Microsoft Project Server For Mac

Project Server 2019 is licensed using a Server/CAL (Client Access License) model. Microsoft Project & Portfolio Management solutions require a Project Server 2019 license for each running instance of the software, and CALs are required for each person or device accessing a Project Server. Microsoft Project 2019 is the latest version of Project. Previous versions include Project 2016, Project 2013, Project 2010, and Project 2007. Project 2019 is compatible with Windows 10.

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When we asked Microsoft: Can you use Project Online/Project Server and Project Pro with a Mac? The short answer was Macs can use the complete web functionality of Project Online. Detailed Project Schedulers/Project Managers will need to access to Project Professional in parallels or another vm emulator.

Overview

Microsoft Project offers the following applications to help meet your organization's needs for project and work management:

  • Project for the web
  • Project Online
  • Project Online desktop client

This article will help you understand which applications are provided in each Project subscription and what capabilities each application offers.

Project for the web

Project for the web is Microsoft’s most recent offering for cloud-based work and project management. Project for the web provides simple, powerful work management capabilities to meet most needs and roles. Project managers and team members can use Project for the web to plan and manage work of any size.

Project for the web is built on the Microsoft Power Platform. The Power Platform consists of PowerApps, Power Automate, Power BI, and the Common Data Service (CDS). Project for the web data is stored in CDS.

Project for the web is available through three subscriptions: Project Plan 1, Project Plan 3, and Project Plan 5. Features listed in the Project for the web features section interact only with data in the Project for the web data store.

Project Online

Project Online is a flexible online solution for Project Portfolio Management (PPM) and everyday work. Project Online provides powerful project management capabilities for planning, prioritizing, and managing projects and project portfolio investments—from almost anywhere on almost any device. Project Online can be used by administrators, portfolio managers and viewers, project and resource managers, and team leads and members.

Project Online is built on the SharePoint platform, and it stores data in the SharePoint data store.

Project Online is available through two subscriptions: Project Plan 3 and Project Plan 5. Features listed in the Project Online features section interact only with data in the Project Online SharePoint data store.

Team member functionality for Project Online is available through a Project Online Essentials subscription. Project Online Essentials is a team member add-on subscription for customers who have Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 subscriptions. It gives team members a web interface to perform task and time updates to projects managed in Project Online.

Team members with Project Online Essentials can perform the following Project Online functions:

  • Use a web-based interface
  • Update tasks, issues, and risks
  • Submit timesheets
  • Share documents and collaborate with Microsoft Teams or Skype for Business users

Project Online Essentials does not include Project for the web.

Project Online desktop client

Microsoft Project Online desktop client is a project management program that features automated scheduling, project resource management, and built-in reporting. Project Online desktop client can be used as a standalone application or it can connect to Project Online. Project Online desktop client is the subscription version of the Project Professional desktop client and is available in Project Plan 3 and Project Plan 5 subscriptions.

Using Project for the web and Project Online together

Although Project for the web and Project Online are separate applications, you can use them side-by-side. You can see all your projects from both applications in Project Home. You can use the Project Roadmap capability to build roadmaps that include projects from both applications. And you can use Power BI and the Project for the web Power BI content pack to gain insights into projects and resources across the two applications.3

Microsoft Project Server For Mac Pro

For

This diagram shows how the applications can work together side-by-side.

Going forward, Microsoft will focus on Project for the web innovations. However, you can continue using Project Online with confidence as it will continue to receive key performance and security improvements.

Microsoft Project subscriptions

Microsoft Project is available through three different subscriptions to best meet the needs of your organization. These subscriptions are Project Plan 1, Project Plan 3, and Project Plan 5. To compare features across subscriptions, see Feature availability across applications and subscriptions.

ProductPlan 1Plan 3Plan 5
Project for the webxx xx x
Project Onlinex xx x x
Project Online desktop clientxx

In the table above, the number of checks (x) indicates the general level of capabilities provided by a plan. For example, for Project Online, Plan 5 provides more capabilities then Plan 3.

Feature availability across applications and subscriptions

Project for the web features

Microsoft Project Server Features

Microsoft Project Server For Mac

Features listed in this section interact only with data in the Project for the web data store. All these features are available in all Microsoft Project subscriptions: Project Plan 1, Project Plan 3, and Project Plan 5.

FeatureDescription
Project, task, and time management
Board viewTrack project tasks visually for improved workflow and status monitoring using out-of-box and custom task boards.
DependenciesSet and visually track dependencies between tasks.
Grid viewPlan and manage projects using a hierarchical grid view of tasks.
MilestonesEstablish and track important project and task milestones.
Project HomeGet a birds-eye view of projects that you've worked on recently, as well as important projects that you need to monitor closely.
Task schedulingUse task start and end dates, effort, work, and dependencies to get an accurate schedule of project dates.
Timeline view (Gantt chart)Visually track and understand project dates, dependencies, and assignments in a hierarchical timeline view.
Summary tasksPlan, manage, and track deliverables and phases using summary tasks.
Collaboration
Microsoft Teams integrationCollaborate on projects in Microsoft Teams.1
Resource and program management
Project team setupManage a project team by adding and removing members and setting the working calendar.
RoadmapsBuild visual, interactive roadmaps across projects from Microsoft Project Online, Microsoft Project for the web, and Azure Boards projects.2 With Project Plan 1 you get read-only access to roadmaps. With Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 you can also create roadmaps.
Reporting3
Out-of-box reportingUse pre-built reports to understand project, program, portfolio, and resource data.
Custom reportsUnderstand the data important to your organization by building custom reports based on out-of-box reports or from scratch.
Dashboards and portalsBuild custom dashboards and portals to help meet specific organizational needs.
Usability
CoauthoringWork together with stakeholders and team members to simultaneously build, edit, and update task lists, project schedules, and more.
Graphical indicatorsUnderstand task status, assignments, and more with graphical indicators.
Mobility
Mobile applicationsBuild custom mobile applications with PowerApps.4
Customization and integration
PowerAppsBuild and consume solutions for web and mobile with PowerApps.4
WorkflowsAutomate and integrate business processes with Power Automate.5
Microsoft Office 365 integrationCollaborate, manage documents, and more using familiar Office 365 tools and applications.1
Security and user management
Office Modern GroupsBuild a project team to collaborate with and easily set up a collection of resources for team members to share.

Project Online features

Features listed in this section interact only with data in the Project Online SharePoint data store.

FeatureDescriptionProject Plan 3Project Plan 5
Project, task, and time management
Alerts and remindersStay on schedule for important upcoming tasks and project events with reminders in Outlook and Microsoft Teams.1YesYes
BaselinesSet project baselines to monitor current performance against past performance using the Project Web App.YesYes
Board viewVisually track project tasks for improved workflow and status monitoring.YesYes
Critical pathVisually track the tasks that represent the longest path through the project using the Project Web App.YesYes
Deliverable managementTrack and manage deliverables using start and end dates and automated scheduling.YesYes
DependenciesSet and visually track dependencies between tasks.YesYes
Gantt viewVisually track and understand project dates, dependencies, and assignments on a hierarchical Gantt chart using the Project Web App.YesYes
Grid viewPlan and manage projects using a hierarchical grid view of tasks using the Project Web App.YesYes
Issue and risk managementIdentify and track issues and risks at the project and task level.YesYes
Master projectsGroup smaller related projects under a single master project using the Project Web App.YesYes
NotificationsStay on top of task assignments, status, and important project events with Outlook and Teams notifications.1YesYes
Project HomeGet a birds-eye view of projects that you've worked on recently, as well as important projects that you need to monitor closely.YesYes
Project versioningCompare different versions of a project with a report that shows what changed between versions.YesYes
Summary tasksPlan, manage, and track deliverables and phases using summary tasks in the Project Web App.YesYes
Task schedulingUse task start and end dates, effort, work, lead and lag times, and dependencies to get an accurate schedule of project dates using the Project Web App.YesYes
Task updatesCapture time and status with comments on project tasks, non-project work, and non-working time.YesYes
TimelinesVisually track and understand project dates, dependencies, and assignments on a timeline view using the Project Web App.YesYes
TimesheetsTeam members can enter time and status against tasks, non-project work, and non-working time.YesYes
Timesheet approvalsTeam members can submit timesheets for approval. Resource managers and supervisors can review, approve, and decline submitted timesheets.YesYes
Non-working time setupAdd vacation, holidays, medical leave, and other nonworking time into your project schedule.NoYes
Collaboration
AttachmentsAttach documents, images, and other files at the team, project, or task level. Manage these attachments in a central library at the team or project level.YesYes
External team membersCollaborate with people from outside of your organization by granting them access to view and interact with your projects, tasks, and documents.6YesYes
Project sitesCreate and customize a hub for collaboration and documents for a project.YesYes
Microsoft Teams integrationCollaborate on projects in Microsoft Teams.1YesYes
Demand management
Project request approval workflow setupBuild the workflows you need to evaluate, prioritize, and approve incoming demand.NoYes
Project request forms creationCapture important data about incoming demand to help you evaluate and prioritize new work.NoYes
Project requestsTrack, manage, evaluate, and prioritize incoming demand from within your organization and from external customers and partners.YesYes
Resource, program, and portfolio management
Project costing and budgetingCompare planned progress and budget against actual time and costs using the Project Web App.YesYes
Project team setupManage a project team by adding and removing members, setting allocation levels, and adding external members.YesYes
Resource capacity viewsTrack and manage resource capacity at the project, team, and organization level.YesYes
Resource costingTrack and manage the resource costs of your project.YesYes
Resource engagements (bookings)Project managers can submit requests for resources by role, skills, or name. Resource managers can review requests and assign the best resources available.Yes7Yes8
Resource capacity planningTrack and manage resource capacity at the project, team, and organization level.NoYes
RoadmapsBuild visual, interactive roadmaps across projects from Microsoft Project Online, Microsoft Project for the web, and Azure Boards projects.2YesYes
Portfolio analysis and prioritizationIdentify, select, and deliver project portfolios that best align with your organization's business strategy and maximize your return on investment (ROI).NoYes
Dashboards/portalsUnderstand status, prioritization, and more at the portfolio, program, project, task, team, and resource level with real-time interactive dashboards.YesYes
Work, generic, and material resourcesAdd resources to a project, such as work resources like people, generic resources like carpenters, and materials resources like computers and cement.YesYes
Reporting3
Out-of-box reportingUse pre-built reports to understand project, program, portfolio, and resource data.YesYes
Custom reportsUnderstand the data important to your organization by building custom reports based on out-of-box reports or from scratch.YesYes
Dashboards and portalsBuild custom dashboards and portals to help meet specific organizational needs.YesYes
Customization and integration
Custom brandingCustomize your Project deployment using your own brand, logo, and colors.NoYes
Custom fieldsAdd custom fields at the project, task, and resource level to track data important to your organization and projects.YesYes
FormulasCalculate and capture important data using formulas across tasks and projects.YesYes
PowerAppsBuild and consume solutions for web and mobile (through OData) with PowerApps.4YesYes
WorkflowsAutomate and integrate business processes (through OData) with Power Automate.5YesYes
Microsoft Office 365 integrationCollaborate, manage documents, and more using familiar Office 365 tools and applications.1YesYes
Microsoft Planner integrationConnect Project tasks to a Planner plan and track detailed work in Planner.1YesYes
Security, user, and service management
Active Directory integrationBuild teams from any member of your organization's Active Directory.9YesYes
User managementManage user and group roles and permissions at the project, team, and organization level.NoYes
Service administrationPlan, install and configure, maintain, and extend your Microsoft Project environment as part of your Office 3651 environment.NoYes

Notes

1 Requires an Office or Microsoft 365 commercial subscription.
2 Azure Boards acquired separately.
3 Reporting for Project for the web and Project Online is available using Power BI. Viewing, editing, and creating reports requires a Power BI Pro subscription. Microsoft provides a pre-built set of Power BI reports. Users can customize these reports or build additional reports using Power BI.
4 Building custom PowerApps mobile applications that access Project for the web data requires a PowerApps subscription and a Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 subscription.
5 Automating and integrating business processes with Power Automate with Project for the web data requires a Power Automate subscription and a Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 subscription.
6 Project Online licensing for external users follows the same policy as that for internal users. Any interaction on a Project Online site requires a Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 subscription.
7 Users with a Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 subscription can submit resource engagement requests. They cannot review, fulfill, or approve resource engagement requests.
8 Users with a Project Plan 5 subscription can review, fulfill, and approve resource engagement requests.
9 Active Directory requires a separate subscription.

Project Online desktop client features

FeatureDescription
Project and task management
BaselinesSet project baselines to monitor current performance against past performance.
Calendar viewTrack important project and task deadlines and milestones on a weekly or monthly calendar view.
Critical pathVisually track the tasks that represent the longest path through the project.
DeadlinesEstablish and track important project and task deadlines.
DependenciesSet and visually track dependencies between tasks.
Gantt viewVisually track and understand project dates, dependencies, and assignments in a hierarchical Gantt view.
Grid viewPlan and manage projects using a hierarchical grid view of tasks.
Master projectsGroup smaller related projects under a single master project.
MilestonesEstablish and track important project and task milestones.
Network diagramView tasks, dependencies, and the critical path of your project in a network diagram view.
Task schedulingUse task start and end dates, effort, work, lead and lag times, and dependencies to get an accurate schedule of project dates
Team plannerTrack the allocation and capacity of all project team members, including non-project work and non-working time.
TimelinesVisually track and understand project dates, dependencies, and assignments in a timeline view.
Inactive tasksUse inactive tasks to track work without affecting resource availability or allocation and without affecting the project schedule.
Summary tasksPlan, manage, and track deliverables and phases using summary tasks.
Task inspectorView factors that affect the scheduling of a task, such as a changed start date or error messages.
Task path analysisSee how one task connects to other tasks by highlighting its task path throughout the project.
Resource and financial management
Resource levelingResolve resource conflicts or overallocations by automatically leveling the assignments.
Work, generic, and material resourcesAdd resources to a project, such as work resources like people, generic resources like carpenters, and materials resources like computers and cement.
Project costing and budgetingCompare planned progress and budget to actual time and costs.
Resource costingTrack and manage the resource costs of your project.
Reporting
Custom reportsBuild custom reports for projects, programs, portfolios, and resources.
Out-of-box reportingUse pre-built reports to understand project, program, portfolio, and resource data.
PDF and XPS outputSave a Project file as a PDF or XPS file.
Usability
Auto-completeGet suggestions for task or resource names and dependencies as you type.
Filtered viewsFilter project plans by any value in the plan
Graphical indicatorsUnderstand task status, assignments, and more with graphical indicators.
Multi-level undoUndo multiple changes at the same time by using the Undo menu.
Sorting and groupingUse custom sorting and grouping to get a focused view of your project, tasks, and resources.
Customization and integration
Custom fieldsAdd custom fields at the project, task, and resource level to track data important to your organization and projects.
FormsCreate and deploy custom forms to capture important project data.
FormulasCalculate and capture important data using formulas across tasks and projects.
TemplatesCreate templates for common projects including project plans, teams, and assignments.
.mpp import/exportCreate new projects from existing .mpp files or create an .mpp file of an existing project.
Excel import/exportCreate new projects from Excel files or create an Excel file of an existing project.

Service considerations

Microsoft Project Professional For Mac

Note

  • France and South Korea – Project for the web is currently unavailable. We're working to deliver Project for the web to your area and will inform you of its availability through the communication channels indicated below.
  • Education – Project for the web is coming soon to our Education customers. An exact timeframe is pending.
  • GCC, GCC High, DoD – Currently, Project for the web is unavailable for GCC, GCC High, and DoD. We're working on delivering Project for the web to you, but presently are unable to share a firm timeframe.

Licensing considerations

  • Any interaction on a Project Online site requires a Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 subscription.
  • When your last Project Plan 1, Project Plan 3, or Project Plan 5 subscription expires, your Project for the web instances will be deleted after 120 days.
  • When your last Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 subscription expires, your Project Online instances will be deleted after 120 days.
  • For Project for the web and Project Online trial subscriptions, your trial instances will be deleted 30 days after your trial period ends.

Use of SharePoint Online

Project Online requires the use of SharePoint Online, which is provisioned as part of Project Online. Rights to the SharePoint Online functionality provided with Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 subscriptions are limited to storing and accessing data to support Project Online.

Project Roadmap and Power Automate

Project Roadmap requires the use of Power Automate, which is provisioned as part of your Project subscription. Rights to Power Automate functionality are limited to those Power Automate capabilities required by Project Roadmap. Power Automate functionality required by Project Roadmap appears as the Data Integration for Project with Flow service plan in the Apps section of the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Project for the web and Common Data Service

Project for the web requires the use of the Common Data Service (CDS) for storing its data. CDS is provisioned as part of your Project subscription. Rights to CDS functionality are limited to storing and accessing data to support Project for the web. CDS functionality required by Project appears as the Common Data Service for Project service plan in the Apps section of the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Data backup and retention

Project for the web and Project Online both have the same data backup and retention policy as Office 365. For details, see Data Retention, Deletion, and Destruction in Office 365.

Project for the web boundaries and limitations

Project for the web has some limitations, which are described in the following table.

Entity/fieldLimit
Task
Max. hierarchy level for task10 levels
Max. links (successor + predecessor) for a task20
Max. duration of leaf task1250 days
Max. duration of summary task3650 days (10 years)
Max. resources that can be assigned to a task20 resources
Supported date range for task1/1/1984 – 12/31/2149
Project
Max. total tasks for the project500
Max. total duration of the project3650 days (10 years)
Max. total resources for the project150
Max. total links (successor only) for the project600

Project Online boundaries and limitations

Project Online has some limitations. For details, see Project Online: software boundaries and limits.

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Learn which web browsers and Project Professional client versions are supported to work with Project Online.

Browser Requirements

Project Online is supported to work with the following web browsers:

  • Internet Explorer: The most current or immediately previous version.

  • Microsoft Edge: The most current version.

  • Safari, Chrome, or Firefox: The most current version.

Project Professional Requirements

When connecting to Project Online with Project Professional, there will always be a minimum supported build that will be noted to customers. Project Online admins can see what the current minimum supported build number is by looking at the information provided in their Project Online settings :

To check the minimum supported build for Project Professional connectivity

  1. In the Project Online quick launch, select Server Settings.

  2. On the PWA Settings page, in the Operational Policies section, select Additional Server Settings.

  3. On the Additional Server Settings page, in the Project Professional Versions section, under Minimum Versions you can see the minimum supported build numbers for Project Professional clients that can connect to Project Online. These include:

  • Project Professional 2016

  • Project Professional 2019

  • Project Online Desktop Client (subscription version included with Project Online Professional and Project Online Premium licenses)

    All builds that are at or higher than the current minimum build number posted on this page are supported to connect to Project Online.

    Important

    The minimum supported build of Project Professional clients that will connect to Project Online changes over time as updates for new features and fixes are introduced. Always check the Project Professional versions setting on the Additional Server Settings page to see the most current information.

How do I find what Project Professional client and build number I am using?

You need to determine the Project Professional client and build number you are using to find out if the version you have is supported to connect to Project Online.

If you do not readily know what you are using, it can be easy to confuse Project Professional with the Project Online Desktop Client. You can easily check your product and build number though the following procedure.

To determine your product and build number

Microsoft Project Online For Mac

  1. In any open project, select the File menu.

  2. In the left pane of the backstage page, select Accounts.

  3. On the Accounts page, under Product Information:

  • You will see Project Online Desktop Client if you are using the Project Online Desktop Client.

  • You will see Microsoft Project Professional 2016 if you are using Project Professional 2016.

  1. Select About Project.

  2. On the next page that displays, you will see the build number for the Project Professional client you are using at the top of the page.

Microsoft Office For Mac

  • For example, if Product Information shows that you are using the Project Online Desktop Client, 16.0.7629.1000 might display as the build number.

  • As another example, if Product Information shows that you are using Project Professional 2016, 16.0.4266.1001 might display as the build number.

Mac Version Of Microsoft Project

See also