How to export tasks and resources from the Microsoft Project desktop as CSV
To export your tasks and resources as CSV, open your Project on the Microsoft Project desktop and check if you have permission to perform this action. If you can’t save files in a CSV format, here’s what you need to do:
- Press the “File” option, and then go to the “Options” dialog tab. The tab redirects you to “Project Options”.
- Under the “Project Options” tab, press the “Trust Center” option.
- Click on the “Trust Center Settings” button which leads you to the “Legacy Formats” tab.
- Choose the “Allow loading files with legacy or non-default file formats” option and press “Okay”.
After you’ve changed the settings, return to the “Home” tab and choose “Export”:
- Choose the “Save Project as File” option.
- After that, under “Project File Types” select “Project” and press the “Save as” button.
- Define the file location and save it as type “CSV” (comma delimited) (*. CSV).
- Press the “Save” button.
As soon as you’ve pressed the “Save” button, Export Wizard will open automatically. Here you need to do the following steps:
- Click the “Next” button to continue.
- Choose “New map” to create your data settings from scratch and press “Next” again.
- Select the types of data you want to export: tasks or resources. Then click “Next”.
Note: Microsoft Project allows exporting one type of data at a time, so you’ll need to run two exports.
- Choose the needed fields.
What fields are required and what fields are optional when preparing a CSV file of tasks?
You can download the sample CSV file for task fields and modify it by adding your own data.
| Header | Format | Field |
| ID | 1 | Required |
| Name | Schedule kick-off meeting | Required |
| Status | Open | Required |
| Priority | 500 | Optional |
| Resource_Names | Sarah Johnson | Required |
| Notes | We need to investigate this case as quickly as possible | Optional |
| Created | YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS | Required |
| Start_Date | YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS | Optional |
| Finish_Date | YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS | Optional |
| Deadline | YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS | Optional |
You can download the sample CSV file for resources fields and modify it by adding your own data.
| Header | Format | Field |
| Name | Sarah Johnson | Required |
| Email_Address | sarah@yourcompanydomain.com | Optional |
- Then press the “Finish” button to save the files.
If you can’t install Microsoft Project Desktop, export your tasks and resources as CSV from Microsoft Project Online. Check out this guideline to learn how to do it. If something wasn’t clear enough, or you’d like to get into more details, feel free to contact our support team for help.
