We added a new video that covers some of the basics in Milestones Professional. It’s just a quick intro video (13 minutes or so) but it covers a lot of the things that are in the Getting Started PDF in the Help Tab, but in a video form!

See how to add symbols and bars, change some basic layout, formatting, color settings, move symbols and bars, move entire task rows, add text to symbols and cells. It should prove useful for new users, and also returning users!

Check out the video below:

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April 2026 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for April 2026

Shade every other task row
I want to add a background color to every other line in order to read the schedule more easily.

Show curves and bars in DataGraph
I need to create a data graph with both bars and lines on the same DataGraph area.   It appears that DataGraphs  can either be bar graphs or line graphs, but not a mix.    Suggestions?

No commas in Values columns
How can I delete commas for values which run in the thousands?  For example 2371 is currently shown as 2,371.  Due to space limitations I want value to appear without commas (as 2371).

No task names on symbol following import
I imported MS project to Milestone Pro but the task names do not appear above the milestones.  See picture below:

Percent complete pie color
When using the Percent Complete SmartColumn, how do you change the color of the pie chart that appears?

Add a bitmap symbol to the toolbox

Add many symbols above and below a bar
I want to show milestones above and below the task bar so I can have a condensed presentation format.  Please advise the steps on how to show symbols above and below the task bar.

Add text to a horizontal bar
I want to have text inside a horizontal bar on my schedule.  Is this possible?

Automatically update % complete on a bar
I want the percent complete value to populate as symbol text when a symbol-horizontal bar-symbol is added to the schedule.

Copy a task row from one schedule to another
Is there a way to copy a symbol row with text into another schedule? I’ve tried to copy and paste the row into a new chart, but it didn’t work.

Show vertical connections on top of or behind bars
How can I get the vertical link behind the task bar and not in front?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for April 2026

A little bit more advanced information in this video, but you can check out how to use Excel automation with Milestones Professional to automatically assign Symbol Tags to a schedule that doesn’t currently have symbol tags.

For example, if you built your Milestones Professional schedule but then decided later to link it to MS Project or P6, you can use this macro to accomplish that. The video goes over all the specifics of how to do that.Check out this video to see how!

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

February 2026 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for February 2026

Only one letter showing for month
Why is only one letter showing up for the months in my monthly date headings?

Move Milestones to primary monitor
I am using Remote Desktop to access my computer at work.  Sometimes my Milestones software is not visible.  I think it’s because it is on my secondary monitor.  Is there any way to force it to my primary monitor for Remote Desktop?

Transparent symbol using a clipping symbol
I’ve been trying to create a transparent satellite icon to use in my Milestones road map, but I keep running into an issue, every version I create ends up with a white block behind it when II copy it to PowerPoint. Since my road map uses colored swim lanes, the white box really stands out and breaks the visual formatting.

Add tags to a schedule using Excel
I want to use a table of unique IDs that I have in Excel to update the unique IDs on my Milestones schedule.  How do I do this?

Export schedule picture to Excel
Just wondering.. is there a way to put a picture of my schedule into Microsoft Excel?

Make a legend as a group
I would like to make a legend I can just drag around, but the standard legend options aren’t flexible enough for my needs.

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for February 2026

Did you know that you can modify your default template, and save it to your computer so that Milestones Professional knows what to use as your default template?

Check out this video to see how!

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December 2025 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for December 2025

Add pages to the schedule
How do I add a page to my schedule?

Fiscal and calendar quarters
How can I set up both fiscal and calendar years/quarters?

Shade individual task rows
I want to add a background color to individual tasks in a column.  For example, some of my tasks need to be shaded with a silver background.  How do I do this?

Shade multiple rows at one time
Can you tell me if there is a trick to shading multiple rows?  I usually end up shading row by row.

Move Milestones to primary monitor
The Milestones application does not open properly. When we attempt to launch it, the application loads briefly and then disappears. When hovering over it in the task bar, it only displays a white screen (see screenshot:).

Freeform text doesn’t stay in place
The Freeform Text Box seems to be floating with different zoom levels. I want the text box aligned to the outer frame but it shifts depending on the zoom level and sometimes goes past the edge.

Get rid of the dates on the symbols
I do not want the date to appear with my symbols.  Can I make this go away somehow?

Color code a symbol in a column
I have created a stoplight chart.  I want to color code an entry that is in a column.  I want the color to be red if it is an internal deliverable and blue if it is an external deliverable.  Is this possible?

Only part of schedule appears in PowerPoint
I used the Copy All Pages to PowerPoint feature to get my schedule into PowerPoint.  Only part of each page of the schedule appears in PowerPoint.  Any ideas?

Learn how you can hide all symbol dates, move the symbol date around your symbols, and even show dates as part of the Symbol Text or Symbol Notes.

Check out this video to see how!

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

September 2025 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for September 2025

Move a symbol and keep the same date
When I move symbols to another task row, the dates changes.  I want the dates to stay the same when the symbols are rearranged on the schedule.  Is there a way to make them stick to their original date?

Rearrange task rows
I want to move tasks on one page over to another page.  What’s the procedure?

Force a bar to be on top of another one
I have two bars which partially overlap.  How can I force the green bar to be hidden behind the red bar?

Code your Microsoft Project file for fast one page schedules
My Microsoft Project schedule is just unwieldy, about 10,000 tasks.  I would like to be able to pick certain tasks that are in Microsoft Project and show ONLY those tasks and group them together in about 5 groups.
Part of the problem is that the tasks aren’t together in Microsoft Project.  Is there any way to get these related tasks to appear in a group on my presentation chart?

Make a legend as a group
I would like to make a legend I can just drag around, but the standard legend options aren’t flexible enough for my needs.

Set vertical symbol position via automation
I can’t seem to find a way to set the position of a symbol (upper/middle/lower) via automation.  Is there a way to do this?

Work with a schedule with no columns
I am converting my schedule to a “no columns” schedule so that it is more presentable.  I have “issues” doing some of the task line tasks I’m used to doing by selecting a task row in the column.   For example, I’m having trouble changing the shading of a task row. How do I select a task and then do what I need to do?

Blank symbol in the toolbox
I am sharing my schedule with others.  However, when I share the schedule, all of my custom bitmap symbols are missing and show up as blank symbols in the toolbox.

Check out how you can export an excel file from P6, remove some tasks, and import the rest into Milestones Professional. Then, you can see how to Refresh the data directly from a P6 XER file if your dates change.

Check out this video to see how!

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

July 2025 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for July 2025

Mysterious item on my schedule
There is a box on my schedule that I can’t select.  I think it’s a text box.

Custom indicators for a Values column
I want to show a stoplight column based on text or a number in another column.  Can I do this?

Move a column
How do I move a column from one side of the schedule to the other?

Numbered date headings
I want numbers instead of letters or month names in the date headings.  This is for a project proposal.  I don’t know when the project will start.

Vertical lines similar to current date line
Can you please let me know whether I can insert a date line which is not a current date or status date but just a vertical line at a specific date.

Duration values for single milestones
Why does a single milestone automatically have a 0-day duration instead of 1 day?

Control the percent complete fill on a summary bar
I need some help with Milestone Professional. The summary bar “fill to status date” roll-up does not represent the indented “fill to status date” tasks below the summary. Am I missing something or doing it incorrectly or what?

Add a stoplight column
What is the easiest way to add a stoplight column to my schedule?  I want to control the color of the stoplight for each task.

Dashed connectors appear when solid is set in the toolbox
I have a solid horizontal connector in the toolbox but the connectors on the schedule are coming out dashed, what’s the deal with that?

Don’t want short pages when using page breaks
Is there a way to use a page break which doesn’t truncate the bottom of the chart?  I want my pages to all be the same number of tasks per page.