MPP (Project)
Also known as: .mpp file, Microsoft Project file, Project plan
MPP is the file format of Microsoft Project, used to store a project plan — tasks, schedules, dependencies, resources, and Gantt charts. It is proprietary to Project, so opening it outside the app usually needs a viewer or conversion.
- Microsoft Project plan: tasks, schedule, resources
- Proprietary; needs a viewer or conversion
- Export to PDF or CSV to share
What an MPP file holds
A .mpp file captures an entire project schedule: the task list with start and end dates, dependencies between tasks, assigned resources and costs, and the timeline that drives the Gantt chart.
The format is tied closely to Microsoft Project. Without it, you typically rely on a third-party Project viewer or import into a compatible project-management tool.
Sharing project plans
To share a plan with people who lack Project, export the view to PDF, or export task data to CSV or Excel so it can be read in a spreadsheet.
MPP files are modest in size since they store schedule data, not media. The challenge is access, not storage — convert to PDF or CSV when collaborators do not run Project.