Add UK holidays to MS Project

See this step by step guide to add any holidays or project specific non working time to the project calender.

Ever forgotten to include holidays in your MS Project Plan?

It is easy to forget to set holidays as non-working days in your MS Project plan. This is embarrassing, and can badly impact your credibility within your business and with clients.

Having a task complete on Christmas day is never likely to be a realistic expectation!

To make sure you never get caught out you can add holidays (non-working time) to the global calendar for all MS Project files.

The file below contains all UK holidays up until the end of 2018. Dates are taken from https://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Timeoffandholidays/DG_073741

Steps to add UK holidays to Standard (default) MS Project calendar

Open this free MS Project template containing UK Holidays up to end 2018.

Save it to your computer as UKHolidays.mpp . Re-open the file.

Open a New blank project file. Go to Tools and Organizer

In MS Project 2010 go to File, select Info and click Organizer

Select the Calendar tab in the Organizer dialog box, then select UKHolidays.mpp.

Select the Standard calendar in UKHolidays.mpp and click the Copy button to copy it to Global.MPT.

Click Ok to replace the Global.MPT file.

Now Save and close the blank plan and open another. Go to Tools and Change Working Time.

You should see the list of holidays have been added as non-working days to your default calendar.

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