These are the 5 best Gantt chart templates for Excel and Google Sheets

Gantt charts are one of my favorite ways to get visual overviews of projects. Whether you use Google Sheets or Excel, you can enjoy several beginner-friendly templates for work, study, and personal projects. Here are some of my top picks.

1 Smartsheet Gantt chart template

Smartsheet’s Gantt chart template lets you enter dates for each task and choose a percentage of completion. As you increase the completion percentage, the shade of green will darken. As a result, you will have a much better understanding of what needs to be worked on (and what is being done).

Although you can assign tasks to others, I don’t use this column because I only use this Gantt chart for personal projects. However, I think it’s a fantastic option if you don’t want to work from Excel; add other people’s email addresses and have them collaborate/update in real time.

Smartsheet’s Gantt chart template also shows you how many days you have to complete the task from the starting point. You can also divide your tasks into research and implementation phases, so it’s easier to see what’s going on.

How to get a Smartsheet Gantt chart template for Excel

To use the Excel version, you must download it from the Smartsheet website.

Here’s how to get the template:

1. Go to the Smartsheet Gantt Template Gallery.
2. Choose Basic project with Gantt and then Use a template on the next page.
3. Please enter your email address and complete the remaining questions before making your selection Try Smartsheet for free.
4. Verify your email address and create an account password.
5. Customize your sheet by answering the introductory questions and adding your projects.
6. Go to File > Export > Export to Microsoft Excel. Save all changes if you haven’t already.
7. Double-click the XLS file to open the Gantt chart in Excel. You can further customize it here.

2 Google Team Gantt Chart Template

Despite its name, you can use this template in Excel and Google Sheets – you’ll need to download it for the former and make a copy if you’re using the latter. Just like Smartsheet’s Gantt chart template, just enter your project details and the sheet will update automatically.

I recommend using this template if you have multiple projects or tasks, and it’s a great choice if you’re a freelancer or especially a student. Compared to Smartsheet’s Gantt chart template, I found Team Gantt’s Google Sheets template to be less prone to formatting errors (learning how to format values ​​in Google Sheets can also help if problems arise).

Another thing I really like about this template is how good it looks. However, if you don’t like its basic colors, you can easily customize them.

How to get the Google Sheets Team Gantt template for Excel

Since the steps to get this template are different for Google Sheets and Excel, I’ll split them into different sections.

Here’s how to download it for Excel:

1. Go to this page on TeamGantt and select Download the template under Boring Google Sheets template.
2. Go to File > Download > Microsoft Excel.
3. Wait for the Excel file to download and open in Excel before you can customize it.

How to get the Gantt Team Google Sheets template for Google Sheets

Start by following step 1 in the previous section, then follow these steps:

1. Go to File > Make a Copy.
2. Choose Make a copy when a pop-up window appears.
3. Allow access to all formulas and customize the Gantt chart.

3 A simple Vertex42 Gantt chart

If you’re looking for a Gantt chart that requires no external downloads, look no further than Vertex42’s Simple Gantt Chart. It looks a little dated at first, but you can customize fonts and such. In addition, it is very easy to adapt the sheet to the goals of the project.

Before I found this one, I tried many other Gantt chart templates and I didn’t like how bad they were at making adjustments in real time. However, this one is much better in that regard. You can also refer to O if you need more information about how the chart works.

To get this template, search for “Gantt Chart” in Excel and select A simple Gantt chart when you see a list of options. You may want to combine this template with some of the most powerful Excel project management templates.

4 Gantt chart to track date

Another Gantt chart you’ll find in Excel (and worth using) is this simple one for tracking data. All you have to do is enter the start and end date of the project Tasksand you’ll see a full breakdown of when you should expect everything to be completed when you go to Gantt chart. I especially like the primary colors in this chart; they make it very easy to see what’s going on.

The downside is that you don’t get a comprehensive overview like some of the other charts on this list. However, if you just want a quick way to see when various tasks are due, this is a fantastic option.

Just like a simple Gantt chart, you can find it by searching for “Gantt Chart” in Excel and then selecting Date tracking Gantt chart. If you’re not interested in these kinds of charts, there are plenty of project management alternatives to Gantt charts.

5 Zapier’s Google Sheets template

I love using Zapier for its automation features, and its Google Sheets template is an easy way to look at all your projects in one place. You can change the color based on whether the project is on track or potentially behind schedule, and the sheet automatically updates when you change the task overviews.

Unlike some other Gantt charts I’ve used, Zapier’s shows you where you are in terms of current tasks based on the current date. You can then change dates and move things around (if needed). When you click on a task, you get a full overview.

To completely change the project timelines, go to the first tab and edit them here. By default it’s called “Winston Campaign”, but you can rename it.

To download this spreadsheet, go to this Zapier article and scroll down Make a copy before confirming your choice.

You’ll find plenty of Gantt chart templates for Google Sheets and Excel, many of which are interchangeable between the two applications. I tried dozens of them while compiling this guide, but many of them were difficult to use if you are a complete beginner. So you can fully rely on them to help you track your projects without much learning.