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How to Remove Decimal Days from Microsoft Project Durations

Partner Editor Oct 1, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to stop Microsoft Project from displaying fractional or decimal task durations and properly configure the schedule for projects measured in strict calendar days.

How to Remove Decimal Days from Microsoft Project Durations

Product: Microsoft Project
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Setting up project timelines and task dependencies where contract periods are measured in absolute calendar days rather than standard working hours.
Observed behavior: Task durations are displaying as decimal or fractional days (e.g., 3.25 days) instead of whole numbers.

Before you start

Before adjusting task durations, ensure that your project's default start times, working hours, and holiday exceptions are clearly defined so your calendar accurately reflects the real-world schedule.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Elapsed Durations for Calendar Days

If your project contract requires strictly calendar days without factoring in weekends or holidays, using the elapsed duration format is the quickest and most effective fix.

Elapsed durations calculate time based on a continuous 24-hour day and 7-day week, entirely ignoring the project's non-working time calendar. This is ideal for tasks like curing concrete or contract periods measured in true calendar days.

Select the task duration

In your Gantt Chart view, click on the Duration cell for the task you want to modify.

Enter the elapsed duration

Type your desired number of days immediately followed by 'ed' (for example, type '10ed' for 10 elapsed days).

Apply the change

Press Enter. Microsoft Project will now schedule this task using uninterrupted time, removing any unwanted decimal fractions caused by working-hour gaps.

Quick Tip: You can also use 'ew' for elapsed weeks or 'em' for elapsed months depending on your project scale.

Solution 2

Synchronize Custom Calendars and Schedule Options

Decimal days frequently appear when the working hours in your custom calendar do not perfectly match the software's default hours-per-day settings.

Solution 3

Display Time with Dates to Identify Mismatches

Showing the exact time alongside dates helps you spot tasks that start or finish mid-day, which inherently causes decimal durations.

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While Microsoft Project handles complex dependency scheduling, WPS Office provides a free, lightweight, and highly compatible alternative for general project tracking. Using WPS Spreadsheet, you can easily build Gantt charts, track task durations, and manage timelines without dealing with convoluted calendar settings or high software costs.

1. Download the software: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the free installation package for your operating system.
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Frequently Asked Questions

What does 'ed' mean in Microsoft Project?

'ed' stands for elapsed days. When you use this format (e.g., 5ed), Microsoft Project calculates the duration based on a continuous 24-hour day, 7 days a week, ignoring any non-working time, weekends, or holidays defined in the project calendar.

Why do decimal days appear when I assign a specific resource?

Assigning a resource whose base calendar differs from the overall project calendar can cause partial days. If the resource works fewer hours per day than the project default, Microsoft Project calculates the task duration as a fraction of a standard day. Ensure resource calendars align with the project's default working times.

Can I change the default working hours in Microsoft Project?

Yes. You can change them by navigating to File > Options > Schedule. From there, adjust the 'Default start time', 'Default end time', and 'Hours per day' to match your specific custom calendar, which helps prevent unwanted decimal durations.

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