How to Insert Holidays in Microsoft Project

Quick summary

To insert holidays in Microsoft Project, you use the Change Working Time dialog to add calendar exceptions under the Standard calendar, specifying each holiday's name, dates, and nonworking status. This process ensures your project schedule automatically excludes public holidays from working time calculations.

Steps

1. Open Microsoft Project and click the Project tab in the top ribbon menu.
2. Click Change Working Time to open the calendar management dialog.
3. Confirm that Standard is selected in the For calendar dropdown menu.
4. Click the Exceptions tab below the calendar view to access holiday entry fields.
5. Enter a descriptive holiday name and set the start and finish dates for the exception.
6. Click the Details button to configure additional settings for the holiday exception.
7. Set the working time option to Nonworking to mark the day as a full day off.
8. Click OK to save the holiday exception, then repeat for any additional holidays in your project calendar.