Import your Project Desktop files to Project for the web
Published Jun 10 2021 08:47 AM 14.9K Views

The Project team is excited to announce that you can now import your Project Desktop files to Project for the web. Once imported, your .mpp files will act as normal Project for the web projects.

 

import button.png

 

How it works

To import your project:

  1.  Go to Project Home (project.microsoft.com)
  2. Click on the arrow next to the New blank project button
  3. Click on Import from Project desktop
  4. Select a .mpp file (from Project 2016 or later) that you would like to import
 
 

 

  1. Follow the steps outlined by the Import wizard
  2. Share and start working on your project!

 

You can import any .mpp files that do not violate Project for the web limits. Once your project has been imported, you will be able to use any of the features currently available in Project for the web.

Scenarios to try

  • Sharing: Project Desktop does not allow users to share live versions of their projects with their teammates. By importing your .mpp file, you can share it with any of your Microsoft Groups. People with Project licenses will have full access to edit these projects, while people with Office 365 licenses will be able to view your project in a read only view.
  • Reporting: Use PowerBI to create live reports that pull data directly from your projects. Share these reports with project stakeholders so they can have a live view of what your team is working on.
  • Archiving: Import your old project files so you can have all your Project information in one place & easily find all your old projects.

 

What gets imported?

Project for the web does not have all the same features as Project Desktop. However, we try to import all your relevant information so you can still effectively work on your projects.

  • Project: Your project name and start date will be imported.
  • Tasks: Your tasks will be imported with the correct hierarchy, start & finish dates, duration, effort, effort completed, and % complete.
  • Dependencies: All finish-to-start dependencies will be imported.
  • Constraints: ASAP, start no earlier than, and finish no earlier than constraints will be imported.
  • Custom Fields: You can import up to 10 local custom fields from your .mpp file.

Is there anything I can’t import?

Any .mpp files from Project Desktop 2016 or later should be importable into Project for the web.

Keep in mind that Project for the web has lower limits than Project Desktop. To learn more about Project for the web limits, you can check out our documentation here. Any .mpp files that violate a limit will not be importable.

 

Feedback 

If you have feedback about this or any other feature, you can let us know, either in the comments of this blog post or through our in-app feedback button. To submit feedback through the in-app button, click on the smile icon in the ribbon in Project. This will display three feedback options through which you can submit feedback. Please be sure to include your email so we can reach out to you if we have any follow ups about your comment.

4 Comments
Brass Contributor

I need the ability to export as .mpp so i can import .mpp into a new environment. Trying to move all my projects from the default to a new environment and this would help. 

Copper Contributor

Good news!! Is this import feature on the roadmap to be added to Project Operations? 

Copper Contributor

Hi
Is it also possible to import a Web project into the desktop environment?

Copper Contributor

It would be great if there was added funcationlity to upload changes or new tasks/line items to an existing project plan. That would make the integration from Project to Teams more seamless.

Version history
Last update:
‎Jun 10 2021 08:47 AM