XER VIEWER GUIDE · Updated November 3, 2026

How to export a styled Gantt chart to Excel

As a Primavera P6 schedule reader, XER Viewer can export your Gantt view as an Excel workbook with the activity list and a colored Gantt timeline together. The export uses your current view settings, including bar colors from the selected style preset.

Open XER Viewer

Prepare your Gantt view

Open your Primavera P6 XER file. If you are new to the viewer, follow how to open an XER file without Primavera P6.
Switch to the Gantt view. Choose the activity columns you need and arrange them in the order you want to share.
Set the scope. Apply filters and expand or collapse groups to show the rows you want to include. The export uses the rows currently shown in the Gantt view.
Choose your styling. In the Gantt settings, open the bar settings and choose a Style Presets option. Review the actual, remaining and critical activity colors. Adjust the WBS/group colors and text settings as needed.
Review the timeline. Set the timeline display mode and scale for the level of detail you need.

Gantt bar settings panel with style presets and bar appearance controls — Select a bar style preset before exporting. Its applicable bar colors are used in the Excel timeline.

Export the styled view

In the Gantt view toolbar, choose Export to Excel.
Save the downloaded .xlsx file. Its filename includes _GanttView_ and the export date.
Open the workbook and select the Gantt View worksheet. The activity columns appear beside the timeline.
Review the included rows, timeline periods and colors before sharing or printing the workbook.

Gantt workspace with a styled activity list and schedule timeline — The source Gantt view: configure the activity list, grouping and timeline before exporting.

Hospital Expansion Project exported to Excel, with activity IDs, names, start and finish dates, blue WBS group rows and a colored monthly Gantt timeline — Exported Gantt View worksheet opened in Microsoft Excel. The sample schedule includes activity columns, blue WBS group bands and a colored timeline using the selected view styling. Select the image to view it at full size.

Which settings carry over?

Activity list: visible columns in their current order, displayed cell values and the rows currently shown.
Timeline: period headings and colored cells representing schedule bars.
Bar colors: applicable actual, remaining, critical, milestone, level-of-effort and WBS summary colors from the current settings, including task-specific style overrides.
Group styling: WBS and activity-code group colors and supported font settings.

How the chart appears in Excel

The Excel Gantt is built from styled worksheet cells. It is useful for sharing schedule rows and a timeline in the same workbook. Bar shapes, rounded corners, relationship arrows and other interactive browser details are not reproduced as an identical drawing. The selected preset supplies applicable colors; it does not make every visual setting transferable to Excel.

The workbook is a snapshot of the exported view. It is not linked to the XER file, and editing cells does not recalculate the Primavera schedule or update the source project.

Gantt export or table export?

Use Export to Excel from the Gantt view when you want the activity list alongside a styled timeline. Use the table export workflow when you want selected datasets or all XER tables as workbook sheets.

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