Excel Gantt Chart: build a project timeline from a bar chart

Excel has no Gantt button, but a stacked bar chart with the first bar made invisible is exactly a Gantt chart. Eight steps.

What you will make

A timeline where each task is a horizontal bar starting on its start date and as long as its duration.

Step 1: the data

Start must be real dates, Days a number.

Steps 2–8

2. Select A1:C4. Insert › Bar Chart › Stacked Bar.
3. The task order is upside down. Click the task names on the axis › Ctrl + 1 › tick Categories in reverse order.
4. Click any blue (Start) bar › Ctrl + 1 › Fill: No fill. Border: No line. The Start bars vanish, leaving Days bars floating at the right dates.
5. Click the date axis at the bottom › Ctrl + 1. Set Minimum to your first start date typed as a number: select B2, look at the formula bar with General format — or just type the date and Excel converts it.
6. Same panel: Major unit 7 for weekly gridlines.
7. Click the legend, press Delete.
8. Click the chart title, type the project name.

Check it worked

Plan should run 1–5 Oct, Build should start right after on the 6th. Change a Days value — the bar stretches.

Add today’s line (optional)

Add a column D with =TODAY() in every row, add it as a series, change that series to a scatter with a vertical error bar. Advanced — skip it on your first Gantt.

Common mistake

Dates typed as text (“1 Oct”). The chart puts them at zero. Retype as 1/10/2026 or 2026-10-01.