How-to guide

How to convert MS Project to P6 and back

Name: How to convert MS Project to P6 and back
Uploaded: 2026-11-09
Duration: 24 s
Description: Convert an MS Project programme to a Primavera P6 .xer file (and P6 to MS Project) in your browser: open MS Project XML or .mpp, check it, export to P6 XER or XML, and open the result to check the dates match.

Clients and main contractors often ask for the programme in Primavera P6 when it was written in MS Project, or the other way round. P6 cannot open an MS Project file directly, and the usual answer is a P6 licence and an import wizard. Metre2 Programme Studio Pro reads MS Project XML, .mpx and (with your agreement) .mpp, and writes P6 XER and XML, MS Project XML, MPX, Excel and IFC, rescheduling on the way so you can check the dates before you send it.

4 stepsProVideo 24 seconds

Step by step

Open the MS Project programme

Choose Open and pick the file. MS Project XML (in MS Project, File > Save As > XML) and .mpx open directly. A .mpp file is a closed format a browser cannot read: Programme Studio asks whether to convert it on Metre2's server, in memory, and nothing is kept. Check the activities, logic, calendars and the finish date.

Export to Primavera P6

Choose Output > Primavera P6 to save a .xer file, or Primavera P6 XML for P6's XML format. Activities, the WBS, logic with lags, calendars, constraints, activity codes, user fields, resources, baselines and progress go across, with the dates as scheduled.

Check the result

Open the .xer you saved: here it comes back with the same 34 activities, 41 links and completion on 6 April. In P6, import it with File > Import as a new project or to update an existing one.

Convert the other way

To go from P6 to MS Project, open the .xer or P6 XML and choose MS Project XML from the Export menu; MS Project opens it with File > Open. The same menu saves MPX, Excel, CSV and an IFC 4.3 schedule.

Tips

Programme Studio reschedules what it opens. If its dates differ from the file's, check the scheduling options (retained logic or progress override, the calendar for lags) before you convert.
MS Project's IDs become the P6 activity IDs; renumber them first if the client has an ID scheme.
P6 projects with several projects in one .xer open the main one.
Opening and viewing either format is free; exporting to P6 and MS Project is part of Pro.

Frequently asked questions

Can Primavera P6 open an MS Project file?

P6 can import MS Project XML through its import wizard, but not a .mpp file directly, and the import needs a P6 licence. Programme Studio converts MS Project XML, .mpx and .mpp to a P6 .xer or XML file that P6 imports as a normal P6 project.

Can I convert an XER file to MS Project?

Yes. Open the .xer in Programme Studio Pro and export MS Project XML, which MS Project opens directly.

Will the dates be the same after converting?

The logic, durations, calendars and constraints go across, and Programme Studio reschedules with the critical path method as P6 and MS Project do, so the dates match when the scheduling options match. Open the converted file to check before you send it.

How much is Programme Studio Pro?

Programme Studio is free to open and view programmes of any size and to build or edit programmes of up to 50 activities. Pro adds this and every other planning tool, with no activity limit, for £29.99 a month or £249 a year. The 7-day free trial needs a Metre2 account but no payment details.