Best Microsoft Project Courses in 2026 (Ranked & Verified)

Last updated: October 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. We re-opened every course below on 22 October 2026 and read its rating, enrollment, length and last-update date from the provider’s own page that day. See our review methodology.

QUICK VERDICT

See our top Udemy pick →

Microsoft Project is still the default scheduling tool in large project management offices, government agencies, and engineering and construction firms: the places where Gantt charts, critical paths and resource leveling matter. It has a real learning curve, which is why a good course pays for itself. You stop fighting the interface and start producing schedules people trust.

The product line also changed this year. Microsoft retired Project Online on 30 September 2026, is turning Project for the web into Microsoft Planner, and still sells the desktop app as Project Standard 2024 and Project Professional 2024. Learn the version your team actually opens, and the section on versions below explains how to tell.

HOW WE PICKED

We opened every course on 22 October 2026 and read its rating, number of ratings, enrollment, length and last update from the provider’s own page. We checked each curriculum against the skills listed further down (scheduling, dependencies, resources, baselines and reporting), dropped stale 2013 and 2016-era courses, and read Microsoft’s own product and retirement notices. We earn a commission on some links, which never changes the order.

The best Microsoft Project courses in 2026, at a glance

1. Microsoft Project ALL: Beginner to Expert (10 PDU) — Udemy (best for learning the software)

If your goal is to become fluent in the Project app, this is the course we recommend to most people. It is the most-enrolled Microsoft Project course on Udemy by a wide margin: 4.5★ from 23,854 ratings, 112,744 students, 10 hours of video, last updated December 2025. Srikanth Shirodkar takes you from a blank file to building, tracking and reporting on a full schedule across ten hands-on projects.

Two practical bonuses: it carries 10 PMI PDUs, which count toward keeping a PMP or CAPM active, and its large student base means a deep Q&A archive. Whatever you get stuck on, someone has already asked. Udemy refunds eligible course purchases within 30 days.

Best for: anyone who needs to use Microsoft Project desktop at work.  Worth knowing: it teaches the software, not project management as a discipline; pair it with a PMP or CAPM course if you need the credential.

Check the price on Udemy →

2. Microsoft Project Management Professional Certificate — Coursera (best credential)

This is the pick if you want a credential from Microsoft on your resume. It is a nine-course program built by Microsoft, rated 4.6★ from 825 reviews with 82,797 learners enrolled, and Coursera estimates four months at 10 hours a week. It covers team leadership, stakeholders, process groups, PMP formulas, Agile and hybrid approaches, and ends with a PMP practice exam and a capstone.

Read this before you enroll: despite the name, it does not teach the Microsoft Project application. The capstone uses Microsoft Excel as the project tool, and the course list never mentions Project. It is excellent PMP preparation and a recognizable certificate, but if you need to run schedules in Project, take pick 1 as well. Coursera offers a free trial, and the program is included in Coursera Plus ($239 (normally $399)).

Best for: career changers and aspiring project managers heading for the PMP.  Worth knowing: it is broader than the tool and does not cover the Project app at all.

View the Coursera certificate →

3. Microsoft Project & Planner 4-Course Bundle — Udemy (most complete)

Simon Sez IT’s four-course bundle is the deepest option here: 4.6★ from 712 ratings, 28 hours of video, last updated September 2026. Because it covers both Project desktop and Planner, it suits people whose organization uses both, or who are moving from one to the other after the Project for the web change.

Best for: learners who want one purchase that covers Project and Planner in depth.  Worth knowing: at 28 hours it is a lot of video if you only need the basics.

View the 4-course bundle →

4. Microsoft Project 2024: Complete Beginner Course — Udemy (newest desktop release)

Project Standard 2024 and Project Professional 2024 are Microsoft’s current desktop releases. If your workplace just upgraded and you want screens that match yours exactly, Hassan Shah’s Microsoft Project 2024 course is the most current: 4.6★ from 457 ratings, 1,289 students, 3 hours, updated October 2025. It is short and scoped for beginners, so treat it as a fast start rather than full mastery.

View the Project 2024 course →

5. Microsoft Planner Essentials — Udemy (best for Planner and the web version)

This course used to be called Microsoft Project for the Web Essentials. Simon Sez IT renamed it Microsoft Planner Essentials after Microsoft announced that Project for the web is becoming Planner, which tells you where the browser version is heading. It is rated 4.6★ from 1,692 ratings and was updated in October 2026. Learn this, not the desktop app, if your team plans work inside Microsoft 365 and Teams.

View Microsoft Planner Essentials →

6. Microsoft Planner: The Complete Course — Udemy (short Planner course)

Georgi Smarts’ Planner course is the most-enrolled Planner option we found: 4.4★ from 2,729 ratings, 18,099 students, 3 hours, updated October 2026. It is a quick, practical introduction to boards, buckets, assignments and timelines for teams that do not need full critical-path scheduling.

7. A Comprehensive Introduction to Microsoft Project 2019 — Pluralsight (subscription path)

If you or your employer already pay for Pluralsight, this introduction covers tasks, dependencies, resources, tracking and stakeholder reporting, and Pluralsight updated it in March 2026. It is built on Project 2019, one version behind 2024, but scheduling mechanics have barely changed. Pluralsight starts at $21 a month billed yearly for Core Tech, so it only makes sense if you will use the wider library; for a one-off purchase, the Udemy picks are better value.

What a good Microsoft Project course should cover

Check the curriculum against the skills that matter on the job. A course worth paying for takes you through:

• Building a schedule: tasks, durations and milestones, plus a project calendar.
• Dependencies and the critical path: linking tasks, finding the critical path, and adding lead and lag time.
• Resources and assignments: work, material and cost resources, and fixing over-allocation with resource leveling.
• Baselines and tracking: saving a baseline, recording actual progress and reading variance. This is the part that separates real schedulers from spreadsheet users.
• Reporting: customizing the Gantt chart, building dashboards and exporting status reports people will read.

If a course stops at entering tasks and never reaches baselines, tracking and reporting, it is an introduction, not a working skill set. Picks 1, 3 and 7 go the full distance on the desktop app; picks 5 and 6 cover Planner, which does not have the desktop app’s resource leveling.

Which version of Microsoft Project should you learn?

“Microsoft Project” now means several products, and 2026 changed two of them:

• Project desktop (Standard 2024 and Professional 2024). The classic Windows app with full Gantt charts, critical path and resource leveling, sold as a one-time purchase. Microsoft says it is not affected by the Project Online retirement. If you see complex schedules at work, this is almost certainly what your team uses.
• Microsoft Planner (including the former Project for the web). The cloud, subscription tool inside Microsoft 365 and Teams. Microsoft says Project for the web “will soon become Microsoft Planner,” and the licenses are now called Planner Plan 1 and Planner and Project Plan 3 and Plan 5.
• Project Online. The old enterprise portfolio tier. Microsoft retired it on 30 September 2026; its suggested replacements are Planner with premium licenses, the desktop app, or Project Server Subscription Edition for organizations that need full portfolio management on their own servers.

Practical advice: find out which tool your team opens every day and learn that one. A 2019 or 2021 desktop course transfers almost perfectly to 2024, so do not pay extra just for a version number. Desktop Project and Planner are genuinely different tools, and that is the choice worth getting right.

Microsoft Project vs. Planner, Asana, and Jira

Microsoft Project desktop is built for formal, schedule-driven work: long timelines, dependencies, baselines and resource math. That power is overkill for a small marketing team tracking a content calendar.

For lighter collaboration, Microsoft Planner handles task boards and simple timelines inside Microsoft 365. Asana and Monday.com own the work-management lane for cross-functional teams that want boards and automations. Jira dominates software teams running Scrum and Kanban. None of these replaces Project for true critical-path scheduling in construction, engineering or large IT programs, which is why the desktop app endures. If your work runs in sprints rather than schedules, our Scrum courses and Jira courses guides are a better starting point.

Is there a Microsoft Project certification?

Not a standalone one. Microsoft retired the old MOS “Managing Projects with Microsoft Project” exam (77-888) years ago, and there is no current Microsoft exam dedicated to the Project application. People searching for a “Microsoft Project certification” usually want one of three things:

• A Microsoft-issued certificate: the Microsoft Project Management Professional Certificate on Coursera is the closest official option. It is a project-management credential that prepares you for the PMP, not a test of the Project app.
• A profession-wide credential: PMI’s PMP and CAPM are what project managers actually hold. See our best PMP courses guide.
• A completion certificate plus PDUs: Udemy and Pluralsight issue completion certificates, and our top Udemy pick awards 10 PMI PDUs you can use to keep a PMP active.

If a listing promises an “official Microsoft Project certification” from a single exam, treat it with caution: that exam no longer exists.

How to choose the right course

• You need to use Project desktop at work: Microsoft Project ALL: Beginner to Expert (pick 1).
• You want a credential and PMP prep: the Coursera certificate (pick 2), plus pick 1 if you also need the app.
• You want everything in one purchase: the Simon Sez IT 4-course bundle (pick 3).
• You are on Project 2024 and want matching screens: pick 4.
• Your team works in Microsoft 365 and Teams: Microsoft Planner Essentials (pick 5) or the shorter Planner course (pick 6).
• You already have Pluralsight: pick 7.

How long does it take to learn Microsoft Project?

Most people can build and manage a basic schedule (tasks, durations, dependencies, a baseline and a Gantt view) after 8 to 12 hours of focused study, which matches one Udemy course over a week or two. Fluency with resource leveling, custom fields, earned-value reporting and multi-project work takes a few more weeks of using it on real projects. The Coursera certificate takes about four months because it covers project management broadly, not the app.

How much does Microsoft Project cost?

The software and the training are separate costs. Microsoft sells Project two ways, according to its own plans page (22 October 2026):

• One-time purchase: Project Standard 2024 or Project Professional 2024, installed on a Windows PC. Microsoft’s compare page lists everything in Standard as included in Professional.
• Subscription: Planner Plan 1, Planner and Project Plan 3, or Planner and Project Plan 5, billed per user per month on an annual commitment. Microsoft says Plan 3 gives you everything in Project Professional 2024 plus Planner.

Microsoft lists prices by country and changes them, so check its plans page before you budget. Many learners use the free trial or an employer license while they take a course. The courses themselves range from a single Udemy purchase to a Coursera or Pluralsight subscription.

Live and in-person Microsoft Project training

Searches for “Microsoft Project training near me” usually come from employers who want a trainer in the room. Microsoft training partners and corporate-training firms run instructor-led classes, typically one to three days per level, either on site or live online. They cost far more than the courses on this page, but they suit a team that needs to standardize how everyone builds schedules. For an individual, a self-paced course plus practice on a real project gets you to the same place for a fraction of the price.

What project managers say on Reddit

We read recent r/projectmanagement threads on learning Microsoft Project (22 October 2026). The common advice is practical: build a small practice project, such as a party or a shed, and add one layer of complexity at a time (dependencies, then resources, then costs). Several managers say employers rarely ask for proof of Project skills in the form of a certificate, and one described a costly five-day vendor class that taught little more than a good online tutorial. Free options they recommend include long YouTube course playlists, LinkedIn Learning through a library card, and the Microsoft Project User Group (MPUG), which publishes free content for members of the community.

Free ways to learn Microsoft Project

You do not have to pay to start. Microsoft’s own Project and Planner help pages and training videos cover the basics free, and YouTube has full-length walk-throughs. LinkedIn Learning has well-produced Project courses if you get access through an employer or a library card; it runs on its own subscription, which we do not link. Coursera also lets you preview courses and offers financial aid on its certificates. Free resources are fine for orientation; the paid courses earn their keep through structure, hands-on projects and, for picks 1 and 2, PDUs or a certificate.

Frequently asked questions

Is Microsoft Project hard to learn?

The basics are approachable; the depth is where it gets tricky. Scheduling logic, dependencies and resource leveling reward a structured course over trial and error, and most learners are productive within a couple of weeks.

Does the Coursera Microsoft Project Management certificate teach Microsoft Project?

No. It is a nine-course project-management program from Microsoft that prepares you for the PMP exam, and its capstone uses Microsoft Excel as the project tool. To learn the Project app, take a dedicated course such as Microsoft Project ALL: Beginner to Expert on Udemy.

Is Microsoft Project being discontinued?

Only part of it. Microsoft retired Project Online on 30 September 2026 and is turning Project for the web into Microsoft Planner. The desktop app, Project Standard 2024 and Project Professional 2024, is still sold and is not affected.

What is the best Microsoft Project course for beginners?

Microsoft Project ALL: Beginner to Expert on Udemy (4.5 stars from 23,854 ratings) starts from zero and is the most-enrolled option. For a shorter start on the newest release, try Microsoft Project 2024: Complete Beginner Course.

Is there a Microsoft Project certification?

There is no current Microsoft exam for the Project application; the MOS 77-888 exam was retired. The closest official option is Microsoft’s Project Management Professional Certificate on Coursera, which prepares you for the PMP.

Should I learn Microsoft Project or Planner?

Learn the desktop app if your team builds complex schedules with dependencies and resource leveling. Learn Planner if your team plans work inside Microsoft 365 and Teams, especially now that Project for the web is becoming Planner.

Can these courses help me earn PMP PDUs?

Yes. Our top Udemy pick awards 10 PMI PDUs toward maintaining a PMP or CAPM. Confirm the current PDU count on the course page before you buy.

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