Free Shift Rota Planner & Schedule Maker
Plan rotating morning, afternoon, and night shifts for any team. Build 24/7 cover rotas and export to Excel in seconds β completely free.
Plan Your Shift Rotations
Start by clicking βAdd Eventβ above
New here? First open Settings to choose your days & hours, then click Add Event to place your first class or shift on the grid.
How to Make a Timetable β Step by Step
Watch the live preview for each step. The whole process takes under 2 minutes.
Set Your Days & Hours First
Click the β Settings button β it's next to Add Event in the toolbar. Choose which days your timetable covers (e.g. MonβFri or MonβSun), and set your active hours (e.g. 8 AM to 6 PM). This frames the grid before you add anything.
Add Your First Event
Click the green "Add Event" button. A form appears β type the event title (e.g. "Mathematics"), select which days it repeats, pick the start and end times, and choose a colour. Click Add Event to place it on the grid.
Clashes Are Caught Automatically
If two events overlap on the same day (e.g. Mathematics 9β10 AM and Physics 9:30β10:30 AM on Monday), a β Clash detected badge appears instantly. Fix the times before exporting.
Physics (09:30β10:30) overlaps with Mathematics (09:00β10:00) on Monday.
Export or Share Instantly β No Sign-Up
When your timetable is ready, click PDF for a print-ready A4 document, PNG for a high-res image to share on WhatsApp or save to your phone, or Excel to get an editable spreadsheet. Hit Share to copy a link anyone can open.
Why use our Shift Generator?
Everything you need, built in β for free.
Rotating Shift Patterns
Build morning/afternoon/night rotation cycles with ease.
24/7 Cover Planning
Set schedules from midnight to midnight for round-the-clock operations.
Night Shift Support
Schedule overnight shifts without any time-format limitation.
Excel Export
Export shift rotas to Excel for HR and payroll systems.
Colour-Coded Staff
Assign a unique colour per employee to track coverage at a glance.
Printable Rota PDF
Download a clear PDF shift schedule for the staff noticeboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I schedule night shifts?+
Yes β the editor supports any time window including overnight and 24-hour shifts. Simply set the start and end hours accordingly.
How do I create a rotating shift pattern?+
Add your morning, afternoon, and night shift blocks for Week 1, then adjust the pattern for Week 2. Most rotating cycles repeat every 2β4 weeks.
What is the difference between a shift schedule and a work schedule?+
A shift schedule is specifically for businesses with multiple daily shift windows (e.g. 6amβ2pm, 2pmβ10pm, 10pmβ6am). A work schedule is for standard office or retail hours with a fixed working day.
Can I plan a 4-on-4-off or continental shift pattern?+
Yes β use the shift editor to block out the exact days and times for each rotation. The colour-coding makes it easy to track which employees are on each pattern.
How do I share the shift rota with staff?+
Export as Excel to share digitally, or download the PDF to print and post at your workplace.
Building a Fair Rotating Shift Pattern
Rotating shift work is one of the most complex scheduling challenges a manager faces. A fair rota must balance night shift distribution, legally required rest periods between shifts, employee availability, and skill coverage at all hours. Getting this wrong leads to burnout, grievances, and costly staff turnover.
Our free shift rota planner gives you a visual 24-hour grid where every shift is immediately visible. Colour-coding by employee means you can instantly spot if one person is consistently landing the unpopular night shifts, and redistribute the rotation before it becomes a problem. The shift editor supports common patterns including 4-on-4-off, continental rotating shifts, and simple morning/afternoon two-shift systems.
Planning 24/7 Cover Without Expensive Software
Businesses that operate around the clock β care homes, security firms, warehouses, hotels β need a planning tool that handles overnight and multi-day shifts without distorting the visual grid. Most free calendar tools break when you try to schedule a shift that crosses midnight. Our free online shift schedule maker handles this natively, displaying overnight blocks clearly across the correct days.
Once your shift pattern is built, the Excel export gives HR a ready-to-use spreadsheet of hours per employee, per day β making wage calculation and payroll processing significantly faster. For small businesses that can't justify expensive workforce management subscriptions, this free shift rota generator provides the essential core features at no cost.