Applies ToProject Online Desktop Client Project for the web Project Professional 2024 Project Standard 2024 Project Professional 2021 Project Standard 2021 Project Professional 2019 Project Standard 2019 Project Professional 2016 Project Standard 2016

Note: Microsoft Project for the web will soon become Microsoft Planner. You can continue using most of the Project for the web capabilities in the new Planner once it's rolled out to your organization. Learn more about the new Planner in Frequently asked questions about Planner and Planner help & learning.

Add up to ten custom fields to help you manage and filter your work in Project.

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Create a custom field

  1. In Grid view, select Add column > New field.

    Screen shot of Project showing Add column header and New field option

  2. Choose a field Type:Screen shot from Project of New field dialog box showing Types Text, Date, Number, Yes/No

    Important: A custom field's type cannot be changed after it's created. If a custom field is the wrong type, delete the field, then create it again using the correct type.

  3. Enter a Field name, then select Create.

    Screen shot from Project of New field dialog showing Field name filled out

Notes: 

  • To reuse custom fields, create a copy of the project. Custom fields can't currently be used across projects or for PowerBI reports.

  • You can't create formulas using custom fields at this time. If this is something you would like to see, please send us your feedback to help us prioritize new features in future updates. See How do I give feedback on Microsoft Office? for more information.

Choose a custom field

There are several types of custom fields. Here's how they work:

  • Text: Can contain any characters.

  • Date: Can only contain a date. Type it in yourself or choose from a calendar.

  • Number: Can only contain numbers, and can either be simply numbers or do simple "rollup" formulas, including Max, Min, Sum, and Average. When you create the number field, you can choose your Rollup type and then make sure that you make all tasks that you want to include in the function into subtasks of this task.

  • Yes/No: You can choose from "Yes" and "No" in a drop-down list. "No" is showing by default.

  • Choice: Create a drop-down list of 2 to 20 options that can include characters and emojis. You can drag and drop options to change their order. Note that if you remove an option from your Choice field, any task that had that option will now have a blank in that Choice field. Also, you can't use this field to build reports.

    • To add emojis, on Windows press Win + ; (Windows key plus semicolon) and on Mac, press Control + Command + Space.

    • You can add colors to each choice to make it easier to review the state of work in the grid view. You can do so by selecting the paint bucket icon or you can remove the colors by selecting the trash can icon.

Edit the value of a custom field

Do either of the following:

  • In Grid view, select the custom field value, then select it again to start editing.Grid view of a web project with a custom field being edited

  • In the task details pane for a task, under Custom fields, select the value to start editing.

Change a custom field property

  • In Grid view, select the custom field, then in the menu that appears, select the change you want to make.

Filter using custom fields

In Project for the web, you can filter on any field by keyword, including custom fields.

Screen shot of a project filtered on a column's contents

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