Keep project work visible with these free project to-do list templates for Excel and Word. Record the tasks that need attention, organize priorities, and choose a layout with the dates, owners, notes, or progress fields your project needs.
Compare 13 downloads: 11 Excel workbooks and two Word documents. Choose a simple printable checklist for a short assignment or a spreadsheet for a longer task register. The descriptions below identify the actual format and purpose of each file.
A quick printable checklist: Compare Word Templates 04 and 13.
Status, priority, and due dates: Start with Excel Templates 02 or 08.
Named responsibility: Review Templates 05, 10, 11, or 12.
Start and end dates: Use Template 06 for an activity-based overview.
Effort planning: Compare Template 07 for work intervals and Template 09 for hours.
A completion summary: Review Template 05 and its weighting method.
Download the Free Project To-Do List Templates
Each download is a ZIP archive. Extract it and save a working copy of the enclosed file. Excel downloads use .xlsx; the two Word downloads use .docx. Replace sample tasks, dates, and status entries before using your list.
01. Project Checklist with Due Dates
Format: Excel. A simple checklist with a person responsible for the list, an overall deadline, project task groups, completion marks, due dates, and notes. Replace the example tasks and dates with your own project work.
Format: Excel. A straightforward table for status, priority, due date, project or task, and notes. Useful when you want a compact overview without a detailed project schedule. Replace the sample note and sheet name as needed.
Format: Excel. Organizes status, task name, notes, and due date, with sample Open, Pending, and Complete entries. The instructions sheet refers to an older Google Sheets scripting workflow; use the task table in Excel and check any formatting you want to rely on.
Format: Word. A checklist layout with task prompts, response choices, and comments. Suitable for checking whether defined activities or requirements have been addressed. Add owner and due-date fields if you need to track assignments.
05. Task Tracker with Responsibility and Weighted Progress
Format: Excel. Includes task, responsible person, priority, complexity, status, and comments. The workbook contains formulas for completed and pending counts and a complexity-weighted completion summary. Define a consistent complexity scale and enter weights before interpreting the percentage; it measures completed weight rather than elapsed time.
Format: Excel. Provides a unique ID, percent completed, activity, start date, end date, detail, and note. Use it for a dated activity overview and enter progress estimates consistently. The percent-completed field is manually maintained.
Format: Excel. Includes ID, priority, deadline, description, Pomodoros, and comment fields. Use the Pomodoros column to plan work intervals if that approach suits your routine; define the interval length your team uses.
Format: Excel. A date/week layout with status, priority, due date, project or task, and notes. Useful for reviewing near-term work across projects. Replace the sample status entries and agree what each priority value means.
Format: Excel. A compact master list with priority, project, task, hours, and due date. Use the hours column for either estimated effort or actual effort and label that choice clearly. Add separate columns if you need both.
Format: Excel. Organizes status, urgency, due date, person in charge, project or task, and recommendations. Useful for coordinating assigned actions while keeping proposed next steps beside the work.
Format: Excel. Includes major task and task IDs, project, issue or action, assignee, urgency, completion, opened and due dates, and notes. It also contains overdue-related formulas. Test those formulas with your chosen date and completion entries before relying on their results.
Format: Excel. Provides separate Active and Completed worksheets. The active table includes priority, task number, task, dates added and reviewed, completion date, assignee, and updates. Maintain the completed sheet as part of your review process; moving tasks is manual.
Format: Word. A minimal to-do table with priority and activity columns. Useful for a short printable list when you do not need a full tracker. Add project details, an owner, or dates if the list will be shared.
How to Build a Project To-Do List That Stays Useful
Name the project and its intended result. Keep the list tied to an agreed deliverable. Capture unrelated work elsewhere so it does not obscure the next project actions.
Break large tasks into concrete steps. “Launch the website” is a result. “Check the five contact forms and record the results” is a task someone can act on and finish.
Assign one accountable owner. Other people may contribute, but one person should coordinate each task and explain its progress or blockers.
Set realistic dates. Consider availability, approvals, and work that must happen first. Add a dependency column when notes are no longer sufficient.
Define priorities and statuses. Agree what High, Medium, and Low mean. Use clear statuses such as Not started, In progress, Blocked, In review, and Complete where the layout permits.
Define completion. State the output or evidence needed to close the task. Distinguish work submitted for approval from work accepted as complete.
Review and update regularly. Resolve overdue items, record the next action for blocked work, and archive completed tasks without losing their useful history.
If the project still needs goals, resources, and success measures, use the action plan templates to establish that structure. Then use the to-do list to manage the individual steps.
Project To-Do List Example
This fictional website update example shows how to turn broad intentions into reviewable tasks. Add the columns you need to your selected template; not every download includes all of these fields.
Task
Owner
Due
Status
Completion evidence
Draft revised wording for the three service pages
Sam
5 November [Year]
In progress
Draft shared with the content reviewer
Approve the revised service-page wording
Alex
7 November [Year]
Not started
Approval recorded for the identified version
Check five contact forms after the approved update
Jordan
10 November [Year]
Not started
Results saved in the test log
The approval depends on the draft, and the final check follows the approved update. Record those dependencies so the dates are understandable. If an approval is delayed, agree a revised plan rather than quietly changing dates without explanation.
Capture follow-up assignments during reviews with the meeting action items template. Transfer agreed actions into the project register and keep one authoritative status for each task.
Keep Task Progress and Project Progress Distinct
Completing eight of ten tasks does not necessarily mean the project is 80% finished. Tasks can differ in effort, complexity, and importance. If you use a weighted completion figure, explain how the weights are assigned and what the figure measures.
A task register supports daily coordination. A project progress report explains results during a reporting period, differences from the plan, risks, and the next decisions. Use the task list as one source for the report rather than presenting a count of checked boxes as the whole project story.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which templates are for Word and which are for Excel?
Templates 04 and 13 are Word .docx documents. The other eleven downloads contain Excel .xlsx workbooks. Every file is supplied in a ZIP archive.
Can I print a project task list?
Yes. Check page orientation, margins, print area, and scaling first. For a wide spreadsheet, use landscape orientation or select only the columns needed for the printed review rather than shrinking text until it is difficult to read.
Do these templates send task reminders?
The downloads are documents and spreadsheets for maintaining task information. They do not provide a built-in reminder service. Set calendar reminders separately if your process needs notifications.
Does every Excel template calculate progress?
No. Most are task tables for manual updates. Template 05 contains status counts and a weighted completion formula, while Template 11 includes overdue-related formulas. Check the relevant inputs and formula ranges when changing their structure.
Can I use one list for several projects?
Yes, if each task has a clear project reference and the combined list remains easy to review. Use separate project lists when different teams, access needs, or reporting routines make one master list difficult to maintain.
