mpp-open

Open an MPP file on a Mac

Microsoft Project has no Mac version. Drop the .mpp here in Safari, Chrome or Firefox and read it on your Mac; the file stays on your Mac.

Your options on a Mac

  • This page: any current browser, nothing to install, nothing uploaded. Free to view, print and export as CSV.
  • A Mac app that reads .mpp files: several are sold in the App Store; they work offline and some can edit.
  • ProjectLibre: a free, open-source desktop project manager that opens .mpp files; it needs a download and Java.
  • Windows on your Mac (a virtual machine) with Microsoft Project: full editing, at the price of both licences.

If you only need to read the plan and send back dates or comments, the browser is the quickest of the four.

What you see

  • the task list: ID, WBS, name, duration, start, finish, predecessors, % complete and resource names, with summary tasks indented as in Project;
  • the Gantt chart, with summary bars, milestones, progress and the links between tasks;
  • resources, assignments and the working calendars with their exceptions;
  • a CSV of the task list that opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets;
  • your browser's own print, which can save the chart and the table as a PDF.

Nothing is uploaded

The file is read by code running in this browser tab. It is not uploaded: the page's security policy lets it send requests to this site only, and the two it sends count a page view and the file's format, never its content or name.

Questions

Is my file uploaded?

No. The file is read in a Web Worker in this tab by MPXJ, an open-source Project file reader compiled to JavaScript. The page's Content-Security-Policy allows requests to this site only, and none of them carries the file. You can check in your browser's developer tools: dropping a file adds no request with its content.

Which versions of Microsoft Project can it open?

It reads .mpp files from Microsoft Project 98 onwards, .mpt templates and .mpx files. Project 2010 and every later version, including 2021, 2024 and Microsoft 365, save the same .mpp format. Project XML (.xml) files are not read yet. It was tested on files saved by Project 98, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019, from MPXJ's own test suite.

What if the file is password-protected?

It says so and stops. A password-protected .mpp cannot be read without Project; ask the sender for a copy saved without a password.

Can I edit the plan?

No. It is a viewer: it shows the schedule as saved and does not recalculate it or write .mpp files.

Is it free?

Viewing, printing and the CSV export are free, with no account and no limit on the number of files. A laid-out Gantt PDF (page size, date range, columns) and an Excel workbook are not built yet; the export page says what they would be and counts who wants them.

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