Task Links and Dependency Editing
A task dependency links a predecessor to a successor. It expresses an ordering relationship that Project can use when calculating the schedule. A link is scheduling logic; the visual order of rows or the outline hierarchy is not.1 For the calculation model around links, see How Microsoft Project Schedules Tasks.
Create a dependency
Section titled “Create a dependency”In desktop Project’s Gantt Chart view, hold Ctrl while selecting two tasks in the Task Name column, then choose Task > Link Tasks. Project creates a finish-to-start dependency by default: the successor cannot start until the predecessor finishes. To remove a link between selected tasks, choose Unlink Tasks.
Project supports four dependency types:
| Type | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Finish-to-start (FS) | The successor cannot start until the predecessor finishes. |
| Start-to-start (SS) | The successor cannot start until the predecessor starts. |
| Finish-to-finish (FF) | The successor cannot finish until the predecessor finishes. |
| Start-to-finish (SF) | The successor cannot finish until the predecessor starts. |
The dependent task need not begin or finish at exactly the same moment as the task it depends on; the link establishes a minimum ordering condition.
Change or remove specific links
Section titled “Change or remove specific links”To change a link type, double-click its line in the Gantt Chart and choose another type. In the task’s Task Information > Predecessors tab, changing the value in Task Name replaces which predecessor is linked; changing Type or Lag adjusts that relationship. Selecting None removes that specific link. If a task has several dependencies, you can remove one without deleting the others.
Changing a task link does not change the task’s outline level. If the intended change is structural—making a task a subtask or taking it out of a phase—use Indent or Outdent instead.
Project Plan 365 uses its own task-linking interface: tasks can be linked through Task Information > Predecessors or the Predecessors/Successors columns. See its task-linking guidance for those steps. For what lead and lag mean and when to use them, see Task Dependencies, Lead, and Lag.
Autolinking and manual tasks
Section titled “Autolinking and manual tasks”For a focused explanation of manual versus automatic scheduling, see Manual and Automatic Scheduling.
Project can automatically link a task inserted between linked tasks when File > Options > Schedule > Autolink inserted or moved tasks is enabled. In Project Online Desktop Client and in Project Standard or Professional versions 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2024, autolinking is disabled by default.
When a manually scheduled task is linked, Project can place it relative to the other task. An option controls whether manually scheduled tasks update when links are edited. This makes task mode an important part of interpreting a dependency change.1
Dependencies are not constraints
Section titled “Dependencies are not constraints”A dependency relates two tasks. A constraint restricts when one task may start or finish. If a successor does not move after its predecessor changes, check actual progress, any task constraints, and the link itself.
These procedures cover desktop Project and Project Online Desktop Client behavior.