How it works, step by step
Start by choosing to create a quick schedule. Give the project a recognizable name, such as Supermarket Schedule, enter the start date and select a period. Paste employee names with one person per line; personal identification documents are unnecessary. Choose the 6x1 pattern for six working days followed by one day off, or select another available pattern. Click Generate my schedule and examine the proposal. Select cells in the table to make changes without returning to the beginning. Before distributing a file, check employee names, dates, working times and the warnings displayed in the summary.
Day patterns and hourly duty cycles
The 5x2, 6x1, 4x2, 4x3 and 3x3 templates describe working days and days off in a continuous cycle. The sequence does not restart on the first day of each month. In contrast, 12x36, 24x48 and 24x72 describe hours on duty followed by hours of rest. An overnight shift can begin on one date and finish on the next; actual elapsed time and breaks are included in totals. Monday to Friday limits work to weekdays, while rotating shifts alternate shift types. None of these templates establishes that a pattern is legally permitted in a particular profession or country.
Custom cycles and independent teams
Open advanced settings to build a cycle from individual steps. Each step specifies work or rest, duration and a shift. Combine days with weeks, or use hours throughout for duty periods and hourly rest. You can reorder steps, duplicate or delete them, and save the sequence as your own template. Each employee has an independent cycle start date and offset. Changing one person's start does not shift everyone else's sequence. Use the team field to organize departments and filter the view. Unavailable and blocked dates remove working possibilities without changing the position of the underlying cycle.
Coverage, rest and distribution
Specify how many people are required for each shift when you need a coverage proposal. The generator selects candidates compatible with their cycles and tries to balance assigned hours. Preferences act as tie breakers and never override unavailability. Users configure maximum hours, minimum rest and consecutive working day limits. When too few people are available, warnings identify the date, shift and missing headcount. The algorithm is deterministic and can leave a requirement unmet even when a more complex arrangement might exist. Compare another distribution and review the conditions; a warning should never be interpreted as permission to ignore rest requirements.
Editing, exceptions and continuity
Select a cell to change its shift or mark a day off, vacation or absence. Enable multiple selection or use Shift to select several days before applying an update. Specific start and end times and an exception reason can accompany the edit. Undo and redo help correct recent changes. Manual exceptions are kept separately from automatic rules, so regenerating a proposal preserves these adjustments. Duplicate week copies assignments into the following week within the project period. Generate next month creates a separate project while preserving each employee's original cycle anchor, so a calendar boundary does not restart the working sequence.
Importing and editing an Excel schedule
The import button accepts XLSX, CSV and this tool's JSON backups. Spreadsheets can use one row per employee, date and shift, or employee rows with dates across columns. Inspect the preview, choose the layout and map the columns before confirming a new schedule. Use unambiguous dates, preferably YYYY-MM-DD. Numeric Excel dates are interpreted as spreadsheet dates. Formulas are rejected: paste their results as values before importing. There is no local PDF or image recognition in this tool; transcribe or convert the table into CSV or Excel and check the recognized content. Imported schedules remain editable and do not replace saved projects.
Exporting for printing and sharing
PDF export offers A4 or Letter paper, portrait or landscape orientation, and optional company name, notes and signature. The report divides lengthy lists between pages and identifies the period and time zone. Excel export creates a real editable XLSX workbook with numeric dates and times, a shift legend and employee summaries. Text is stored as text so names cannot become formulas. PNG export creates image pages on a light background; large tables are bundled into a ZIP file. The visible period option limits images to the current filter. Exported files contain no advertisements, navigation menus or editor buttons. You can also attach a PNG, JPG or WebP logo, review its preview and remove it when needed. The image is saved with the schedule in this browser.
Local storage, regional settings and final review
Projects are stored in this browser's IndexedDB with a name and modification date. Saving does not create an account or synchronize devices. Export a JSON backup before clearing browser data or changing computers. If a write fails, changes stay on screen so you can download a backup. Choose locale, country, first weekday, clock format and IANA time zone in regional settings. Nonexistent times during daylight saving transitions require correction; repeated times use the earlier occurrence. Review shifts near these transitions carefully. No employment laws or holiday lists are applied automatically: provide your own rules and blocked dates.
Generated cycle example
| Schedule pattern | Work | Day off |
|---|---|---|
| 5x2 | 5 Days | 2 Days |
| 6x1 | 6 Days | 1 Days |
| 4x2 | 4 Days | 2 Days |
| 4x3 | 4 Days | 3 Days |
| 3x3 | 3 Days | 3 Days |
| 12x36 | 12 Hours | 36 Hours |
| 24x48 | 24 Hours | 48 Hours |
| 24x72 | 24 Hours | 72 Hours |
Frequently asked questions
Create a quick schedule
Paste names, select 5x2 or 6x1, set the period and generate a proposal. Review the table, adjust days off and save before exporting.
Create a custom schedule
Add work and rest steps with durations in days, weeks or hours. Hourly cycles must use hours throughout; other cycles may combine days and weeks.
Import schedule to edit
Yes. Import XLSX or CSV, review the preview and column mapping, then confirm. Processing stays local and creates a new schedule while preserving existing projects.
My schedules
Your schedules are saved in this browser. Export a backup to use them on another computer or avoid loss when clearing browser data. Browsers may remove local data.
Export PDF
Choose paper and orientation in export settings. PDF, Excel and images use current assignments and totals; JSON backups also preserve rules and exceptions for further editing.