild and nothing to keep in sync.

From table to Gantt chart in two clicks

A SimpleGantt chart is an object on your sheet, linked to its table. You keep editing the table the way you always have.

1

Insert SimpleGantt

Add it from the Add-ins button on the Home tab. A chart frame appears on the sheet and shows you what to do next.

2

Click Use selection

Click any cell in your task table. SimpleGantt reads the headers, finds tasks, dates, durations, progress and predecessors, and draws the chart. No table yet? Start with a sample plan.

3

Keep working in the table

Move a date, add a task, mark progress: the chart redraws. Click a bar and SimpleGantt selects its row in the sheet, so the table stays the one place you edit.

  • Works with an Excel table or a plain range with a header row
  • No fixed column names: headers in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Portuguese are recognized
  • End dates or durations in days, weeks or hours
  • Filter the table and the chart shows only what the filter shows
  • An Issues list points to missing dates and unknown predecessors, one click to the cell
  • The chart stays in the workbook through save, close and reopen

See it at work

Screenshots of the add-in, not mock-ups: every chart here is SimpleGantt's own drawing of the table next to it.

An Excel plan table next to its SimpleGantt chart. The end date of Build and configure moves out by a week in the table, and its bar in the chart grows to match.
Change a date in the table and the bar follows. The chart is linked to the table, so there is nothing to refresh.
A software release plan with a Predecessors column in Excel and the chart beside it, dependency arrows and the critical path drawn in red
Predecessors such as 7SS+5d become arrows, and the critical path is drawn in red.
A Gantt chart with thin gray baseline bars under the tasks and +3d slip labels next to the tasks that moved
Save a baseline and see how many days each task has slipped since.
A construction schedule with the Format panel open next to the chart, bars colored by crew and labels with the crew name
The Format panel: color by crew, labels with the owner, compact rows, and the chart changes as you choose.
A product launch plan with the Issues panel listing an end date before its start, a task without dates and a start typed as text, and the problem cell selected in the sheet
The Issues list names every row the chart cannot draw. Click one and Excel selects the cell.

Everything a project plan needs, drawn for you

Calm, print-ready charts in the style people know from dedicated project software, built from columns you probably already have.

A live chart

The chart sits on the sheet next to your plan and redraws when a cell changes. Zoom from hours to years, fit the plan to the frame, or jump to today.

Dependencies

Write predecessors the usual way, like 3 or 3FS+2d. Finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish and start-to-finish, with lags and leads, drawn as clean arrows with rounded elbows.

Phases and summary tasks

Group tasks by WBS numbers, an outline level or a Phase column. Summary bars span their tasks and fold open or closed in the chart.

Milestones and progress

Milestones show as diamonds with their date. Progress fills each bar, and tasks that should be finished by now are flagged, so nobody has to ask.

Critical path

See the chain of tasks that decides your end date. Critical tasks and links are highlighted, and the tooltip shows how much slack every other task has.

Baselines

Save a baseline when the plan is agreed. Later, every task shows its original dates underneath and how many days it slipped.

Calendars

Working days skip weekends, holidays come from a Holidays table, and week start, ISO week numbers and fiscal years follow your settings.

Plans of any length

An event day planned by the hour or a construction schedule over three years. The timescale picks a readable two-tier header on its own.

Themes and branding

Color by phase, owner or status, light or dark themes, and your own colors and logo on every chart and slide.

From the sheet to the meeting in one click

Every chart has an Export menu. Each file is drawn from the same plan, so the slide and the sheet always agree.

PowerPoint

A ready slide deck in 16:9. Long plans are split across slides with the header repeated, so every slide can be read on its own.

PDF and print

Sharp vector pages in A4, A3, Letter or Tabloid, portrait or landscape, with page numbers and the header on every page.

PNG and clipboard

Copy a crisp image and paste it into an email, a Teams chat or a report. Or download it as a PNG file.

Interactive HTML file

One file that opens in any browser, even offline, with no requests to the internet. Readers zoom, point at a bar for details and fold phases open or closed.

Snapshot link

A link that carries the plan inside itself. Nothing is uploaded; whoever opens it sees the chart as it was when you made the link.

Picture in the sheet

Place the chart as a vector picture next to your table, for workbooks that get printed or opened by people without the add-in.

Saw a "Made with SimpleGantt" badge? That chart was made with SimpleGantt, an Excel add-in that turns a task table into a live Gantt chart. Images from the free version carry the small badge; licensed charts do not. Exports and snapshot links contain the plan they show, so send them only to people who should see it.

Built for teams and IT

SimpleGantt is a modern Office add-in, not a macro workbook. Nothing to unblock, nothing to install on each computer, and nothing that sends your plan anywhere.

Read how SimpleGantt works under the hood
No macrosNo VBA and no .xlsm files, so it runs where macros are blocked by policy.
Your plan stays in ExcelCharts are drawn on your device. The only network call is the license check, and it carries no workbook data.
No accountNo sign-in and no Microsoft identity involved. A license is a key you paste in once.
Colleagues need no licenseAnyone can open, view and update the data of a chart you made. Only the person who builds full-size charts or changes how they look needs a license.
Central deploymentAdmins deploy it to everyone or to groups from the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Windows, Mac and the webExcel with Microsoft 365, or Excel 2021 and later. Same chart, same file, on every platform.

How SimpleGantt compares

There are four usual ways to get a Gantt chart out of an Excel plan. Each has its place; here is where SimpleGantt fits.

SimpleGanttExcel Gantt templatesVBA Gantt toolsOnline Gantt appsDesktop project software
Where the plan livesIn your own Excel tableIn the template's sheetIn ExcelIn the vendor's cloudIn a separate project file
When the data changesThe chart redraws on the sheetFormulas color cells; new rows and arrows need manual workRun the macro againUpdates, once the data is in the appUpdates, once the data is in the file
Dependencies and critical pathYesRarelyVaries by toolUsuallyYes
Macros to enableNoneUsually noneYesNoneNone
Excel on the web and MacWindows, Mac and the webYesOften Windows onlyRuns in the browser, outside ExcelOften one platform
Your dataStays in ExcelStays in ExcelStays in ExcelImported or synced to the vendorCopied into another file
Into PowerPointOne click, split into slidesCopy, paste and tidy upVaries by toolExport options vary by planCopy a picture or export
How you payOne-time license, colleagues freeOften freeUsually one-timePer user, monthly or yearlyPer user license or subscription

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

To be fair: dedicated project tools also do resource planning, timesheets and portfolio views. If your team needs those, they earn their place. SimpleGantt is for the plan you already keep in Excel, and for showing it without rebuilding it.

Pay once, no subscription

Every feature is free for 14 days, with no account and no card. After that the free version keeps working, and a one-time license unlocks everything. Colleagues never need a license to view your charts or update their data.

Free
$0
inside the add-in, no account
  • Every feature for the first 14 days
  • Then a live chart with up to 10 tasks, one chart per workbook
  • Bars, milestones, progress, phases, today line and weekend shading
  • PNG export with a small "Made with SimpleGantt" badge
Coming soon to Microsoft Marketplace
Lifetime license
Single user
$79
one-time payment
  • One license key for 1 user on up to 3 devices
  • Unlimited tasks and charts
  • Dependencies, critical path, baselines and holidays
  • PowerPoint, PDF, HTML, snapshot links and pictures in the sheet
  • Your colors and logo, no badge
  • Free updates, forever
  • Email support, usually within 24 hours
Coming soon to Microsoft Marketplace
Lifetime license
Team
$249
one-time payment
  • One license key for your team, on up to 15 devices
  • Unlimited tasks and charts
  • Dependencies, critical path, baselines and holidays
  • PowerPoint, PDF, HTML, snapshot links and pictures in the sheet
  • Your colors and logo, no badge
  • Free updates, forever
  • Email support, usually within 24 hours
Coming soon to Microsoft Marketplace
Already own SimpleGantt (VBA)? Your license key works in the new add-in. Paste it under More options, License on the chart. If you reach the device limit, remove old devices in your account.

14-day refund, no questions asked. If it is not for you, email me and you get your money back.

  • Excel on Windows
  • Excel on Mac
  • Excel on the web
  • Microsoft 365 or Excel 2021 and later

Frequently asked questions

SimpleGantt is on its way to Microsoft Marketplace. Once it is listed, you add it from the Add-ins button in Excel, and every feature is free for 14 days. Until then, the documentation already shows how it works, from the first chart to deployment in Microsoft 365.
Excel on Windows or Mac with Microsoft 365, or Excel 2021 and later, plus Excel on the web. SimpleGantt installs from Microsoft Marketplace or through your admin; there is no separate installer to download.
A header row, a task name and dates: a start plus either an end date or a duration. Everything else is optional: progress, predecessors, an ID or WBS number, phase, owner, status, milestone, notes and baseline dates. SimpleGantt recognizes the usual headers in seven languages, and when it is not sure, it asks you to confirm the columns once.
Yes. The chart is linked to its table and redraws a moment after a cell changes, including new rows at the end of an Excel table. It stays in the workbook when you save, close and reopen it.
No, on purpose. The table is the one place where the plan is edited, so the chart and the data can never disagree. Click a bar and SimpleGantt selects that task's row in the sheet; double-click and it selects the start date.
No. Colleagues can open the workbook, view the chart and edit the table without a license, and the chart updates for them too. They need the SimpleGantt add-in in their Excel, which is free from Microsoft Marketplace or deployed by their admin. Only the person who creates charts or changes how they look needs a license.
After the 14-day trial, the free version keeps a live chart with up to 10 tasks and one chart per workbook: bars, milestones, progress, phases, the today line and weekend shading. Images export as PNG with a small "Made with SimpleGantt" badge. Dependency arrows, the critical path, baselines, holidays, your own colors and branding, and the PowerPoint, PDF, HTML and link exports need a license.
Nothing breaks and nothing is deleted. Your table stays as it is, and charts you made during the trial keep their full look, with a small trial badge. New charts follow the free version, up to 10 tasks with a note saying how many more there are. A license key brings every feature back at once.
No. Charts and exports are drawn inside Excel on your device, and nothing sends your plan anywhere. The only network call is the license check, which sends the license key, a random install ID, the app version and a short platform name such as "Excel for Windows". The details are in the privacy policy and on the security page.
Open the Export menu on the chart and choose Download PowerPoint. SimpleGantt creates a 16:9 deck with the chart on it and splits long plans across slides with the header repeated. You can also copy the chart as an image and paste it onto any slide.
Yes. Your SimpleGantt license key unlocks the add-in, at no extra cost. The add-in is a new product, so it does not open charts made with the VBA tool; point it at your task table and the chart is drawn again in seconds. Both share your key's device slots, so remove computers you no longer use in your account.
Yes. Microsoft 365 admins deploy SimpleGantt to the whole organization, to groups or to single users from Integrated apps in the Microsoft 365 admin center. It runs without macros, and the security page explains what runs where.
It is a one-time license with no subscription. Single user covers one person on up to 3 devices, and Team covers up to 15 devices. Both unlock every feature and include future updates. You paste the key from your purchase email under More options, License on the chart, and you manage your devices in your account.
Yes, 14 days, no questions asked. Email me at sven@pythonandvba.com. The full policy is at pythonandvba.com/refund-policy.
Start with the documentation, or use the form right below. Mention which Excel you are on (Windows, Mac or the web) and what your table looks like; that answers most questions before they are asked. I reply myself, usually within a day.
Sven Bosau

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Your next status meeting, without the rebuild

SimpleGantt is on its way to Microsoft Marketplace. The documentation already shows how it works, from the first chart to deployment in Microsoft 365.

Coming soon to Microsoft Marketplace Read the docs

SimpleGantt is an independent product by Bosau Digital LLC. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Microsoft. Microsoft, Excel and PowerPoint are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Privacy policy · Terms of use · Security

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