How to Make a Gantt Chart in Word

1. Open a new Word document. 
2. Click the Layout tab on the navigation bar.
   
3. Click Orientation, then click Landscape.
   

1. Click the Insert tab, then click Chart.
2. In the popup window or the dropdown menu that appears, click the Column category, then click Stacked Bar for the type of graph.
   Word generates a standard bar chart graph on the document. Microsoft Excel automatically opens with a data table for inputting project information.
    
   
    
   
    
   

Enter the data for your project in the Excel sheet to populate the stacked bar chart in Word. 

1. Input your project information in the corresponding Excel chart.
   Pro Tip: If the Excel sheet disappears, in the Chart Design tab of the Word document, click Edit Data in Excel. 
2. In Column A of the Excel table, list each project task name.
3. Rename columns B, C, and D of the Excel table as follows: 
   • Cell B1: Start Date
   • Cell C1: End Date
   • Cell D1: Duration 
     
4. Format the start and end date columns to display the correct data.
   Select column B and C. Right-click, and click Format Cells. In the popup window, in the Number section and Category list, click Date. Scroll through the Type menu and click the desired date format. Click OK.
   
   
5. Insert the start and end dates for each task in your project.
6. Calculate the duration of your first task.
   Click Cell D2 and type the following formula: =C2-$B2
   
7. Duplicate the formula for the remaining cells in column D.
   Click Cell D2. Click the small box in the bottom-right corner of the cell, and drag it down column D until you reach the last task in the column.
   
8. Verify and edit the chart.
   Return to the chart in Microsoft Word. You will see that the data from the Excel sheet now appears in the stacked bar chart. Select End Date in the legend at the bottom of your chart, right-click, and click Delete Series.
   

1. Click any of the blue bars on your chart.
   The Chart Format menu will appear on the right.
2. Click on the paint bucket icon. Click the Fill button, then click No Fill.
   
3. Once you unfill the series, your bar chart will resemble a Gantt chart.
   

Interested in creating a Gantt chart in Microsoft Excel instead of Word? Visit this article for step-by-step instructions on how to build a similar Gantt chart in Excel.

1. Change the color of task bars.
   Click on any of the task bars in the Gantt chart. Click Fill from the Format Data toolbar. Click the paint bucket, then click a color.
    
   

1. Double-click on any bar in the chart.
   You will see the Format Data Point menu and the Series Option tab on the right.
2. Click on the scroll bar for Gap Width.
   Slide the button left or right to adjust the amount of space that appears between the bars on the chart. You can also enter a percentage in the corresponding box.
    
   

1. Click the chart legend.
   Right-click and click Delete from the dropdown menu. You can also click on the legend and press Delete on your keyboard.