Microsoft Project for Mac: run the Windows version
Microsoft Project, the desktop app with Gantt charts, resource leveling and .mpp files, exists only for Windows. CrossDriver App runs it on your Mac, next to your other Mac apps.
Every Pro feature is free during the preview, until December 31, 2026
Microsoft Project on a Mac today
Microsoft has never released Project desktop for Mac. Mac users have had to rely on the web, which isn't the same app and doesn't open every .mpp feature, or on a Windows PC or virtual machine.
What you get with the Windows version
Open and edit .mpp project files
Gantt charts, task dependencies and baselines
Resource sheets and leveling
Print and export, with your Mac folders available
Versions with a ready-made setup
Pick one in the Setup Center of CrossDriver App. It creates its own environment, installs the components the app needs and runs the official installer; you bring the installer and your license.
Microsoft Project 2016 Experimental
2016 Professional / Standard (volume or retail MSI)
Install Project 2016 with your own media and product key.
What you need Bring your own license
Good to know
The setup wizard runs in its own window. Enter your product key there; CrossDriver never activates for you.
Office 2010–2016 activates through Office's own licensing service (OSPP), which runs on Windows 7; that is why this container reports Windows 7. Enter your product key in the setup wizard or later under File > Account.
Only Microsoft's own setup program is run. Don't use third-party activation tools that come with downloaded packages: CrossDriver supports only Microsoft's own activation.
Microsoft Office 2016 (MSI media, 32-bit) Experimental
2016 Professional Plus / Standard / Visio / Project, MSI media (32-bit)
Install Office 2016, Visio 2016 or Project 2016 from your own MSI media (volume or retail) with Microsoft's setup wizard, and activate with your own key.
What you need Bring your own license. You enter the key in Microsoft's setup or in Office; Office activates with Microsoft or your KMS. CrossDriver never activates or bypasses activation.
Good to know
Office 2010–2016 activates through Office's own licensing service (OSPP), which runs on Windows 7; that is why this container reports Windows 7. Enter your product key in the setup wizard or later under File > Account.
Only Microsoft's own setup program is run. Don't use third-party activation tools that come with downloaded packages: CrossDriver supports only Microsoft's own activation.
Microsoft Project Plan 3 / Plan 5 Experimental
Project Online Desktop Client for Plan 3 / Plan 5, Current Channel (Click-to-Run, x64, zh-CN)
Install the Project desktop app for Project Plan 3 or Plan 5 subscribers (Current Channel) offline from files you downloaded with the Office Deployment Tool.
Needs a Microsoft 365 subscription; sign-in support is limited
Microsoft 365 apps are licensed by signing in, not by product key. On CrossDriver, work or school accounts can sign in; personal Microsoft accounts cannot sign in yet. Whether Office then shows as licensed has not been verified yet.
Alternatives
Have a Project 2016 license: the "Microsoft Project 2016" plan (there is no Project for Mac)
What you need Needs your own Project Plan 3 or Plan 5 subscription: sign in inside Project to activate. CrossDriver never activates Project for you.
Good to know
Signing in to your Microsoft account inside Project has not been verified under CrossDriver yet. Until you sign in, it runs unlicensed with editing limited.
.mpp files from older Project versions open in this version. Saving back in an older Project format is not promised.
Right after setup, Current Channel Office may start installing extra Microsoft apps (such as Teams or the new Outlook). They are not needed for Project; you can close those windows.
Automatic updates are off; to update, download newer files with the Office Deployment Tool and run this setup again.
On first launch Office shows Microsoft's privacy notice; click Next once.
If the app failed to start once, the next start asks about safe mode; answer No.
Microsoft Project LTSC Professional 2024 Experimental
Project LTSC Professional 2024 (Click-to-Run, volume, x64, zh-CN)
Install Project LTSC 2024 offline from files you downloaded with the Office Deployment Tool.
Installs, but cannot be activated: read-only use
Office 2019, 2021 and 2024 can only be activated through Windows' own licensing service (SPP), which CrossDriver cannot provide. After installing, Office keeps showing "Unlicensed Product" and runs in reduced functionality mode: you can open, view and print documents, but not create or edit them. CrossDriver does not provide or support any third-party activation tool.
Alternatives
Have a Project 2016 license: the "Microsoft Project 2016" plan (there is no Project for Mac)
What you need Needs your own volume license. CrossDriver never activates Project for you.
Good to know
Project stays unlicensed (title bar says so, and editing is limited) until you activate it with your own volume license.
.mpp files from older Project versions open in this version. Saving back in an older Project format is not promised.
On first launch Office shows Microsoft's privacy notice; click Next once.
If the app failed to start once, the next start asks about safe mode; answer No.
The labels are the ones the App shows. Experimental: works in our tests but not yet verified end to end on every Mac. Known issues: works, with the limits listed.
How to run Microsoft Project on your Mac
Download CrossDriver AppDrag it into Applications like any other Mac app. The preview includes every Pro feature for free, and the free edition needs no account.
Drag in the installerOr pick an app in the Setup Center. CrossDriver App gets the runtimes, fonts and settings it needs ready for you.
Open it like a Mac appDouble-click and go. Add it to Applications, and from then on open it from Launchpad or Spotlight.
Questions about Microsoft Project on a Mac
Does Microsoft Project work on a Mac?
There's no Mac version of the Project desktop app. With CrossDriver App, Project for Windows runs on your Mac.
How do I open an .mpp file on a Mac?
Install Project in CrossDriver App, then double-click the .mpp file. You need a Project license, as on Windows.
Which Project versions can I use?
Project 2016 (Standard or Professional) activates with your own key. Project Plan 3 and Plan 5 subscribers can sign in with a work or school account. Project 2021 and 2024 install but can't be activated on CrossDriver.
Do I need Office installed too?
No. Project installs on its own in its own environment.
Try Microsoft Project on your Mac
Every Pro feature is free during the preview, until December 31, 2026
