Note: Microsoft Project for the web will soon become Microsoft Planner. You can continue using most of the Project for the web capabilities in the new Planner once it's rolled out to your organization. Learn more about the new Planner in Frequently asked questions about Planner and Planner help & learning.
I use the Project Online desktop client. Can I still use it? Does it connect to Project for the web?
Yes, you can still use the Project Online desktop client, and we encourage you to try Project for the web when it meets your needs. See the Comparing Project for the web and the Project Online desktop client table below.
The Project Online desktop client doesn’t connect to Project for the web – as with all other future features, we will be evaluating this based on user feedback.
Many project managers use the Project Online desktop client as a personal productivity tool for their PM needs. They build schedules in the client, save them as .mpp files, share these files with others, and keep them updated as the project progresses.
If you are one of these users, you may find that Project for the web provides everything you need now or in the near future to meet your PM needs.
Comparing Project for the web and the Project Online desktop client
This table shows the features provided by the Project Online desktop client, and which ones are supported by the first release of Project for the web. A check mark in the Project for the web column indicates that the first release of Project for the web supports the feature described in that row.
Feature |
Description |
Project for the web |
---|---|---|
Baselines |
Set project baselines to monitor current performance against past performance. |
|
Calendar view |
Track important project and task deadlines and milestones on a weekly or monthly calendar view. |
|
Critical Path |
Visually track the tasks that represent the longest path through the project. |
|
Deadlines |
Establish and track important project and task Deadlines. |
|
Dependencies |
Set and visually track dependencies between tasks. |
|
Gantt view |
Visual track and understand project dates, dependencies, and assignments on a hierarchical timeline view (Gantt view). |
|
Grid view [Task List View] |
Plan and manage projects using a hierarchical grid view of tasks. |
|
Master Projects |
Group smaller related projects under a single master project. * You can show multiple Project for the web projects in a visual, interactive roadmap view using the Project Roadmap feature in Project for the web. |
* |
Milestones |
Establish and track important project and task milestones. |
|
Network Diagram |
View tasks, dependencies, and the critical path of your project in a Network Diagram view. |
|
Task Scheduling |
Use task start and end dates, effort, lead & lag times, and dependencies to get an accurate schedule of project dates. * The first release of Project for the web does not support lead and lag time. |
* |
Team Planner |
Track the allocation and capacity of all project team members including non-project work and non-working time. |
|
Timelines |
Visual track and understand project dates, dependencies, and assignments on a hierarchical timeline view (Gantt view). |
|
Inactive Tasks |
Use inactive tasks to track work without affecting resource availability or allocation and without affecting the project schedule. |
|
Summary Tasks |
Plan, manage, and track deliverables and phases using summary tasks. |
|
Task Inspector |
View factors that affect the scheduling of a task, such as a changed start date or error messages. |
|
Task Path analysis |
See how one task connects to other tasks by highlighting its task path throughout the project. * In Project for the web, you can analyze task durations and dates by hovering over the task in the Timeline (Gantt) view. The first release of Project for the web does not show you driving versus non-driving tasks. |
* |
Resource Leveling |
Resolve resource conflicts or overallocations by automatically leveling the assignments. |
|
Work, Generic, and Material Resources |
Add resources to a project, such as work resources like people, generic resources like carpenters, and materials resources like computers and cement. * The first release of Project for the web supports work resources. It does not yet support generic and material resources. |
* |
Project Costing and Budgeting |
Compare planned progress and budget against actual time and costs. |
|
Resource Costing |
Track and manage the resource costs of your project. |
|
Custom Reports |
Build custom reports for projects, programs, portfolios, and resources. * With Project for the web, you can build custom reports for projects, programs, portfolios, and resources using Power BI. Editing and creating reports requires a Power BI Pro subscription. Viewing reports requires the Power BI Desktop or a Power BI Pro subscription. Microsoft provides a pre-built set of Power BI reports for Project for the web. Users can customize these reports or build additional reports using Power BI. |
* |
Out-of-box reporting |
Understand project, program, portfolio, and resource data pre-built reports. * With Project for the web, you can build custom reports for projects, programs, portfolios, and resources using Power BI. Editing and creating reports requires a Power BI Pro subscription. Viewing reports requires the Power BI Desktop or a Power BI Pro subscription. Microsoft provides a pre-built set of Power BI reports for Project for the web. Users can customize these reports or build additional reports using Power BI. |
* |
PDF Output |
Save a Project file to a PDF file. |
|
Auto-complete |
Get suggestions for task or resource names, and dependencies as you type. |
|
Filtered Views |
Filter project plans by any value in the plan. * Basic filtering is available in the grid view. |
* |
Graphical Indicators |
Understand task status, assignments, and more with graphical indicators. |
|
Multi-level Undo |
Undo multiple changes at the same time by using the Undo menu. * Multi-level undo is available in Project for the web using Ctrl + Z. |
* |
Sorting and Grouping |
Get focused views of your project, tasks, and resources using custom sorting and grouping. |
|
Custom fields |
Add custom fields at the project, task, and resource level to track data important to your enterprise and projects. * Custom fields are available at the task level and are per project. |
* |
Formulas |
Calculate and capture important data using formulas across tasks and projects. * You can add formula fields to the Project and Project Task entities in the Power Platform. These fields will not be visible in the Project for the web application, but are available for reporting and other uses via PowerApps, Microsoft Flow, and Power BI. |
* |
Templates |
Create templates for common projects including templatized project plans, teams, and assignments. |
|
.mpp export |
Create an .mpp file of an existing Project for the web project. |
|
.mpp import |
Create new Project for the web projects from an existing .mpp file. |
|
Import from Excel |
Create new projects from Excel files. |
|
Export to Excel |
Create an Excel file from an existing project. |