Microsoft Project interface tour

Microsoft Project packs a lot onto one screen, and new users often spend their first hours hunting for commands. This lesson is a guided tour of the Microsoft Project desktop window: the ribbon, the Quick Access Toolbar, the Gantt Chart view with its entry table and timescale, the Timeline, split views and the status bar. By the end you will know where things live, and you will have set the screen up the way an owner's scheduler needs it.

Learning outcomes

• Name the main parts of the Project desktop window and say what each one is for.
• Find a command by knowing which ribbon tab it belongs to, including the Format tab, which changes with the view.
• Read the Gantt Chart view: the entry table on the left, the chart and timescale on the right, and the divider between them.
• Use the status bar to check the new-task mode, spot an applied filter and switch views.

The lesson

Which Project this tour covers

This tour uses Microsoft Project desktop on Windows: the Project Online Desktop Client that comes with a Planner and Project Plan 3 or Plan 5 subscription, or Project Standard or Professional 2024. Lesson 1 explains how those products fit together. Microsoft's support pages for the features below apply to the subscription client and to the 2016 to 2024 releases, so the layout is the same in all of them. Small details, such as the exact label of a contextual tab, can differ between builds.

The window at a glance

Figure 1 is a labelled diagram of the window with a new, empty file open in the Gantt Chart view. It is drawn as a diagram, not copied from the screen, so you can see each part clearly.

1. Title bar, Quick Access Toolbar and Search. The file name sits in the middle. The small icons at the top left are the Quick Access Toolbar, which keeps a few commands (Save, Undo, Redo by default) one click away whatever tab is open. In current versions a Search box at the top finds any command by name; older releases labelled it "Tell me what you want to do".
2. Ribbon tabs. File, Task, Resource, Report, Project, View and Format. Each tab groups related commands.
3. Ribbon groups. Inside each tab, commands sit in named groups, such as the Schedule group on the Task tab. Instructions in this track are written as Tab > Group > Command.
4. Timeline. An optional strip above the chart for a one-line summary of key dates. It is off in a new file until you turn it on.
5. View name. The name of the active view (here, Gantt Chart) runs down the left edge. It tells you at a glance which view you are in.
6. Entry table. The spreadsheet-like grid on the left of the Gantt Chart view. Each row is a task; columns show fields such as Task Mode, Task Name, Duration, Start and Finish.
7. Divider. Drag it to show more columns or more chart.
8. Gantt chart and timescale. Bars on a calendar. The timescale across the top sets the units shown: years, months, weeks or days.
9. Status bar. At the bottom: the mode for new tasks on the left, view shortcuts and the zoom slider on the right.

Screenshot to come

The ribbon: seven tabs, one logic

The ribbon replaced the old menus in Project 2010, and the tab structure has stayed largely the same since. The quickest way to find a command is to ask what kind of thing it changes. Figure 2 is the map.

A few points save beginners time:

• File is different. Selecting File opens the Backstage view, a full-screen page for New, Open, Save As, Print, Export and Options. Press Esc or the back arrow to return to your schedule.
• Task holds the everyday work. Linking tasks, indenting them into a work breakdown structure, marking progress and setting the task mode all live here. Microsoft's ribbon guide puts linking, indenting and percent complete in the Schedule group.
• Project holds whole-file settings. Project Information (the start date, covered in lesson 3), working time, custom fields, WBS codes and Set Baseline. If a setting affects the entire schedule, look here first.
• View changes what you see; Format changes how it looks. The View tab switches views, applies tables, filters and groups, controls the zoom and timescale, and splits the screen. The Format tab is contextual: its groups change with the active view. In the Gantt Chart view it shows bar styles, column tools and the Show/Hide group; click in the Timeline and a Timeline Format tab appears instead.

Double-click any tab to collapse the ribbon and gain screen space; double-click again to bring it back. To add a command to the Quick Access Toolbar, right-click it on the ribbon and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar.

Screenshot to come

Views: the Gantt Chart is just one of them

A view is a way of looking at the same data. The Gantt Chart is the default task view, but Project also offers the Calendar, the Network Diagram, Task Usage, the Resource Sheet, Team Planner and others. Microsoft's guidance is to switch views on the View tab, in the Task Views or Resource Views group. If the view you want is not listed, open the Gantt Chart button's list and choose More Views.

Changing the view never changes the schedule. A task's dates are the same in every view; only the presentation changes. That is why the view name on the left edge matters. When a colleague says "the dates look wrong", the first question is which view, table and filter they are looking at.

The Gantt Chart view up close

The entry table and the chart are two halves of one view. Select a row on the left and its bar is the one on the right. Right-click a column heading to insert or hide a column. Right-click the chart background for bar styles and gridlines.

The timescale above the chart can show up to three tiers, such as months over weeks. To change the units, go to View > Zoom and open the Timescale list, or open the Timescale dialog from the same list to format each tier. The zoom slider in the status bar does the same job faster: slide left to see quarters, right to see days. Microsoft also lists keyboard shortcuts on the numeric keypad: Ctrl and the slash key to zoom in, and Ctrl and the asterisk to zoom out.

Timeline and Details: splitting the screen

The View tab's Split View group has two check boxes that add a second pane.

• Timeline adds a strip above the chart. You choose which tasks and milestones appear: right-click a task and select Add to Timeline. Microsoft's article on the timeline describes the Timeline Format tab for colours, callouts and date formats. Owners use the Timeline for executive summaries; lesson 28 covers it in detail.
• Details splits the window horizontally. Choose a view for the bottom pane, such as Task Form, and select a task in the top pane to see its details below. To remove the split, double-click the line between the panes or clear the check box.

Microsoft's original ribbon guide notes that the Timeline and Details boxes cannot both be selected at the same time. Use one or the other.

Screenshot to come

The status bar: small, but it tells the truth

The status bar along the bottom is easy to ignore, and it is one of the most useful parts of the screen for a reviewer.

• New Tasks. On the left, it shows whether new tasks will be Manually Scheduled or Auto Scheduled. Click it to change the mode for this file. Lesson 3 explains why an owner's master schedule should use Auto Scheduled.
• Filter. When a filter is applied, its name appears here. A filtered view can hide tasks without any other warning.
• View shortcuts. On the right, small buttons switch to common views such as Gantt Chart, Task Usage, Team Planner and Resource Sheet.
• Zoom slider. Changes the timescale units, as described above.

Right-click the status bar to choose which indicators it shows. Keep New Tasks and Filter switched on.

Screenshot to come

Where to find it

Figure 3 lists the commands a beginner looks for most, and where each one sits. Keep it next to you for the first few weeks.

Northgate worked example

Northgate Distribution Centre is our fictional 12,000 m² tilt-up warehouse in Vaughan, Ontario, for the fictional Northgate Logistics Inc. The contractor, Halvorsen Builders Ltd. (fictional), schedules in Oracle Primavera P6. The owner keeps its master schedule in Microsoft Project desktop, in a file named NDC_OwnerMaster_2027-01-11.mpp, as decided in lesson 1.

Before entering a single task, the owner's scheduler opens a blank project, saves it under that name and spends ten minutes setting up the screen. Lesson 3 then sets the start date properly. The set-up steps are:

1. Check the new-task mode. The status bar shows the mode for new tasks. The scheduler sets it to Auto Scheduled, either by clicking the status bar indicator or with Task > Task Mode. Every task the owner enters later will then follow its links and the calendar.
2. Show the project summary task. On the Format tab, in the Show/Hide group, tick Project Summary Task. Row 0 now rolls up the whole file, so the overall start and finish are always visible.
3. Turn on the Timeline. View > Split View > Timeline. It is empty for now; as milestones M0 to M11 from the fact sheet are added, the scheduler will add them to the Timeline for Northgate's monthly executive report.
4. Set the zoom. With a 15-month project from January 2027 to March 2028, months over weeks is a sensible starting timescale. The scheduler uses View > Zoom > Timescale and picks Weeks for the bottom tier.
5. Add three commands to the Quick Access Toolbar. Print Preview, Set Baseline and the Filter list. These are the commands the scheduler will use every month, whatever tab is open.
6. Save. The view settings are saved with the file, so the next person to open it sees the same set-up.

Ten minutes of set-up pays back every month. When the scheduler later compares Halvorsen's monthly update with the master schedule, the summary row, the Timeline and the status bar are already in place.

Owner's move

Owners rarely build schedules themselves, but they open other people's Project files: a consultant's design schedule, a project manager's master schedule, a contractor's file on a smaller job. Before trusting what is on screen, check four things.

• Check the status bar for a filter. If a filter name appears, clear it (View > Data > Filter > No Filter, or the Filter list you added to the toolbar) before judging the schedule. Reject reviews done on a filtered view.
• Check the new-task mode and the Task Mode column. Manually scheduled tasks do not move when their predecessors move. A schedule full of them is a list of dates, not a schedule. Ask for them to be converted to auto-scheduled.
• Check the view and table. Confirm you are in the Gantt Chart view with the entry table, not a view or table that hides columns.
• Demand the native file, not only a PDF. A PDF shows one view at one zoom. The native file lets you check filters, task mode and logic yourself.

Common mistakes

1. Reviewing a filtered view without noticing. Tasks are hidden and the reviewer signs off on an incomplete schedule. The status bar would have shown the filter name.
2. Leaving new tasks manually scheduled. Every task entered afterwards ignores its links, and the critical path is meaningless.
3. Thinking a different view means different data. Views only change the presentation. If dates differ between two screens, look for a filter, a different table or a different file.
4. Confusing the Timeline with the timescale. The timescale is the date scale above the Gantt chart. The Timeline is a separate summary strip that shows only the tasks you add to it.
5. Hunting through every tab. Use the Search box at the top of the window; type the command's name and select it from the results.

Quick quiz

1. Where do you find whole-file settings such as Project Information and Set Baseline?

   1. Task tab
   2. Project tab
   3. Format tab
   4. Report tab

2. Why do the groups on the Format tab change while you work?

   1. Because the file is read-only
   2. Because the Format tab is contextual and follows the active view
   3. Because the ribbon is collapsed
   4. Because new tasks are manually scheduled

3. You open a consultant's schedule and 40 tasks seem to be missing. What should you check first?

   1. The zoom slider
   2. The Quick Access Toolbar
   3. The status bar, for an applied filter
   4. The Report tab

4. Which statement about the Timeline is correct?

   1. It is the same as the timescale above the Gantt chart
   2. It shows only the tasks and milestones you add to it
   3. It appears automatically in every new file
   4. It replaces the Gantt Chart view

5. On Northgate, why does the owner's scheduler tick Project Summary Task before entering tasks?

   1. It is required by CCDC 2-2020
   2. It locks the start date
   3. Row 0 rolls up the whole file, so the overall start and finish are always visible
   4. It converts tasks to auto-scheduled

Show answers and explanations

1. B. The Project tab holds settings that affect the whole schedule, including Project Information and Set Baseline.
2. B. The Format tab is contextual. In the Gantt Chart view it shows Gantt formatting; in the Timeline a Timeline Format tab appears.
3. C. A filter hides tasks quietly. The status bar shows its name when one is applied.
4. B. The Timeline is a separate summary strip. You add tasks to it with a right-click and Add to Timeline.
5. C. The project summary task shows the rolled-up dates for the whole file. It does not lock dates or change the task mode.

Key terms

Ribbon

The band of tabs and commands across the top of the window: File, Task, Resource, Report, Project, View and Format.

Backstage view

The full-screen page that opens from the File tab, for creating, saving, printing, exporting and options.

Quick Access Toolbar

A small, customizable set of commands at the top of the window that stays visible on every tab.

Contextual tab

A ribbon tab whose commands change with what is selected, such as the Format tab.

Entry table

The grid on the left of the Gantt Chart view where tasks are entered and fields are shown in columns.

Timescale

The date scale above the Gantt chart, with up to three tiers.

Timeline

An optional summary strip that shows selected tasks and milestones on a single bar.

Status bar

The bar along the bottom of the window showing the new-task mode, any applied filter, view shortcuts and the zoom slider.

References

1. Microsoft Support, Learn the Project ribbon (tab contents; Timeline and Details cannot be selected together; written for Project 2010).
2. Microsoft Support, Choose the right view of your project schedule (Task Views and Resource Views groups; More Views).
3. Microsoft Support, Split a view in Project desktop (View > Split View > Details).
4. Microsoft Support, Create a timeline in Project (Timeline check box, Add to Timeline, Timeline Format tab).
5. Microsoft Support, Change the timescale in a Project view in Project desktop (up to three tiers, zoom slider, keyboard shortcuts).
6. Simon Sez IT, Microsoft Project 2019: the status bar (New Tasks, Filter indicator, view shortcuts, zoom slider; tutorial commentary).

Verified on November 4, 2026. Microsoft updates the subscription client regularly; labels can change between builds.

Next lesson in this trackCreate a project and set the start date in Microsoft Project