Free download
Shift roster template
A simple Excel roster for teams on shifts: one row per person, one column a day for four weeks, and examples for morning, evening and night shifts with rotating days off.
Free, no sign-up. Works in Excel and Google Sheets. Updated .
What it looks like
| Name | Mon 4 Jan | Tue 5 Jan | Wed 6 Jan | Thu 7 Jan | Sun 10 Jan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Priya Sharma | 09:00-18:00 | Off | 09:00-18:00 | 09:00-18:00 | Off |
| Rahul Verma | 14:00-23:00 | 14:00-23:00 | 14:00-23:00 | Off | Off |
| Kavya Reddy | 21:00-06:00 | 21:00-06:00 | 21:00-06:00 | 21:00-06:00 | Off |
What’s in the template
Four weeks, one column a day
Monday 4 January to Sunday 31 January 2027, with Sundays shaded. Change the dates to your own weeks.
Morning, evening and night examples
Three example people on 9 to 6, 2 to 11 and a 9 PM to 6 AM night shift, with rotating days off. Overwrite them with your team.
Plain cells anyone can read
Each day is hours like 09:00-18:00, Off, or the name of a shift you use, like Night. No codes to learn.
Room for 15 people
Add more rows as you need; the names stay in view while you scroll across the month.
How to fill it
Put your team down the side
One row per person, with their work email if you use Timerfly; the email is how the upload knows who is who.
Set the weeks across the top
Keep the “Mon 2027-01-04” style for each day’s heading so the date is clear, and copy columns to plan more weeks.
Fill each day
Hours as 09:00-18:00 (or 9am-6pm), Off for a day off, or a shift’s name. A night shift belongs to the day it starts.
How to make a shift roster (rota) in Excel yourself
Building your own instead? Here’s how, step by step, in any version of Excel.
Names down column A
One row per person. Freeze the first column (View → Freeze Panes) so names stay in view as you scroll.
Dates across row 1
One column a day, written like “Mon 04-Jan”. Copy a week’s columns to plan the next.
A drop-down of shifts
Select the day cells, then Data → Data Validation → List, with your shifts: Morning, Evening, Night, Off. Everyone writes shifts the same way.
Colour days off
Home → Conditional Formatting → Highlight Cells Rules → Text that Contains “Off”, so gaps in cover stand out.
Count cover per day
Under each day, =COUNTIF(B2:B16,"Night") counts who is on nights; copy it across to check every day has enough people.
Night shifts on the start day
Write a 9 PM to 6 AM shift on the day it starts, so payroll and attendance read it as one day.
From roster to attendance
A roster says who should be working when. The question at month end is who actually was: who came late for the 2 PM shift, who left the night shift early, who swapped with whom.
Upload this roster into Timerfly as it is. Work schedule → Upload Excel reads it, and from then on late, left early and absent are marked against each person’s own shift from their computer, night shifts counted as one working day, with shift swaps by request.
Also free: the attendance sheet template, the holiday list 2027 and the late mark calculator.
Questions
How do I make a rota in Excel?
Put names down column A and dates across row 1, add a drop-down of your shifts with Data Validation, colour days off with Conditional Formatting, and count cover per day with COUNTIF. Or download this free template, which is already set up that way.
Is the roster template free?
Yes. Download it and change it as you like; no sign-up, no email.
How do I show a night shift?
Write it on the day it starts, like 21:00-06:00 on Monday for Monday night into Tuesday morning. Everyone reads the roster the same way, and Timerfly counts the whole shift as Monday’s working day.
How often should a rotating roster change?
Most teams on rotating shifts change weekly or every two weeks, and give the next roster at least a few days ahead so people can plan.
Can I upload this roster into Timerfly?
Yes, as it is. In Timerfly, open Work schedule, click Upload Excel and choose the file: people are matched by email or name, you see a preview, and late and absent are then marked against these hours.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Open it from Google Drive with Google Sheets. To upload it into Timerfly later, download it again as .xlsx.
Shifts, late marks and night shifts, handled
Timerfly marks attendance against each person’s shift from their computer, and counts a night shift as one day. 14 days free, no card needed.
Prefer help? We’ll set it up with you in 15 minutes