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How to Add Holidays and Non-Working Days in Microsoft Project for the Web

Camila Milosovich Oct 9, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to add rostered days off, public holidays, and other non-working days to automatically exclude them from project schedules.

How to Add Holidays and Non-Working Days in Microsoft Project for the Web

Product: Microsoft Project for the Web
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Managing project timelines and ensuring tasks account for team time off and public holidays.
Observed behavior: The goal is to configure the project calendar so that task durations automatically adjust and extend when they overlap with designated non-working days.

Before you start

Ensure you have the necessary administrative or project management permissions to edit the project's calendar settings or the organization's default work templates.

Solution 1Recommended

Add Calendar Exceptions in Project for the Web

Create calendar exceptions for holidays and non-working days to automatically extend the timeline of overlapping assigned tasks.

In Microsoft Project for the Web, project timelines are driven by the assigned calendar. By adding exceptions to this calendar, the scheduling engine automatically skips non-working days, lengthening the overall time required to complete the scheduled tasks without increasing the actual work hours.

Access Project Settings

Open your project in Microsoft Project for the Web and navigate to the project details pane by clicking on the project name at the top.

Open the Calendar Options

Locate the 'Calendar' setting in the project details. This displays the work template currently applied to your project.

Add an Exception

Select the option to manage or edit the calendar. Add a new exception for your specific non-working days (e.g., public holidays, team off-days) by specifying the start and end dates.

Save and Review Schedule

Save the calendar changes. Review your project timeline to verify that the durations of tasks spanning these dates have automatically extended.

Add Calendar Exceptions in Project for the Web

Note on Organization Calendars: If you need to apply public holidays across multiple projects, your environment administrator should configure a default work hours template with these exceptions in the Power Platform admin center.

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Manage Project Schedules Easily with WPS Office

While Microsoft Project is built for complex project environments, WPS Office provides a lightweight, highly compatible, and completely free alternative for managing project timelines. Using WPS Spreadsheet's built-in Gantt chart templates, you can easily track tasks, mark non-working days manually, and share progress with your team seamlessly.

1. Download and Install: Download WPS Office for free and launch the application on your device.
2. Create a Project Spreadsheet: Click on 'Spreadsheet' from the main menu to open a new workbook.
3. Apply a Template: Use the search bar in the Template library to find 'Project Management' or 'Gantt Chart' templates.
4. Customize Your Timeline: Input your tasks, highlight non-working days using cell shading, and easily share the workbook with your team.

Seamlessly compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) formats for easy sharing of project schedules.Access a rich, built-in library of free project management and Gantt chart templates.Lightweight application with a familiar interface, requiring no steep learning curve.Completely free to use, making it a cost-effective alternative to expensive project management subscriptions.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Will adding a holiday change the total effort hours required for a task?

No, adding a calendar exception for a holiday only extends the physical duration (timeline) of the task to skip the non-working day. The total assigned effort or work hours remain exactly the same.

Can I apply the same holiday calendar to all my projects automatically?

Yes. An administrator can create a standardized work hours template in the Power Platform admin center that includes all company-wide holidays. Project managers can then apply this template to their new projects.

Why didn't my task duration change after adding a calendar exception?

This usually happens if the task does not overlap with the dates of the calendar exception, or if the task has a strict constraint (like 'Must Finish On') that overrides the standard scheduling logic.

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