What this tool does
A Gantt chart is a timeline with one bar for each task: where a bar starts and ends shows when the work happens, and bars that overlap are happening at the same time. It is the picture people expect in a project update, and it takes far too long to build by hand in PowerPoint or Excel.
Here you write the plan as plain text, one task per line, and the chart follows along as you type. If a date moves, you change one line instead of dragging shapes around. There is no account and no watermark, and the file you download is yours to use however you like.
How to make a Gantt chart from a list
- Add your tasks. Type them in the box or paste a table from Excel or Google Sheets. Each line needs a name and at least one date or length. The menu at the top loads a ready-made plan if you want to see one first; the projects and dates in those examples are made up.
- Check the red notes. If a line cannot be read, a note under the box says which line and why. Click the note to jump to that line. Everything else still draws.
- Set the look. Add a title, pick a color set and choose whether the chart should fit your tasks or fill a 16:9 slide.
- Take it with you. Download PNG gives you a sharp image for slides, documents and messages. Download SVG gives you a vector file that stays crisp at any size.
What you can type
| You type | What it means |
|---|---|
Design, 4 Jan 2027, 15 Jan 2027 | Runs from the first date to the second, and both days count. |
Testing, 18 Jan 2027, 2w | Runs for two weeks. You can use 10d for days, 2w for weeks and 1m for a calendar month. |
Build, after Design, 3w | Starts on the next working day after Design ends. Change Design and Build moves with it. |
Fit-out, after Build and Wiring, 1w | Waits for whichever of the two ends last. |
Review, 5d | With no start, it follows the task on the line above. |
Launch, 1 Mar 2027 | A single date is a milestone, drawn as a diamond. |
Design, 4 Jan 2027, 2w, 60% | The solid part of the bar shows how much is done. |
Phase one: | Starts a section. Each section gets its own color and a thin line showing its full span. |
Dates can be written as 2027-01-04, 4 Jan 2027, Jan 4, 2027, 4/1/2027 or just 4 Jan. Without a year, the tool uses the last year you wrote, and moves on to the next year when the dates pass December. Commas, tabs, semicolons and vertical bars all work between the parts of a line.
Pasting from Excel or Google Sheets
Select your table, including the top row, and paste. If the top row has headings such as Task, Start, End, Duration, Progress or Phase, the tool uses them to find each column, in any order. Columns it does not recognize, such as Owner or Notes, are ignored, so you do not need to tidy the sheet first.
Going the other way, Copy table copies every task with its worked-out start date, end date and length, so you can paste the finished schedule back into a spreadsheet.
Day first or month first?
Does 03/04/2027 mean 3 April or March 4? The tool looks through your whole list for a date that settles it, such as 25/03/2027, which can only be day first. If nothing settles it, it goes by your browser's language and shows a note so you can check. You can also set the order yourself with the Dates like 03/04 menu. To avoid the question altogether, write the month as a word.
How working days are counted
With Skip weekends on, lengths count Monday to Friday only: 5d starting on a Monday ends that Friday, 2w is ten working days, and a task that would start on a Saturday moves to Monday. With it off, every day counts. Dates you write yourself are always kept exactly as written, so a task can still run through a weekend if you say so. The tool does not know about public holidays, so use a real end date for any task that spans one.
Open Check the dates under the chart to see every task's start, end, calendar days and working days.
Tips for a chart people can read
- Keep it to about 15 lines for a slide. Beyond that, the text gets too small to read from across a room. Show the phases on the slide and share the detail separately.
- Use short task names that start with a verb or a clear noun. "Test checkout" is easier to scan than "Testing phase for the new checkout flow".
- Mark decisions as milestones. A sign-off or go-live date stands out better as a diamond than as a one-day bar.
- Connect tasks with "after" wherever you can. The plan then updates itself when one early date slips, and everyone can see what that slip costs.
Your plan stays in your browser
The chart is drawn on your device, and your task list is never sent anywhere. It is saved in your browser's local storage so it is there when you come back; clearing your browser data removes it. Copy share link packs the whole plan into the link after the # sign. That part of a link is not sent to the website, but anyone you give the link to can read the plan, so think before sharing anything confidential.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the chart at work or in a client deck?
Yes. The image has no watermark or credit line, and you do not need to mention this site.
Can I edit the chart in PowerPoint?
Paste the PNG for a quick result. Recent versions of PowerPoint can also insert an SVG and convert it to shapes, which lets you recolor pieces by hand, though how well that works depends on your version. To change the plan itself, it is easier to edit the text here and download again.
Does it show the critical path or assign people?
No. This tool draws timelines. It does not calculate critical paths, balance workloads or track who does what. For that, you need full project management software.
How many tasks can it handle?
Up to 300 lines. The chart simply gets taller, which is fine for a document but too much for one slide.
Why did my line turn red?
The note under the box gives the reason. Common ones are a misspelled month, an "after" that does not match another task's name, or an end date earlier than the start.