Others

How to Hide Milestones in a Microsoft Project Gantt Chart

Aamir Naveed Akram Oct 10, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to hide the diamond milestone symbols in a Microsoft Project Gantt Chart to produce a cleaner visual timeline.

How to Hide Milestones in a Microsoft Project Gantt Chart

Product: Microsoft Project Professional 2021
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Preparing a summary timeline or presentation where milestone shapes cause visual clutter, requiring them to be hidden without deleting the actual tasks.
Observed behavior: Milestone tasks automatically display a diamond symbol on the Gantt chart view, which is visible alongside other task bars.

Before you start

Consider saving your current view or creating a copy of the Gantt chart before modifying the global bar styles, so you can easily revert to displaying milestones later.

Solution 1Recommended

Remove Milestone Shapes via Bar Styles Settings

Modify the overall Gantt chart formatting rules to change the default milestone shape from a diamond to a blank space.

Microsoft Project allows you to customize how different task types appear on the timeline. By editing the Bar Styles, you can globally remove the visual representation of milestones while keeping the underlying data intact.

Open Gantt Chart View

Ensure you are currently on the Gantt Chart view in Microsoft Project.

Navigate to Bar Styles

Click on the 'Gantt Chart Format' tab in the top ribbon, select 'Format' in the Bar Styles group, and then click 'Bar Styles'.

Locate the Milestone Style

In the Bar Styles dialog box, scroll through the list of task types and select 'Milestone'.

Modify the Shape

Look at the 'Bars' tab in the lower half of the window. Under the 'Start', 'Middle', or 'End' shape options (usually where the diamond is set), click the dropdown and change the Shape setting to blank or 'None'. Click OK.

Remove Milestone Shapes via Bar Styles Settings

Data Remains Intact: The milestone tasks are still fully tracked in your project table and timeline calculations; they simply won't display a diamond symbol on the visual chart.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Manage Timelines Effectively with WPS Office

If you find dedicated project management software too complex for simple timelines, WPS Office offers a highly compatible, free, and lightweight solution. You can easily build Gantt charts and project trackers using WPS Spreadsheet's built-in templates.

1. Download and Install: Visit the official WPS website to download the free, lightweight WPS Office suite to your device.
2. Open WPS Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and navigate to the built-in template library.
3. Apply a Gantt Template: Search for 'Gantt Chart' to find, customize, and use professional project timeline templates instantly.

Completely free, lightweight alternative to Microsoft OfficeHigh compatibility with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) formats for easy sharingRich built-in template library including intuitive Gantt chartsFamiliar tabbed interface ensuring seamless migration

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hide just one specific milestone instead of all of them?

Yes. Double-click the specific milestone task directly on the Gantt chart to open the Format Bar dialog. Under the Bar Shape tab, change the shape to blank. This manual formatting overrides the global Bar Styles for that single task.

Why do my milestones still appear after changing the Bar Styles?

If individual milestones were manually formatted previously, they will ignore changes made in the global Bar Styles. You will need to select those specific milestones, double-click them, and click 'Reset' in the Format Bar dialog to inherit the global blank style.

How do I bring the diamond milestone symbols back?

Return to Gantt Chart Format > Format > Bar Styles, select the Milestone style from the list, and choose the diamond shape from the Shape dropdown menu in the appearance options at the bottom. Click OK to reapply it to your chart.