Service overview

Microsoft Planner is a collaborative task and work management tool that helps individuals and teams plan, track, and complete work. Planner now provides a single, unified experience that includes:

• Traditional Planner task boards
• Former Project for the Web plans
• Roadmap views

Planner allows users to:

• Create and manage tasks using boards, lists, timelines, and schedules
• Assign tasks to individuals and track progress
• Add due dates, checklists, labels, priorities, and file attachments
• Collaborate with team members and communicate updates
• View work across Planner, To Do, and Teams

Planner integrates with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Microsoft To Do. It is available through a web browser and mobile apps for iOS and Android.
What changed

• Project for the web and Project/Roadmap apps in Teams retired (Aug 2025).
• Redirects to Planner web and Teams app.
• Roadmap retired; use Planner Portfolios for portfolio views.
• Project admin settings moved to Planner in M365 Admin Center.
• Project Power App renamed to Planner Power App.
• Non-default Dataverse environment visibility enabled in Planner.

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Who can use it

This service is available to active students, faculty, and staff members.

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How to request & access the service

No request is required for Basic Planner. Planner premium license can be purchase via Microsoft license purchases.

To access Microsoft Planner:

• https://planner.cloud.microsoft/
• (App Launcher > Planner)

As soon as you enter your McGill Username, you will be redirected to McGill's authentication server to sign in. Once you are in the Microsoft 365 portal, click the App Launcher then Planner to access your plannings.

If you don’t see Planner in the list of apps, click All Apps to view all the applications you have access to and locate Planner in the list.

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Cost

• Basic Planner is included with Microsoft 365;
• Premium capabilities require the appropriate Planner/Project license.

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Availability

The service is available 24 X 7, except during planned maintenance or outages. Check the home page of the IT Support site for announcements.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I import .MPP files in Planner?
Planner does not natively import .MPP files. Use the Planner Power App to import .MPP into a Planner premium plan. Some advanced fields may not map.

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Is Planner the right tool for my project?
Please refer to the article When to use Microsoft Project, Planner, To Do, or Tasks app in Teams to find out the differences between Microsoft Project, Planner, To Do, or the Tasks app in Teams. In summary, Planner is suitable for group projects which don’t involve complex dependencies and budgets.

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Are there any limitations on my usage of Planner?
Your usage must be in accordance with the Policy on the Responsible Use of McGill IT Resources and the Cloud Directive.

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Best practices & policies

• Never give your McGill credentials to another person to allow them access to your plan, or for any other reason. This is a violation of the Policy on the Responsible Use of Information Technology Resources.
• Only share your plan with people you know and trust, because whoever has access to the plan can edit or delete all the tasks and buckets in the plan.
• Deletion of plans is permanent and NOT recoverable.
• All files attached in the task cards are stored in the group’s SharePoint. Please follow the policies on sharing and storing files on SharePoint.

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Training & documentation

Instructions on the Microsoft Support knowledge base:

• Planner Quick Start
• Build Your Plan
• Apps and Integrations
• Planner Blog
• Other instructional articles on the Microsoft Support site

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Training: Register for an introductory training session at Planner Intro.

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Support

• Microsoft Support: Microsoft Support for Planner
• If you encounter problems accessing the application, contact the IT Service Desk.