How to Identify Late Tasks in Microsoft Project

Updated on:

April 6, 2026

By:

Madhav Bhandari

Use this interactive demo to learn how to identify late tasks in Microsoft Project.

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Here’s how to do it:

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Let's start by opening your Microsoft Project file and navigating to the 'View' tab in the ribbon.
Look for the 'Highlight' button in the ribbon and click on the small drop-down arrow next to it.
From the dropdown menu, select the option labeled 'Late Tasks'.
Now, you'll see all tasks that are behind schedule automatically highlighted in yellow. This makes it easy to identify what needs attention.

📌 Why this matters

Spotting late tasks quickly prevents small delays from cascading into major project failures. When you can instantly see which activities are behind schedule, you can reallocate resources, adjust dependencies, or communicate delays to stakeholders before they derail your timeline.

The visual highlighting creates accountability during team meetings—late tasks become impossible to ignore or downplay. Project managers often discover that certain team members or work types consistently run behind, revealing patterns that help you build more realistic schedules and identify training needs for future projects.

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