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The Essential Guide to Making Timelines in PowerPoint and Google Slides

Timelines are used for a variety of purposes by people across different professions. You might be a project manager looking to create a timeline to understand the outputs and outcomes of your project or a teacher looking to teach your students about all major happenings leading up to a historical event. Timelines are a good way to visualize past, present and future events, to forecast outcomes and to learn from the past.

What is a Timeline?

History of timelines, why timelines are important in presentations, different timeline styles, ingredients of a successful timeline, how to create a timeline in powerpoint, how to create a timeline in google slides, other creative timeline designs (infographics & examples), examples of best timeline templates for presentations, what makes the perfect timeline.

A timeline can be your snapshot into the past and a window into the expected future by analyzing the what, why, where, when and how, leading up to the things that are most important to you. In this guide we shall tell you all that you need to know about timelines and how to create them.

A timeline is essentially a visual representation marking all major events over a period of time. A timeline marks specific milestones, achievements, or expected results tied to a specific topic. What a timeline is used for depends on a number of factors. For example, your timeline can be a graphical representation of past events, a forecast of future results or expected outcomes, or even a mix of past, present and future activities, events and outcomes.

Most timelines use time as a scale. The majority of timelines are linear in scale, while some timelines use a logarithmic scale. Timelines can be created in a number of ways such as with text based labels, numbers, graphs, photos and in the form of animations.

Timelines are most commonly used for educational purposes, in research and project management. However, this is not an exhaustive list. Other than use for business and academic purposes, timelines have been applied to learn about the spread of pandemics, chronology of the universe, and to understand scientific processes.

Timelines have been used for centuries to chronicle events. Timelines have been an effective tool in recording history and learning from the past to determine the effect of past events on the present and the future. Man has chronicled events and written memoirs to record history since time immemorial. These were perhaps methods similar to create a timeline of important aspects of history. However, not all such records contained specific dates. Moreover, recording history was not necessarily done in the form of short timeline visualizations as we often see in the form of modern timelines.

Perhaps the earliest examples of timelines are historical records that were maintained by scribes and historians on the instructions of kings. In fact, scribes performed many tasks that modern timelines serve including; recording the amount of crops harvested, forecasting demand and supply, as well as keeping accounts for ordering supplies. This is somewhat similar to what most project managers do. They plan, anticipate and ensure the implementation of project goals and outcomes in line with set timelines. For this purpose, they use historical and present data, as well as forecasting models. They align their teams in line with the set timeline and offer course correction, as needed. For this purpose, a visually appealing historical timeline template can be a time-saver for educators and historians who need to prepare their presentations.

Modern timelines that we see today can be assumed to have origins as old as recorded history. In fact, this recorded era which roughly spans to 3500 BC has some form of timeline related aspect, as one can trace back events chronologically across multiple civilizations; be it Mesopotamia & Sumerians, or the Roman, Greek, Arab, Chinese, South Asian and other civilizations.

Timelines serve as an essential way of simplifying content within presentations and making it easier to grasp for an audience. Instead of explaining about a concept, project or expected outcome by going back and forth; it can be much easier to simply use a timeline to show the entire layout in chronological order. This ties all aspects of the topic with a thread like symbolism which makes it easier to explain, plan, brainstorm and visualize ideas.

Business presentations, for instance, often require explaining lengthy and cumbersome concepts and ideas in a small time span. Whether you’re pitching your idea before a potential investor, need to explain the forecasts for a project, wish to reveal details about current progress or need to elaborate upon past events; a timeline can make your job so much easier. They can essentially help answer the why, what, when, how and where in the form of a simple visualization.

There are a number of timelines styles that can be applied when making a timeline. The way you construct a timeline is actually quite subjective. It can be hard to put all timeline styles in a box considering the various tools that have now made it possible to construct timelines in so many different ways. Below is a breakdown of some of the timeline styles that you can apply when making timelines.

Horizontal Timelines

A horizontal timeline can be useful for showing progress. Such a timeline can be good for representing events chronologically. Horizontal timelines are one of the most common type of timelines and are great for project management, depicting historical events and forecasting.

Vertical Timelines

A vertical timeline template can be useful for constructing graphs and representing research data. Such a timeline can also be created using an axis to discuss variables affecting an outcome. Needless to say, vertical timelines can also be used for project management, forecasting and representing events chronologically.

Non-Linear Timelines

These can come in radial, spiral or arbitrary forms. These are often represented in the form of chains and interconnected shapes (e.g. arrows) or snake like lines. These timelines might not have a set horizontal or vertical sequence, as they represent interconnected pieces. Such timelines can be useful for depicting processes and discussing multiple variables and for longer event sequences.

Animated or Interactive Timelines: Such a timeline can be made in a number of ways. You can bring together aspects of horizontal, vertical, and non-linear timelines. This is because the ability to create a timeline by bringing together different variables affecting it can result in endless possibilities. Zooming UIs like the one used in Prezis and HTML5 based web apps, and powerful platforms like Microsoft SandDance running with Power BI can help you affect the timeline by selecting multiple variables. Such timelines can remain in flux as you apply data to visualize your content.

The new Morph transition and 3D features in recent versions of PowerPoint open a range of new possibilities to develop animated and really impressive timelines in PowerPoint.

From Tables to Graphical Timelines in PowerPoint

The tabular data were user for years. You can present your data using tables by labeling different bits of the information by date. Tables can be however more complicated and lengthy. From an audience viewpoint, tables could not help to visualize the timeline milestones easily vs. a visually appealing timeline design. If you intend to present your information before an audience, a graphical timeline can be usually easier to present than a table.

Your timeline needs to be fashioned in a manner that makes it easy enough for your audience to understand the various interconnected sections. Here are a few tips for making a timeline that can help you get your message across to an audience.

• Avoid Messy Timelines: Your timeline should be easy to understand and the various parts of your timeline should not be so intertwined that it becomes impossible to make head or tail out of it.
• Ensure Accuracy: There is no use making a visually appealing timeline if your data is wrong. Make sure that the information given in your timeline is accurate and not misrepresented. Even a single mistake in a timeline can disrupt the entire sequence.
• Account for Scalability: You must account for scalability in your timeline. Be it the design of the timeline or the process or forecast shown within it; you must ensure that the timeline can be edited to accommodate changes. This is because there might be a number of ideas, issues or instructions that might be discussed during your presentation or meeting, which might significantly alter the timeline once its presented.
• Goals & Outcomes: Most timelines come with goals and outcomes. If your timeline requires these, make sure that the goals and outcomes are defined properly. You will require emphasizing upon key milestones, and accounting for their expected outputs and outcomes.
• Descriptive Text & Labels: It is always important to ensure your timelines are properly labeled. If necessary, also add descriptive text, especially for milestones, goals and outcomes. This will help you neatly conclude your timeline.

Now that we learned the basics of a timeline, you may be wondering: how to make a timeline? There are a number of ways you can create timeline for your presentations or documents. One of the most common ways of making a timeline slide is in PowerPoint or Google Slides. Other online tools and specific timeline web apps can also be used. Let’s take a look at how you can quickly create professional looking timelines.

Creating a Timeline in Microsoft PowerPoint

How to make a timeline in PowerPoint? Below are 3 easy steps for making a timeline in PowerPoint using SmartArt Graphics. This is probably the easiest method for making a timeline in PowerPoint.

3 Easy Steps for Making a Timeline in PowerPoint using SmartArt

Step 1. Insert a SmartArt Graphic: Go to Insert -> SmartArt and pick a SmartArt Graphic. For making timelines, you might want to use Process based graphics. These can be easier to use for depicting a timeline like sequence. Some of the graphics in this section are specifically meant for timelines, such as the Basic Timeline graphic which depicts an arrow.

However, you can pick and choose a graphic according to need. For example, some of the graphics might not give you enough margin to add a lot of text or doing so might make the graphic confusing. Hence, pick a SmartArt Graphic that you think will be best to accommodate your content, like the Basic Timeline option. This way, you can add a timeline to your PowerPoint slide.

Step 2. Add text to your SmartArt: In the next step, add text to label your timeline and if necessary, to add a description describing each step of the timeline. For some timelines, a simple label might be enough, as you might need to keep the graphical elements minimum to describe each step during your presentation verbally.

Step 3. Design your timeline: You can design your timeline by using SmartArt Tools, and picking the various color schemes given within PowerPoint or changing the shape colors. You can always switch the SmartArt Graphic using SmartArt Tools and try your hands at different graphic types to make interesting timelines. In the following example we have adjusted the fill options to a custom gradient color.

3 Easy Steps for Making a Timeline in PowerPoint using Shapes

Another easy method for making timelines in PowerPoint is by using the built-in PowerPoint shapes. You can use various shapes for designing your timeline, however, a very common shape is the Arrow shape.

• Step 1. Insert shapes: In the first step, insert a shape via Insert -> Shapes. For the purpose of this tutorial, we will use the Right Arrow shape. This is because an arrow can be quite useful for pointing towards a specific direction on the slide; making it ideal for linear timelines. You can insert multiple shapes to construct your timeline, such as a few arrows pointing towards the right.
• Step 2. Add text-boxes: You can insert text-boxes to explain each step of the shape. These text-boxes can be added both within shapes and next to them. The former can help label the shapes with dates and other relevant information, whereas, the latter can be handy for adding a description for what each shape implies.
• Step 3. Design your shapes: You can recolor, resize and reorder the shapes according to your specific timeline requirements in order to make it stand out and to highlight different parts of it by color coding it.

This method can be used either to create a basic timeline or an advanced timeline.

Google Slides has had an impressive growth in recent years and positioned itself as one of the preferred tools when creating business slide decks and presentations for education. As in PowerPoint, Google Slides offers a wide range of tools to create timeline slides are one of the diagrams that can be created in Google Slides presentations.

How to build a timeline in Google Slides? You can create timeline templates in Google Slides by either using shapes, by using the same procedure as PowerPoint (by inserting shapes via Insert -> Shapes in Google Slides), or opt for a much easier method that can help you cut down the time needed for making timelines in Google Slides.

• Step 1. Insert a timeline diagram: You can insert timeline diagrams in Google Slides via Insert -> Diagrams. There are a number of diagram types listed in this section, make sure you pick Timeline diagrams from the right pane.
• Step 2. Pick a timeline diagram template: You can choose from the various timeline diagrams given in this section. Pick the one that you think might be best suited for your timeline requirements.
• Step 3. Customize timeline diagram: Once you have picked a timeline diagram, you can customize it. You can right-click on the diagram to add animations or choose Format Options to edit the various parameters of the diagram.

The Format Options menu takes you to a pane where you can edit the size, position, shadow and reflection of the diagram, as well as to rotate it.

For more information, check our tutorial on how to make a timeline on Google Slides .

An infographic is a visual image used to represent information or data. A well-designed infographic can help to simplify a complicated data structure or message into a captivating experience. Used correctly, timeline infographics can be one of the most effective strategies in digital marketing to convey a message to an audience. Infographic timelines can also be used in social media or other mediums. An effective infographic should be visually engaging and be prepared to target a specific audience.

As many other visual elements used in infographics, timelines are part of infographic design. They can help to portray history, achievements or describe how a business have evolved over the years. There are many creative timeline infographic designs and layouts. Here is just an example of a simple but creative infographic design:

This great timeline created by Anna Vital (Adioma Founder and Information Designer) is a clear example of timeline design that helps to describe how Yahoo started. It’s simple, clear and descriptive.

A timeline template for PowerPoint or Google Slides can help to save a lot of valuable hours. Here is a list of some of the timeline templates for PowerPoint and Google Slides that you can find in our catalog. All timelines are 100% editable and ready to be used in your presentations.

1. Circular Timeline Infographic Template for PowerPoint

The Circular Timeline Infographic Template for PowerPoint is an interactive way to create a circular timeline infographic design. It seeks to represent different important milestones through a circular design, accompanied by graphic assets and icons that will allow you to communicate in a better way to your audience.

Use This Template

2. Segmented Plan Timeline Template Design for PowerPoint

The Segmented Plan Timeline Template Design for PowerPoint is a presentation template widely used for planning and launching a new product to the market. Thanks to its graphic resources, it is straightforward to understand. In this slide, you will be able to show each of the plans of expectation, launch, and maintenance of the product, and at the same time, you can communicate to your audience how long will be the duration of each stage.

3. Curved Year Timeline PowerPoint Template

The Curved Year Timeline PowerPoint Template is a one-pager that helps toward planning and setting goals for the following years simply and concisely. This curved year timeline design helps managers, executives and project planners to communicate where you are today and where you want to be in 5 years.

4. Mountain Timeline Concept Template for PowerPoint

The Mountain Timeline Concept Template for PowerPoint is a presentation that seeks to represent the path of growth in a company or project. It includes 6 slides that will allow you to explain and add information in each of the stages in this roadmap. This PowerPoint timleine template is widely used to communicate the desired roadmap for the next 4 or 5 years.

5. One Pager Vertical Timeline Slide Template

The One Pager Vertical Timeline Slide Template is a clear and concise way to represent a Timeline. Thanks to its minimalist design, it is possible to add relevant information for each of the following stages. This presentation is useful for the education field since it allows to represent events and their respective descriptions to generate a better understanding.

6. Multi-Stage Timeline PowerPoint Template

The Multi-Stage Timeline PowerPoint Template is another One Pager that seeks to represent a timeline accompanied by different Stages. Thanks to its attractive design and its two versions, white and blue, you will be able to present a project roadmap accompanied by different relevant stages and explanatory comments.

7. Free Timeline Template for PowerPoint

8. Swimlane Timeline Templates

9. Table Timeline Template for PowerPoint

10. Curved Roadmap with Poles Milestones PowerPoint Timeline

11. 30 60 90 Days Plan Timeline Template

12. 4-Column Overlapped Sections Roadmap PowerPoint Timeline

There are a number of methods for generating timelines using PowerPoint, Google Slides, Web applications and a range of other tools. However, you should opt for the method that seems most suitable. For example, you might like a web application that can make a good timeline, however, if the venue at which you are to present the timeline has no stable internet connection, you might run into trouble. Similarly, you might want to animate your shapes in a PowerPoint timeline, however, it must be duly noted that this might make your slides heavy and if you are using legacy hardware, your presentation might lag. It is always a good idea to play your timeline before the presentation day and make sure everything is in place.

There are a number of flexible presentation templates that can make your life easier. These can be freely used with multiple platforms such as PowerPoint and Google Slides, providing you with both online and offline functionality to offer you more flexibility as a presenter. You can check out some of these templates from the list given below.

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Chronological, Deadline, Evolution, Future, History, Infographic, Life, Project Planning, Schedule, Timeline, Timescale, Timetable Filed under PowerPoint Tutorials

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10 Easy Steps to Make a Timeline in Microsoft PowerPoint

Last Updated: May 22, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Rain Kengly . Rain Kengly is a wikiHow Technology Writer. As a storytelling enthusiast with a penchant for technology, they hope to create long-lasting connections with readers from all around the globe. Rain graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Cinema. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 7,886 times. Learn more...

Do you want to create a timeline to showcase your data in Microsoft PowerPoint? Luckily, PowerPoint has plenty of timeline templates you can choose from with the "SmartArt" tool. You'll just need to pick a style, insert your data, and customize your timeline. This wikiHow will show you how to insert a free timeline in Microsoft PowerPoint using the SmartArt tool on your Windows or Mac computer.

Things You Should Know

• Go to "Insert" → "SmartArt" → "Process" → select a timeline layout → "OK". Click [Text] to add your data.
• To add more data slots, click your timeline, then click "Add Shape".
• To change the color, click your timeline, then click "Change Colors".

• Horizontal timelines work best with up to 8 points with short descriptions.
• Vertical timelines work best for timelines with fewer points and more text.
• Free-flowing timelines are appropriate if you have lots of points and a horizontal timeline won’t give you the space you need.

• Adding a colorful timeline can help you make a great presentation .
• You must have a subscription to Microsoft 365 to use the desktop version of PowerPoint.
• If you don't have the PowerPoint app on your computer, you can use PowerPoint on the web to create your timeline. [2] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source

• A new window will open.
• On Mac, a drop-down menu will open.

• On Mac, this will be underneath List in the drop-down menu.

• You'll be able to customize the color and size later.
• The timeline will be added to your slide. Make sure it's selected before proceeding to the next step.

• Click the [Text] field to enter a date or milestone for your timeline.
• Repeat this for all data.

• Click the newly added bullet points in the Text Pane to input your additional data.

• Select from the default palettes to change the theme.
• Click the drop-down menu for Color and select a color.

• To move the entire timeline, click and hold any section of the sizing box. Drag the timeline to where you want it.
• Timelines can also be created in Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word .

Alternative: Building your PowerPoint Timeline Through Shapes

• To change the look of the circles you can dive back into the Format Shape tab.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-timeline-in-powerpoint-for-the-web-d1bd35a0-bfa7-428b-ba3c-c8f5b6050791
• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-certain-features-behave-in-web-based-powerpoint-a931f0c8-1305-4428-8f7c-9cfa00ef28c5

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One of PowerPoint’s charms is the ability to visually represent information by using its large library of available graphics, such as charts and graphs. If you want to create a timeline, well, Microsoft has just the thing. Here’s how it’s done.

Open your PowerPoint presentation and navigate to the slide in which you would like to add a timeline. Once there, navigate to the “Insert” tab and select “SmartArt” from the “Illustrations” group.

The “Choose a SmartArt Graphic” window will appear. Here, select “Process” from the left-hand pane.

A library of several different process-focused SmartArt graphics will appear. You can choose the style you like best for your timeline. In this example, we’ll use the “Basic Timeline” option.

Once selected, information about the SmartArt option will be displayed in the right-hand pane. When you’re ready to insert the SmartArt, select the “OK" button.

Related: How to Create Star Wars Scrolling Text in PowerPoint

The timeline will now appear on the slide, along with a window where you will type the respective text for the timeline.

The text entered in the box will automatically reflect on the actual timeline.

By default, this timeline will have three bullets for you to fill out. To add more, place your cursor at the end of the last item on the list in the text window, press “Enter,” and then type the desired text. Repeat this step as many times as necessary.

The size of the text and the placement of the bullets on the timeline will adjust automatically.

When you’re finished adding text, select the “X” button at the top right of the text window.

If you need to adjust the colors of the timeline to better align with the presentation, select the timeline and then click “Change Colors” in the “SmartArt Styles” group of the “SmartArt Design” tab.

A menu will appear, displaying a large library of different color schemes for the timeline. In this example, we’ll use “Gradient Loop” from the “Accent 6” group.

Once selected, the change will take place on your timeline.

And, of course, you can adjust the bullets and the text in the timeline by clicking and dragging each item.

Finally, if you ever need to add or remove a bullet from (or edit text in) the timeline, you can bring back the text edit window by selecting the timeline and then clicking the "Left Arrow" icon found on the left side of the graphic box.

Related: How to Build a PowerPoint Organizational Chart With Excel Data

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How to Create a Timeline in PowerPoint: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a timeline in PowerPoint is a breeze once you get the hang of it. It’s all about choosing the right template, adding your milestones, and customizing the design to fit your presentation. Here’s how you do it: Open PowerPoint, go to the Insert tab, select SmartArt, choose a timeline design, add your content, and tweak the design. Voila, you have a timeline that’s ready to impress your audience!

Step by Step Tutorial: Creating a Timeline in PowerPoint

Creating a timeline in PowerPoint is a fantastic way to visually represent a sequence of events. It can help your audience grasp the flow of a project, the history of a company, or the steps in a process. We’re about to walk through the steps to make your very own timeline.

Step 1: Open PowerPoint and Choose a Slide Layout

Select a slide layout that suits your timeline.

When you open PowerPoint, you’ll want to choose a blank slide or one that’s relatively plain. This gives you a clean canvas to work with.

Step 2: Insert SmartArt

Go to the Insert tab and click on SmartArt.

In the Insert tab, you’ll find a variety of options, but for timelines, SmartArt is your go-to. It’s a versatile tool that offers a range of graphics perfect for timelines.

Step 3: Choose a Timeline Design

Select a timeline layout from the Process category.

Once you click on SmartArt, a dialog box will pop up with different categories. Under the Process category, you’ll find timeline designs. Pick one that suits your content.

Step 4: Add Your Content

Type your milestones and dates into the SmartArt graphic.

After selecting your design, you can start adding your milestones and dates directly into the placeholders. This is where you personalize the timeline to match your needs.

Step 5: Customize the Design

Adjust the colors, fonts, and size of your timeline.

Don’t be afraid to get creative here. You can change the colors to match your brand or presentation theme, adjust the font for readability, and resize the graphic to fit your slide.

After you complete these steps, you’ll have a timeline that’s both informative and visually appealing, ready to be a standout feature in your presentation.

Tips for Creating a Timeline in PowerPoint

• Keep it simple. Don’t overcrowd your timeline with too much information.
• Use contrasting colors for different milestones to make them easily distinguishable.
• Align your timeline horizontally or vertically based on your slide layout and preference.
• Use icons or images to represent different points on the timeline for a more engaging look.
• Preview your timeline in Slide Show mode to make sure it’s clear and legible from a distance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i add more milestones to my timeline.

Click on your SmartArt graphic and use the “Add Shape” feature to insert additional milestones.

Can I animate my timeline in PowerPoint?

Yes, you can apply custom animations to your timeline elements to make them appear in sequence or all at once.

What if the SmartArt templates don’t fit my needs?

You can create a timeline from scratch using shapes and text boxes or look for downloadable timeline templates online that are compatible with PowerPoint.

How can I share my PowerPoint timeline?

You can save your presentation as a PDF, image, or video file, or present it live using PowerPoint’s presentation mode.

Is it possible to edit a timeline after I’ve created it?

Absolutely, just click on the timeline and make your changes. You can edit text, move shapes, or adjust the design as needed.

• Open PowerPoint and select a suitable slide layout.
• Insert SmartArt from the Insert tab.
• Choose a timeline design from the Process category.
• Add your milestones and dates to the graphic.
• Customize the design to your liking.

Crafting a timeline in PowerPoint is not just about getting your facts in order; it’s about telling a story that captivates your audience. Whether you’re mapping out the next big project, showcasing company milestones, or highlighting historical events, a well-constructed timeline can make your message resonate. Remember, a timeline is more than just dates and events; it’s a visual journey that can influence how your audience perceives the information. So, take the time to choose the right design, color scheme, and layout that best illustrates your narrative. And who knows, your PowerPoint timeline might just be the thing that sticks with your viewers long after the presentation is over. Now go ahead, give it a try, and watch your timeline come to life!

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

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11 Beautiful Timeline Presentation Templates to Make Your Own

Written by: Christopher Jan Benitez

Are you tired of creating boring, cookie-cutter presentations for your team or clients?

Do you struggle to find unique and visually appealing ways to display information on a timeline?

Look no further! In this article, we present 11 beautiful timeline presentation templates from Visme that will help you craft professional and eye-catching presentations with ease.

But before we do, we’ll first look at what a timeline presentation is, its different types and additional design tips to make your presentation stand out.

At the end of this article, you can say goodbye to the pain of struggling to create visually appealing presentations and hello to a more compelling documentation of your timeline!

Here’s a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit timeline presentation templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:

Table of Contents

What is a timeline presentation, 11 types of timelines used in presentations, 11 timeline presentation templates you can use, how to create a timeline presentation with visme, 5 design tips for a more beautiful timeline presentation.

A timeline presentation is a visual representation of a sequence of events or a process in chronological order from left to right or top to bottom. It’s an essential tool for organizing and presenting information to reflect the timelines of different products.

A typical timeline presentation includes a series of points or milestones. And each milestone represents a specific event or moment in time. It may also include images, text, or other multimedia elements to provide more context or detail about the events. You can connect the lines or arrows to show the order of occurrence.

There are different types of timelines because people use timelines differently.

Below are 11 types of timelines used in presentations.

1. Chronological timeline - Shows events or milestones in the order of occurrence. It shows the progression of events over time.

2. Linear timeline - A chronological representation of events. And each event corresponds to a point on the timeline.

3. Gantt chart - Represents the progress of a project over time. It shows the start and end dates of each task in the project (and the dependencies between them).

4. Roadmap timeline - A visual representation of a plan or strategy. It details the steps needed to achieve a goal.

5. Historical timeline - Narrates events that occurred in the past.

6. Biographical timeline - Represents notable events in a person's life.

7. Process timeline - Represents the steps involved in a specific process.

8. Milestone timeline - Embodies the events that occurred over time.

9. Product timeline - Visualizes the development and evolution of a product over time.

10. Event timeline - Takes viewers through the key events and activities in chronological order.

11. Career timeline - Showcases the events and accomplishments in a person's professional career.

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Whenever you’re ready to create a timeline presentation, make sure to create one using Visme.

It’s an all-in-one platform for creating beautiful presentations even if you don’t have any design experience. You can use its drag-and-drop builder to feature elements and make your project even more appealing.

Visme has other features you can use to get the most out of your timeline presentation, which we’ll discuss later.

Below are 11 templates you can use on the platform so you don’t have to start from scratch:

1. Crystal Diner Company Timeline Infographic Template

Use this template to display a vibrant infographic timeline of a product. It features bright colors and well-structured formatting and can help you convey a lively message.

2. History of Email Timeline Infographic Template

Highlight essential dates and notable milestones with this template. By default, it shows an informative history of email. And if you want to present something ripe with details, use this template and input your custom data.

3. Social Media Timeline Infographic Template

This social media timeline infographic template is ideal for presentations involving a set of relevant products. It features a white background and bold colors that can help you show a clear timeline of events.

4. Ice Cream Timeline Infographic Template

Use this ice cream timeline infographic template to strike an elegant appeal in your presentation. It’s great to use if you want to feature a sweet subject.

5. Company History Timeline Infographic Template

This timeline infographic template can help you present your company history. It’s perfect for you if you’re going for a professional vibe.

6. History of Solar Technology Timeline Template

The History of Solar Technology Timeline Template is ideal to use if you want to impress your audience with a colorful and information-rich presentation. It looks great regardless of the nature of your presentation.

7. Purple and Black Business Presentation Template

Use this eye-catching template to deliver a business-related presentation. Of course, it can still work wonders even if you won’t feature business-related topics.

8. BuffIT Pitch Deck Presentation Template

This BuffIT Pitch Deck Presentation Template can help you present an unforgettable professional presentation. It has a modern and edgy vibe and it can help you convey a friendly and professional message.

9. Product Design Process Timeline Infographic Template

Use this product design process timeline infographic template to show your design process. If you want to elaborate on certain aspects of your process, you can make it happen.

10. The Story of Your Company Timeline Infographic Template

Let the story of your company stand out if you use this template. Grab the attention of audiences and flesh out the points you want them to remember.

11. Interactive Biographical Timeline Template

Use this template to create a one-of-a-kind biographical timeline. The interactive feature of this template can help you get through to a hard-to-reach audience.

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to create a timeline presentation.

Step 1: Launch Visme’s Free Timeline Maker + Online Templates

Go to Visme’s homepage can click on the “Sign Up Free” button to create an account. If you already have one, click the Login link on the homepage to sign in.

Step 2: Click Create Your Timeline

Once logged in, go to the Timeline Maker page and click on the “Create Your Timeline” button

Step 3: Choose a Timeline Presentation Template

On the next screen, choose from any of the templates that catch your eyes and capture the vision you have for your timeline. Click “Edit” on your chosen template to start working on the timeline.

Step 4: Review and Edit

On the editor page, you can make changes to everything on the timeline template. That includes the header and text, font pairs and colors, stats and figures and more.

Let’s say you want to add your brand’s text, color and logo automatically. In this case, Visme’s Brand Wizard extracts these from your URL and allows you to add them to the timeline in a few clicks!

You can also make your timeline more interactive and dynamic by adding clickable elements that link to a page or another presentation you’ve published.

Finally, you can add team members to work on the timeline simultaneously. Collaborating on the design  allows your team to finish the project ahead of time. Use our analytics tool to see who has viewed your proposal or taken action.

Step 5: Prepare to Present

Once you’re done with the timeline, click “Share” on the upper right part of the screen. Doing so opens a new window that lets you publish the timeline online.

Write a suitable title and description before clicking the “Share” button. Once published, you can embed the timeline on a web page, preferably on your website. This allows you to showcase your ideas to people while maintaining your branding at the same time.

It’s one thing to create a timeline presentation using Visme. It’s another to put your personal touch on the project that reflects your personality and brand.

As mentioned, Visme offers an array of design features to achieve your desired look and feel for your presentation. And to help you put those features to good use, below are tips you must follow:

1. Choose Your Fonts Wisely

Choose a font that is legible and easy to read, especially if you will be presenting the timeline to a large group or projecting it on a screen.

Below are additional tips to help you choose fonts:

• Consider the purpose of the text - Different fonts are more suitable for different purposes. For example, a formal invitation may be best suited to a traditional serif font like Times New Roman, while a children's book may be better suited to a playful, sans-serif font like Comic Sans.
• Keep readability in mind - An essential aspect of any font is that it is easy to read. Choose a clear and legible font — if you use text in a document or on a screen.
• Use contrast wisely - Pairing two fonts that are too similar can make the text difficult to read. Instead, try pairing a sans-serif font with a serif font or a script font with a sans-serif font to create contrast and make the text more visually appealing.

2. Be Strategic with Colors

Use colors to help differentiate different elements of the timeline. For example, you might use different colors for each period, event, or category of information.

Below are tips that can help you with colors.

• Consider the purpose and audience of the design - Different colors can convey different moods and emotions, so it's essential to choose colors that align with the purpose and audience. For example, bright, energetic colors may be more suitable for children's toy packaging, while calming, neutral colors may be better for a spa website.
• Use color psychology - Different colors are associated with different emotions and psychological responses. For example, red can be associated with passion and excitement, while blue can be associated with trust and calmness.
• Limit the number of colors - Using too many colors can make a design look cluttered and unprofessional. It's generally best to limit the number of colors to three or four — and use shades and tints of these colors to create variety.

3. Create a Visually Appealing Presentation

Use images or graphics to help illustrate the events on your timeline. It can help make the timeline more visually appealing and help your audience better understand the events and their significance.

Below are tips that can help you create visual appeal.

• Use a timeline legend - Explain any symbols or abbreviations used on the timeline. It can help your audience better understand the timeline and the information presented.
• Feature media - Add Visme’s icons , stock photos and videos . Also, include charts, graphs, maps, widgets and other data visualization tools .
• Make your presentation interactive - Use quizzes, surveys and polls to make your content more engaging. It can help to hold your audience's attention and make the content more memorable.

4. Use a Timeline Scale

Use a clear and legible timeline scale. Make sure the scale is easy to understand. It should also reflect the periods on the timeline.

Below are tips that can help you with a timeline scale.

• Determine the purpose of the timeline - Before creating a timeline, it's essential to consider what you want to achieve with the timeline. Are you trying to show the progression of events over a long period, or do you want to focus on a specific project or event? Understanding the purpose of your timeline will help you choose the appropriate scale and level of detail to include.
• Choose the right level of detail - A timeline should include enough information to convey the key events or milestones — and not so much detail that it becomes cluttered or difficult to read. Consider the audience for the timeline and how much information they need to understand the story you are trying to tell.
• Leverage visual cues - Timelines can be more effective when they include eye-catching elements like images, charts, or graphics. These elements can help convey information in a more engaging and easy-to-understand way. Consider using icons or color coding to communicate different types of events. You can also do it to highlight important milestones

5. Pick a Relevant Title

Use a timeline title that clearly and concisely explains it. It can help your audience understand the context and significance of the events.

Below are tips that can help you pick a title.

• Make it descriptive - Accurately and concisely describe the content and focus of the timeline. It will help audiences understand your intention and what they can expect to learn.
• Keep it short and sweet - A long, convoluted title may be difficult to understand or remember. Aim for a title that is short and to the point. It also has to be descriptive enough to give your audience an idea of your timeline's topic.
• Consider your audience - Learn who will be viewing your timeline. A title that resonates with your audiences will be more effective in drawing them in and engaging them with the content of your timeline.

Create Timeline Presentations & More in Minutes with Visme

If time is of the essence in your business, then creating timelines for it is just what you need.

Whether it’s to showcase your history to your audience or present a campaign timeline for your pitch deck , you need a timeline maker that will help present your ideas in a clear and visually appealing manner.

But, with Visme, you can achieve this without any design knowledge! Just choose any of the templates above and make the necessary edits using its drag-and-drop builder and advanced features.

And just like that, you’ll be able to design a professional timeline presentation that will wow your audience! Sign up for Visme and use it to create a timeline presentation template.

Design eye-catching timeline presentations in minutes using Visme

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About the Author

Christopher Jan Benitez is a freelance writer who specializes in digital marketing. His work has been published on SEO and affiliate marketing-specific niches like Monitor Backlinks, Niche Pursuits, Nichehacks, Web Hosting Secret Revealed, and others.

• Slidesgo School
• Google Slides Tutorials

How to Create a Timeline in Google Slides

What better way to portray progress and evolution on a Google Slides presentation than with a timeline? A timeline does the job of telling a story (or history) chronologically in a direct and straightforward manner that’s also visually attractive and easy to digest.   It shouldn’t contain too much text so as to not overwhelm the reader yet have just enough to convey a milestone. In this Slidesgo School tutorial, we provide you with step-by-step instructions on creating a timeline in Google Slides. 

Creating the outline

Creating callouts for your text, creating text boxes.

• Open your Google Slides presentation.
• Go to the slide you want to insert the timeline to.
• Go to the toolbar and click Select Line → Line.
• From the toolbar, select Line color to change color and Line weight to edit thickness. This is to change the style of your line. We recommend you to stick to the same color palette and style used in the rest of the slides.
• Select Shape → Shapes from the toolbar. These are all the shapes that are available on Google Slides. Select Oval to create a circle. Each circle represents a milestone. In this timeline, we’ll use five circles for a five-day visualization.

Pro tip: To create a perfect circle, hold on to Shift before you start dragging or while dragging to resize. 

• Change the color of the circle with Fill color in the toolbar. Next to are three additional options to style the border of the circle: Border color, Border weight, and Border dash. Ensure the style of your circle is in line with that of the master slides.
• Color your circle with the same tone as the line and make its border invisible by selecting the Transparent option under Fill color. This gives your Google Slides timeline a smoother look.
• Copy and paste the circle four times to produce a timeline with five milestones.
• Select the circle and hold down Ctrl + C to copy and Ctrl + V to paste or Cmd + C and Cmd + V if you are using Mac.
• Move the second circle to where you want the second milestone to be placed.
• Repeat to create the third, fourth, and fifth circles.

Pro tip: When placing subsequent circles, Google Slides displays a visual guide in the form of a line to guide your alignment. Use this guide for a more polished result. 

• Go the toolbar and select Shape → Shapes→ Callouts. This adds a shaped text box to each milestone. You’ve now completed the outline of your timeline.
• Google Slides’ default callouts have their tails oriented to one side. To create a personalized callout, add a square and an inverted triangle. Apply the same color and border line style to both shapes.
• If you’ve created a personalized callout with a square and an inverted triangle, select the entire area of the callout so that both entities are selected.

Pro tip: Move two (or more) elements together as if they were one by grouping them together. To do so, select on the objects you want to group and click on Arrange → Group.  

• Copy and paste the callout using Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V or Cmd + C and Cmd + V in Mac.
• Click and drag the callout to place it above another circle.
• Repeat this step as many times as needed to complete the timeline. Make sure the design of your callout is consistent with the template’s design.
• Alternate the callout’s positioning in relation to the line. This creates extra space on the slide and produces a more dynamic effect.
• Select the callout and click on Arrange on the menu bar → Rotate → Flip vertically. This is so the callout points towards the circle (milestone).
• As a shortcut to flipping or rotating an object, select the callout to bring up the blue dots around it. If it is made up of various elements, select them all. Click on the dot that’s farthest away (and connected by a line) and drag it around to rotate the callout. Hold down Shift to rotate the object in 15-degree increments.
• Copy and paste the callouts and place them above and below the line alternatingly to fill the timeline.
• Adjust as needed to ensure all callouts are properly aligned and are all of the equal distance from their corresponding circles.
• In the toolbar, select Text box. This is the final step of our tutorial on creating a timeline in Google Slides.
• Click and drag out the area you want the text to be in. Type your title in this text box. We’ll use a title and a description in each text box to provide a short explanation of the milestone.
• Resize and style your text as needed with the different text options in the toolbar: Font, Font size, Bold, Italic, Underline, Text color. Remember to maintain the master slides’ design and select the same typeface used in the rest of the presentation.
• In this example, we’ll reduce the font size a little, bold the text, and centralize it.

Pro tip: To centrally align your text within the callout, create a text box that is of the same width as the callout. 

• Copy and paste the text box into all the callouts and adapt the text as needed.
• Click on the center of the callout to start typing. Shapes in Google Slides also double up as text boxes.
• Write a brief description. (Remember, too much text is a presentation’s worst enemy!)
• Format your text as desired. This is to provide more information about each milestone.
• Fill in the other four descriptions and you’re done.

Well done, you now know how to create a timeline in Google Slides from scratch!   If you’re looking for creative timelines or need project timeline ideas for your next presentation, check out our entire range of templates for Google Slides.

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• Make Timeline

How to make timelines with your usual office tools

Learn how to create an easy-to-follow timeline using the office software you’re most familiar with.

Using timelines to communicate key events

Timelines are a great way to visualize a series of events that happen over time, making it easy to understand and remember essential data. Professionals who need to create eye-catching timelines for important presentations can use their favorite office software, since almost all of the traditional productivity tools have functions that can produce such visuals one way or another. Alternatively, you can also use dedicated timeline makers that save time and effort by automating the process.

Since the steps to making a timeline can get quite complex, this page presents a series of detailed tutorials and resources to help you get started faster.

How to make a timeline in Microsoft PowerPoint

PowerPoint is one of the most popular tools for presenting data to clients, managers, and any other non-technical audiences. It is familiar, intuitive, and widely spread in organizations of all types, allowing anyone with the Microsoft Office Suite installed to view and edit a project report or presentation. Click the button below for a step-by-step guide on how to make a timeline in PowerPoint.

How to make a timeline in Microsoft Excel

Professionals who prefer to plan and track their projects in Excel can use the tool’s Scatter Chart function to turn their plans or schedules into a timeline. The process involves quite a few steps to make the graphic look tidy and presentable, and the result looks similar to the image above. See a detailed tutorial on how to make a timeline in Excel and learn about automating the process using a timeline generator .

How to make a timeline in Microsoft Word

Although commonly associated with writing and editing copy, Microsoft Word also provides some simple graphic tools that can help users create basic timelines and other similar visuals. This step-by-step tutorial demonstrates how to generate a timeline in Word using SmartArt Tools and provides a few customization tips to make the visual easier to follow.

How to make a timeline in Microsoft Project

Professionals who manage complex plans in Microsoft Project can use the tool’s functions to create an overview timeline that shows only the key milestones of their project. See a detailed tutorial that explains how to build the timeline and prepare it for high-level presentations.

How to make a timeline in Google Docs and Google Sheets

Professionals who need to collaborate on small to mid-sized projects can work with Google Docs and Google Sheets to create a basic timeline online. The resulting graphic may need a bit of formatting to be easy to follow, but it can be accessed and edited from any device with an internet connection. Click the button below to see the exact steps of the process.

How to make a timeline in Numbers for Mac

Apple's Numbers allows Mac users to create a basic timeline right in the spreadsheet app by tweaking a Bubble chart. See a detailed Numbers timeline tutorial that explains all the steps involved in building and customizing the graphic to show key events or milestones more clearly. The guide also includes a downloadable timeline template for Mac.

How to make a timeline in Keynote for Mac

While Keynote comes equipped with a variety of eye-catching charts and graphs, it doesn't currently have a built-in timeline feature. However, professionals who wish to illustrate a series of milestones or events in their presentations can still create a timeline in Keynote by formatting one of the pre-designed charts available. Click the button below for a step-by-step guide.

How to make a timeline in Pages for Mac

Primarily a word processor, Pages also comes with many of the graphic tools available in the other iWork applications. Therefore, Mac users who wish to include visual timelines in their documents can create them right inside Apple's word processor. This tutorial explains how to build a timeline in Pages and format it until it looks just right. It will also show you how to save time and effort with a free online timeline maker .

Frequently asked questions about making timelines

What is an example of a timeline.

A timeline is a visual representation of events aligned in chronological order. A good example of a timeline is one that is easy to follow, organized, and provides enough information to be useful without being overwhelming. It should be clear what events are being represented and how they are connected. Additionally, a good timeline will be visually appealing and easy to navigate.

Examples of timelines can be any listing of key milestones in a historical figure’s life, project schedules, conference programs or wedding agendas.

For visual samples that would help you see how to design your own timeline, check out our extensive gallery of downloadable timeline examples .

What do you need in a timeline?

The events that you want to include;

The order in which you want to place the events;

The timeframe in which the events occurred;

The level of detail that you want to include for each event.

Other details can be added too, such as activities (or tasks), start and end dates of your project, or any other info your audience might find useful. Whatever details you need to include, what’s important is to make sure you don’t overcrowd your timeline as this will make it harder to read.

This is how a simple timeline can look like:

For more ideas, browse our collection of timeline templates . You can download them for free and make customizations in order to create your own timeline.

How do you make a good timeline?

A good timeline should be clear, concise, and easy to follow. It needs to be highly visual to ensure busy audiences can read it at first glance and understand the main points without requiring further explanations. One tip to creating an effective timeline would be to use colors, shapes, and fonts to make the visual stand out, to ensure a cohesive look, and, most importantly, to draw attention to important details. For instance, you can use color codes to show the importance or risk level of each milestone, or various shapes to group similar events into easy-to-spot categories.

Another idea, especially useful when making project timelines, would be to add tracking details such as a Today marker and Elapsed Time on the timescale, or a % Complete indicator for activities. This will help your audience see the status of the project instantly, without needing too much explanatory text on the graphic. This is a good example:

This project timeline was created with Office Timeline , an automated timeline maker. With this powerful PowerPoint add-in, you can automatically generate professional timelines. This tool offers you the possibility to calibrate your timelines to their finest, adding as much detail as you want, and taking advantage of the multiple timescales that you can use to manage time units. To try Office Timeline, download and install the free trial .

Is there a timeline template in Word?

No, there aren’t any built-in timeline templates in Microsoft Word. However, you can make a timeline using the drawing tools in Word, following the steps described in our Word timeline tutorial .

Simply copy-paste the slide into your Word document – the timeline will be included as an embedded object/image. The timeline cannot be edited or updated it in this format; you’ll just have to copy-paste it again.

To allow updating, insert the timeline as a linked Microsoft PowerPoint Slide object . To do this, copy the slide, and, on the Home tab, click the arrow under Paste , then select Paste Special . In the dialog that opens, select Paste link and Microsoft PowerPoint Slide object under As .

This way, if you update your timeline in PowerPoint, you’ll be able to update it with a click, directly in the Word document: right click on the timeline and select Update Link .

What is the best program to make a timeline?

Whether a program is the best to make a timeline ultimately depends on your preferences and specific needs. What works for one project can be useless for another.

• They are fast and easy to use. Dedicated timeline software should save you considerable time and effort compared to your usual office tools. Otherwise, they’re not worth the effort of getting them and learning all the ropes.
• They provide a variety of templates to help you find inspiration and create a beautiful timeline quickly.
• They integrate with other productivity tools. A good timeline generator can draw data from other programs you use and automatically generate your visual based on that data.

We might say that the all-time most popular program to make timelines is Microsoft PowerPoint. With a powerful add-in like Office Timeline you can really get the fastest, best results: automatically generated, beautiful timelines, ready in minutes. Try it for free and see how it meets all the requirements we just mentioned.

Here’s a sneak peek at a few of the templates it offers:

How do you create a timeline?

Creating a timeline can be a helpful way to organize and visualize information. When creating a timeline, it is important to first decide on the scope. This will determine how much detail is required and how far back in time the timeline needs to extend.

Choose a time period. Decide on the time period you want to visualize. This will help determine the scale of the timeline.

Gather and organize information. Once you know the time period you want to focus on, start gathering information. This can include events, dates, people, and anything else that might be relevant. Then organize it in a way that makes sense. This could involve creating categories, grouping items by date, or anything else that will help you make sense of the data.

Create a visual representation of the information. First you need to choose a format. You could create a traditional timeline with chronological events, or you could use a more creative approach and visualize the information in a different way. Once you have your format and information organized, it’s time to start creating the timeline.

Add details , such as labels or descriptions, to help explain the information or events.

Want to make it super easy? Use an automated tool such as the Office Timeline PowerPoint add-in and get your timelines ready in minutes, with just a few clicks. All you have to do is use one of the tens of professional timeline templates, insert your data into the timeline creator wizard (by manual input, copy-paste or import), and generate your awesome timeline. Try Office Timeline for free . Your timeline could look like one of these templates (or dozens of others):

How do you make a timeline on Google?

There are a few different ways you can do it if you want to make a timeline using one of the productivity tools from Google. You can use the built-in Google Sheets timeline feature or create a custom timeline using Google Drawings. The easiest solution that yields the best results is to make a timeline with the help of a free professional timeline maker and use it in your Google documents.

Find out more details on creating timelines with Google tools in our step-by-step tutorial on how to make a timeline in Google Docs and Google Sheets .

To make a timeline with a free, professional timeline maker, go to Office Timeline Online and pick one of the tens of templates in the tool’s template library, insert your data, and your timeline is ready to use.

The timelines created with Office Timeline Online can be downloaded as images (.png files) or PowerPoint slides (.pptx files). Import the slides into your Google Slides presentation or copy-paste your images directly into the target Google document.

Learn more details on using the timelines created with Office Timeline Online in our support article Office Timeline Online Quick-Start .

How do you create a timeline in PowerPoint?

You can make timelines in PowerPoint using shapes and lines or using templates. Or, to make it quick and easy, use a free automated timeline maker .

On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Shapes .

Select the line shape that you want to use and draw a line or an arrow to create an axis for your timeline. Then select the shapes that you want from the Shapes gallery on the Insert tab, and draw as many shapes as needed on the slide.

To format the shape, select it, and use the options on the Shape Format contextual tab.

On the File tab, click New. Type “timeline” in the search box and you’ll see all the available timeline templates available in PowerPoint. Select the one that you want to use.

Edit the timeline template to add your own content.

Save the edited timeline template as a PowerPoint presentation.

If the templates in PowerPoint don’t meet your expectations, or if you just want something else, download a free timeline template from our rich collection.

C. Use an automated timeline maker:

If you want to impress your audience and aim for an elegant look for your presentation, create your own professional-looking timelines directly in PowerPoint with the help of Office Timeline, an automated timeline maker that offers a free trial period. With this neat PowerPoint add-in, making timelines is a quick and easy job. The only thing you need to do is select the template you like, copy-paste or import your data and generate your timeline.

How do I create a timeline from Excel to PowerPoint?

There are two ways to make a timeline in PowerPoint using Excel data: you can create a timeline in Excel and copy it in your PowerPoint presentation or you can create the timeline directly in PowerPoint using the data from Excel.

This method is quite difficult and time consuming.

In Excel, create a new workbook and enter your timeline data in a table. The first column should include the date, the position and the name of each event/item in your timeline.

Select the data and insert a Scatter chart.

Format the chart as desired, including adding a title, axis labels, and legend. You can find detailed info on making a timeline with Charts in our step-by-step tutorial on how to make a timeline in Excel .

Copy the chart and paste it into a new PowerPoint slide.

Add more slides as needed to complete your timeline presentation.

B. Create a timeline directly in PowerPoint using the data from Excel.

This is the easy way, but first you’ll need to download and install the professional, automated timeline maker Office Timeline (free trial). It is a PowerPoint add-in that works perfectly with your Excel data: you just pick one of the tens of templates, copy-paste or import your data from Excel into the timeline creator wizard and your awesome timeline is ready!

Learn more on creating timelines in PowerPoint using Excel data in our step-by-step tutorial on how to make a timeline in PowerPoint automatically .

PowerPoint Timeline Maker

For client and executive communications, professionals can use a PowerPoint timeline maker to build eye-catching visuals in less than 2 minutes. The Office Timeline add-in for PowerPoint integrates with popular productivity tools to instantly turn project data into timeline slides and update them on the fly.

Get free 14-day Office Timeline trial

I was given an assignment to do a timeline with 30+ milestones and put them on a slide for a board presentation. I used the free version for about 5 minutes and then bought two Office Timeline licenses. I'm getting requests from all over the company for info on what I used to build these timelines. Easy to use.

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Discover our diverse collection of 53 Timeline templates for PowerPoint and Google Slides, expertly crafted to help you create visually stunning presentations that effectively showcase your project milestones, history, or plans.

Timelines are invaluable tools for illustrating a sequence of events, whether it’s for business, education, or personal use.

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How to Create a Timeline in PowerPoint? Step-by-Step Methods?

Now, the timeline in PowerPoint is indeed valuable if you have to organize data quickly and present it in a way that your audience will understand. Whether you are working on a business proposal, following up on a project, or just looking to point out some historical events, it can make things simple by making the data fit into a clear visual image. But how do you do this? Don’t worry, as it’s much easier than you might think. And that is just what I am here to walk you through.

Timelines are always powerful in the corporate world, education, or personal projects. PowerPoint offers you a flexible platform where you can create timeline slides that not only function great but are crafted in a great UI. In this step-by-step guide, learn how to create a timeline in PowerPoint.

Why Have a Timeline in PowerPoint?

Ever tried to describe a series of events without having something visual in front of you? It’s a bit like navigating a new city without a map. Timelines make crystal clear the linearity of events, and therefore, it becomes pretty easy for your audience to follow a timeline. Besides, a brilliant design of the timeline will make your presentation outstanding and keep your audience interested.

Choosing the Right Timeline PPT Template

The other thing you need to consider is choosing the right template before creating your timeline. PowerPoint has thousands of different timeline PPT templates at your service, all serving varied needs. From a very simple and clean template to a more detailed one, picking the right template will save you hours of work in the long run and set a tone for your entire presentation.

Clean Templates: Suitable for professional, clean presentations.

Storytelling Templates: Suitable if you are in a creative industry.

Project Management Templates: Great to represent your project milestones and deadlines.

Step-by-Step on How to Make Timeline

Building a timeline in PowerPoint is easy, seamless, and—without making a tall claim—a lot of fun. Here is what you need to do:

Open PowerPoint and open a new slide where you need to create a timeline

In the toolbar, click “Insert,” and then “SmartArt.”

Click “Process” in SmartArt. Here is where one can select, under “Process,” the style he/she wants or change the order of the elements. There are numerous SmartArt choices in here for processes. Select one you like, keeping in mind you need to create a timeline.

Click in the timeline graphic text placeholders to you enter your information.

Drag timeline elements to size and space the layout as needed.

Customizing Your Timeline

One of the real strengths of PowerPoint is its customizability. You can shape your timeline to suit your brand or taste. Here’s how:

Change Colors: Change to different colors that match your brand or theme by using the “Format” tab.

Change Fonts: Make sure your fonts match other slide content.

Resize shapes: Drag some of your elements to re-size them so that nothing is over-flown from your slide.

Milestones and Events

These are the main activities of the timeline. This can be when your project is due at a significant time in history or even personal accomplishments for that matter.

Click on the timeline to add new milestones or events

Ensure that every milestone is clearly labeled to let the audience know what it represents.

Visualization by icons or symbols will help set different milestones apart.

Adding Visual Elements

Visual elements enhance readability and the feel of a timeline. Follow these steps to add them:

Images: Add images relevant to the events or milestones being represented.

Icons: Add icons that describe what kind of events or actions were made for them.

Shapes: Add shapes to add a background to your timeline or to draw attention to some sections.

Best Practices while building a timeline

While building a timeline, ensure that you adhere to the best practices

Keep it Simple: Don’t put too much on your timeline.

Consistent Spacing: The space between milestones must be consistent

Key Events The key events should pop up. The color or size should be different to help the viewer see what’s what.

Common Mistake

It’s easy to fall into some of the typical pitfalls when working on a timeline. Here are a few to be on the lookout for:

Information Overload: More information is overwhelming to your audience.

Design Inconsistency: Keep a consistent look with color, font, and layout.

Forget Scale: Make sure the timeline represents the timeline intervals between the events.

Animating for Effect

Bring your timeline to life by adding some great animations. This is how you do it:

Animate Your Milestones: In the “Animations” tab you can see how to animate each of your milestones within your timeline.

Chronologize Them: Determine the proper chronology of animations so that your events appear in the chronology in which they happened.

Subtle Animations: They shouldn’t be too flashy, though. They should be subtle to not be overwhelming and take away from the content.

Saving and Sharing Your Timeline

Now that you have composed your timeline, it is time to save and share it. PowerPoint has some options for this:

Save as PDF: This is great for distributing your timeline on its own, like sending it via e-mail or distributing it in a handout.

Export as Image: This will save the timeline as an image so you can use it within another document or on the web.

Share from PowerPoint You can share your file from PowerPoint via email or cloud services.

Who said building a timeline in PowerPoint was supposed to be difficult? With the right template and some basic steps, you can present a timeline that pops up. A student, professional, or anyone who needs to visualize any information truly needs PowerPoint timelines because of just how versatile of a tool it is—you’ll use it over and over again.

1. Can I use a timeline ppt template for personal projects?

Yes. Timeline templates may be used in tracking personal goals, event planning, and anything else.

2. How do I make my timeline more interesting?

Display visuals in the form of images, icons, and subtle animations to serve further the desire of the audience.

3. How do you make a PowerPoint timeline without using a timeline template?

Of course, you could do all that manually with shapes and lines, but this template would let you do it much quicker, and it also makes sure that your timeline will follow a clear structure.

4. How do I share my timeline with others?

Save your timeline as a PDF or image, and then share your file just by sharing your PowerPoint file.

5. How do I update my timeline to include other events?

Just open your PowerPoint file and click on the top of the timeline to add or edit any milestones you would like back.

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Jerom is a presentation content strategist with over three years of experience writing engaging content and has worked in different niches. He has a strong background in PowerPoint and Excel, so he has learned how to compact complex ideas into simple, clean design visuals in slides. He loves teaching and is always ready to share his tips and ideas on mastering PowerPoint.

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Create a timeline

If you want to create a graphical representation of a sequence of events, such as the milestones in a project or the main events of a person's life, you can use a SmartArt graphic timeline. After you create the timeline, you can add more dates, move dates, change layouts and colors, and apply different styles.

On the Insert tab, click SmartArt .

In the Choose a SmartArt Graphic gallery, click Process , and then double-click a timeline layout.

Tip:  There are two timeline SmartArt graphics: Basic timeline and Circle Accent Timeline , but you can also use almost any process-related SmartArt graphic.

Click [Text] , and then type or paste your text in the SmartArt graphic.

Note:  You can also open the Text Pane and type your text there. If you do not see the Text Pane , on the SmartArt Tools Design tab, click Text Pane .

Add more dates to your timeline

Click a shape in the timeline.

On the SmartArt Tools Design tab, do one of the following:

To add an earlier date, click Add Shape , and then click Add Shape Before .

To add a later date, click Add Shape , and then click Add Shape After .

In the new date box, type the date that you want.

Move a date in your timeline

On the timeline, click the date you want to move.

To move a date sooner than the selected date, click Move Up .

To move a date later than the selected date, click Move Down .

Change to a different timeline layout

Click the SmartArt graphic timeline.

Note:  To view only the timeline and process-related layouts, at the bottom of the layouts list, click More Layouts , and then click Process .

Pick a timeline or process-related SmartArt graphic, like the following:

To show progression in a timeline, click Accent Process .

To create a timeline with pictures or photos, click Continuous Picture List . The circular shapes are designed to contain pictures.

Change the colors of your timeline

On the SmartArt Tools Design tab, click Change Colors .

Note:  If you don't see the SmartArt Tools Design tab, make sure you’ve selected the timeline.

Click the color combination that you want.

Tip:  Place your pointer over any combination to see a preview of how the colors look in your timeline.

Apply a SmartArt style

A SmartArt style applies a combination of effects, such as line style, bevel, or 3-D perspective, in one click, to give your timeline a professionally polished look.

Click the timeline.

On the SmartArt Tools Design tab, click the style you want.

Create a timeline in Visio

Import and export timeline data between Visio and Project

Create a timeline in Project

Get Microsoft timeline templates

When you want to show a sequence of events, such as project milestones or events, you can use a SmartArt graphic timeline. After you create the timeline, you can add events, move events, change layouts and colors, and apply different styles.

On the Insert tab, click SmartArt > Process .

Click Basic Timeline or one of the other process-related graphics.

Click the [Text] placeholders and enter the details of your events.

Tip:  You can also open the Text Pane and enter your text there. On the SmartArt Design tab, click Text Pane .

Add more events to your timeline

On the SmartArt Design tab, click Add Shape , and then click Add Shape Before or Add Shape After .

Enter the text you want.

Move an event on your timeline

On the timeline, click the text of the event you want to move.

On the SmartArt Design tab, click Move Up (left), or Move Down (right).

On the SmartArt Design tab, point to the layout panel and click the down arrow.

On the SmartArt Design tab, click Change Colors , and then click the color combination you want.

Give your timeline a professional look by using a SmartArt style to apply a combination of effects, such as line style, bevel, or 3-D perspective.

On the SmartArt Design tab, click the style you want.

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Timeline Presentations: Extensive Guide to Creating Visual Narratives

Renderforest Staff

27 Jul 2023

14 min read  

A timeline presentation is the right way to do whatever you want to tell in your presentation – global events, the progress of your last project, or simply the history of your company.

• Firstly , timelines are easy to grasp thanks to their intuitive structure.
• Secondly , they are visually appealing and can be used to make complex topics easier to understand .

One thing that may be holding you back from actively using timelines in your presentations is that they seem difficult to construct.

What hierarchy should I use?… Which type of timeline is the best for my purpose?…

Put your thoughts on hold and look at Renderforest’s robust library of timeline presentation templates . Here you’ll find the appropriate design for any story, with text and visuals that can be customized to fit your specific needs.

Much like the free slideshow templates , the timeline templates are designed for different purposes, such as company milestones, project timelines, product launches, and more.

Let’s find out more about that beautiful and informative tool below!

Understanding Timeline Presentations

So, what should an ideal timeline presentation slide look like?

Timelines visually represent information flowing from left to right or from top to bottom. Any chronological order can be chosen to list crucial events, their dates of occurrence, and their sequence. 

As long as you choose a timeline design that wraps your story without making the page overcrowded, you can include as much information as you need.

There are many timeline presentation ideas to choose from. Use a Gantt chart to show progress in your project, design a roadmap timeline to demonstrate the steps of a process, or use a timeline infographic template to show the major phases of your company’s development.

5 Advantages of Using Timeline Presentation Templates

Why should you choose a timeline presentation slide when creating your next project? Here are the top reasons.

1. Visual Representation of Chronological Events

Of all the information that our brain processes, 90% is visual . It’s crucial to use visuals, especially when delivering such a complex topic as a sequence of events. Otherwise, it’s easy to miss your point.

2. Simplification of Complex Information

Continuing the above point, timelines make even the longest chain of events easier to follow. Y our audience can skip going back and forth through a long text and strive to keep the clue of the story . A well-crafted visual structure is enough to understand the order of events and the connection between them.

3. Enhanced Audience Engagement

Illustrations increase your audience’s attention and engagement and help them memorize the information you share. When looking at slides with visual elements, your audience gets a more relaxed first impression about how much information they will receive . Consequently, they are more willing to pay attention.

4. Highlighting Key Milestones and Events

The best way of emphasizing an important achievement or event in a timeline presentation is to make it larger than the others, give it a more eye-catching design or change its color. I t’s far easier to do on a visual timeline than in a textual one.

5. Facilitation of Comparative Analysis

Lastly, a timeline presentation allows you to draw parallels between various entities to compare the events comprehensively. Comparison analysis helps to convey any message more effectively by showing contrasts or similarities between different entities.

10 Types of Timelines to Enhance Visual Storytelling

You can’t wait to see some timeline presentation examples to get inspired for your next project.

Here are the top 10 timeline presentation ideas proven effective for various types of storytelling.

1. Linear Timeline

Arranged vertically or horizontally, a linear timeline presentation is a sequence of events that appear in the order they have occurred. It’s called linear because the timeline is often shown as a straight line. Because of its simple design, the linear template can be described as the most basic timeline type.

2. Chronological Timeline

As the name hints, a chronological timeline is an ordered list of events that are arranged in the chronological order of their occurrence. It should not necessarily be linear, but most often, it must include detailed data such as the date of the event, title, and description.

This type of timeline presentation is usually used to showcase events of larger periods – historical or global events.

3. Gantt Charts

More of a project management tool, Gantt charts are used to show the completion of tasks against the pre-agreed timeline . Here, the timeline is usually presented as a horizontal bar chart where one axis reflects the project timeline while the other displays tasks with their individual start and end dates.

4. Historical Timeline

A historical timeline presentation’s logic does not differ from a chronological timeline’s. The only difference is the type of events chosen. Here, you need to focus on the historical events, important figures of the past, and other interesting details that have contributed to the development of our society.

The design is also more complex, as it usually includes illustrations and other visuals emphasizing the presented events’ importance.

 5. Biographical Timeline

One of the timeline presentation examples is biographical – a way to drill down to the important events of a person’s life, their feelings at those moments, and lessons learned.

With such type of timeline presentation, you can create your or someone else’s life story and better understand the motives behind their decisions and actions.

There is no specific design for a biographical timeline. Events still need to be arranged chronologically, though the format can vary from linear to non-linear.

6. Event Timeline

You’ve probably met this type of timeline presentation more often than others – whether you’re in or out of business. Event timelines are used for planning, tracking, or marketing a certain event. You can design a visual scheme of the event for the organizing team’s internal use, where everyone sees how the whole event is structured and who is responsible for what.

You can also go creative and create an event agenda for the participants to better navigate through the series of activities and venues.

7. Milestone Timeline

Also known as a milestone chart, this timeline presentation slide clearly shows the different activities – milestones that make up the whole project. Here, the focus is on milestones ( big achievements ) and what has been done to get there.

8. Project Timeline

There is a very thin line between project timelines and similar timeline presentation examples like event timelines or milestone charts, but it’s still there.

A project timeline is more about the processes and tasks required to complete a project from start to finish rather than summarizing the event or highlighting the milestones.

Consequently, the design is more formal and orderly.

9. Process Timeline

Usually, process timelines have a form of a Gantt chart. Its purpose is to strictly organize the project responsibilities between the people and map out their relationships.

It should include detailed information such as the start date, estimated finish date, task lists, alerts and triggers, approval process and approving person, status for ongoing tracking, reporting schemes, and anything else that can simplify the project planning process.

Process timeline is passed from one project member to another to request the completion of individual tasks.

10. Roadmap Timeline

Moving to the final timeline presentation slide example, the roadmap timeline looks similar to Gantt charts, with its horizontal bars showing expected initiatives by priority, duration, and anticipated delivery date.

Let’s Find the Perfect Presentation Timeline Template for Your Next Project

If you’re not sure how to make a timeline presentation, don’t worry cause you can easily compromise that lack of manual skills with a professional timeline presentation maker – Renderforest .

It comes with a huge library of predesigned timeline presentation ideas with every element in place, such as the colors, layout, design, and even the example texts to hint at which content will better suit your story.

What’s your role here? 

You use Renderforest’s timeline presentation tool t o customize the visuals and text inside the template and make it look like your own . You can also play with colors and design elements to match your brand style.

So, the ready-to-use timeline infographics presentation template starts looking like a custom-made after your personal touch, though you may have spent 5-10 minutes on it.

After customizing the presentation timeline template to your liking, you’ll get its high-quality version for use in any commercial or personal project.

Renderforests lets you download the files in JPG or PDF formats or get a shareable link to spread it out through any communication channel .

Why Choose Renderforest’s Timeline Presentation Software?

• The timeline presentation ideas are unique, made by a big team of professional designers who constantly follow the trends and update the library with fresh approaches. 
• Ready-to-use timeline presentation examples save you time, money, and energy that would otherwise be spent on brainstorming, designing, and editing. Even if you’re not a professional designer ( like many other existing users ), making a high-end timeline presentation slide is a breeze. 
• No quality issues can arise when you export your presentation timeline template from Renderforest. The files are rigorously optimized for commercial projects , presentations, and websites with no loss in quality . Use it anywhere with no headache of waiting for the files to upload or pixelate.

Other than image templates, let’s look at some of the video timeline presentation ideas to understand better what to expect from our software and library. 

Corporate Timeline Slideshow

Planning an upcoming team-building event or a corporate anniversary? 

It could be your annual public report approaching.

No matter the occasion, Renderforest’s Corporate Timeline Slideshow is here to help you showcase company achievements and show the long road your company has traveled in a very memorable way.

Each scene features a specific period ( years in our default version, but you can change that to months or even days ). By adding corresponding visuals to each scene, you can highlight your company’s notable achievements during the period.

You can also engage your audience with statistics, facts, and quotes to make the presentation more informative. Any custom-made design can be uploaded inside the video editor to create your desired impression.

The default audio is neutral music that progresses with the presentation scenes. The goal is to strengthen the emotional impact as you show progress over time. Scenes with recent achievements are shown under the notes of higher-accented music.

Any audio can be replaced with your own, but this version can work well, even without any modifications.

One-Year Business Timeline

Here’s a narrower round-up of the company’s progress – the One Year Business Timeline.

The initial goal of this presentation timeline template is to provide a quick overview for investors, partners, and other interested parties on a single page. It can be a good consolidated report of the past year showing the progress, what was planned, and how much was achieved.

The original template contains more scenes than the previous timeline presentation. We initially dedicated longer seconds to each scene here, assuming reporting of the last year will require more information to be delivered.

Other than the previous year’s summary, you can also use this template to plan the upcoming year. Imagine motivating your team by showing them your expected goals for the upcoming year or any other long-term plan.

Other good ideas are to use this timeline presentation to show the process of a product’s development or customer journey, where each scene corresponds to a certain stage of the journey or product.

Infographics Animation Pack

The last timeline infographics presentation template is a huge opportunity to convey your story of any complexity at once. It’s a fun and creative way to present your information that won’t leave anyone unaffected.

This pack has three transitions and styles and 160+ infographics, including bar charts, map scenes, and a wide range of icons. If the previous timeline presentation ideas had a smooth flow of video where you just needed to fill in the blank, this one is of a slightly different logic.

You should choose the best graphs or charts that suit you, customize them with your own data, and add the in-between storytelling scenes to avoid having a too data-heavy presentation.

The animated infographics are a powerful addition to your presenting arsenal. They add a solid touch of professionalism even if your presented data is simple.

Ready to make your own timeline presentation? 

Let’s quickly learn how to do that in Renderforest’s timeline presentation maker. 

How to Make a Timeline Presentation with Renderforest?

Browse the timeline templates library.

As discussed above, Renderforest has timeline presentation templates that look like static images and video timeline presentations .

Both serve the same purpose – to present facts, figures, dates, or other data in a visually ordered way. What you choose depends on your requirements and preferences. A static image timeline may be more suitable for a printed version, while videos are usually proven to work better for online content delivery.

What we often recommend is to combine both libraries. For example, you can create any timeline in the image library and then upload it to your preferred video slideshow.

Click on Any Template to Land on the Dashboard

Each template in the library has a small icon showing how many scenes are inside the pack. Though you can always manually add the scenes, it’s better to opt for those with many built-in design elements to save time on manual input.

Click “ Create now ” on your preferred video slideshow and start editing.

Reorder the Scenes

The timetable inside each editor is equipped with drag-and-drop features, so no editing skills are needed. Press + button at the end of the timeline or click the space between video holders to add new scenes.

Customize the Scenes

See a tools panel on the upper left side of your screen. Here you have everything to add texts, adjust fonts, add images or videos, and more!

Renderforest’s timeline presentation software will also give you some AI suggestions of which scenes to use based on the text you type.

Preview Any Change in Real-Time

The preview screen is located on the right of your tools panel, which is instantly updated with any change you apply. It’s easier to make changes while watching them instead of applying and checking if it was the right move in a separate preview screen.

Final Touch in the Main Panel

The upper part of your screen is for your main panel, where you can choose styles and transitions for your video timeline presentation, change colors, and add music or voice-over if needed.

We recommend doing this as the last step because first, you need to see the final skeleton of your presentation, and only then can you figure out which customization options will work better for you.

That’s it. 

Your professional-looking timeline presentation is ready; you can share it with the world!

Here’s a reveal.

All those juicy timeline presentations you see at conferences, business meetings, and other events are just a few clicks away from you.

No coding or design skills and no prior experience are needed. 

Renderforest is your go-to timeline presentation tool that makes things easier than ever before.

Choose from various designs, customize them with your data and information, and amaze everyone for their next presentation.

Good luck, and have fun!

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Home » Microsoft Powerpoint » How to Create a Timeline in PowerPoint

How to Create a Timeline in PowerPoint

With Microsoft PowerPoint, you can create a basic timeline. You can then manually adjust and restyle it to fit your needs. The result will be a simple graphic fit for presentations.

3 ways to create Timeline in PowerPoint

• Using a pre-designed timeline template from Microsoft
• Creating a timeline using SmartArt Graphic
• Using basic shapes

We will show you all the above in simple, step-wise instructions.

Method #1: Create a Timeline using a Template

Step #1: open powerpoint file menu.

Open PowerPoint.

Click on the File tab in the top menu bar to changeover to the File menu.

Step #2: Select a Timeline Template

In the left pane, click on the New tab.

In the right pane, type timeline inside the search bar.

Click on the search icon on the right.

PowerPoint will display an array of timelines.

Click on the one most suitable to your application.

Click on the Create button in the next screen.

The chosen timeline will appear in the presentation.

Step #3: Customize the Timeline

Click on and select the text you want to modify.

Change the text appropriately.

Change the other texts according to your requirement.

Method #2: Create a Timeline using SmartArt Graphic

Step #1: open powerpoint.

1. Open a new or an existing presentation in PowerPoint.

2. Navigate to the slide where you want the timeline to appear.

3. Click on and delete any text boxes appearing in the slide.

Step #2: Insert a SmartArt Gaphic

1. Click on the Insert tab in the top menu bar to change the ribbon.

2. In the section Illustrations , click on the SmartArt icon.

3. A Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box will open.

4. Click on the Process tab in the left pane.

5. In the central pane, click on the Basic Timeline icon.

Note: You can select any other graphic to suit your specific timeline.

The right pane will show details of the Basic Timeline.

Click on the OK button at the bottom.

The chosen graphic appears in the slide.

Click on one of the [Text] .

Click on the boundary.

Copy it with CTRL+C.

Paste a copy with CTRL+V.

Repeat the copy-paste until you have as many circles and [Text] as you want.

Step #4: Fill in the Timeline

Click on the left arrow on the left of the graphic.

A text box, Type your text here , appears on the left.

Replace the [Text] with appropriate text.

Replace all [Text] appropriately.

Method #3: Create a Timeline using Basic Shapes

Open a new or an existing presentation in PowerPoint.

Navigate to the slide where you want the timeline to appear.

Click on and delete any text boxes appearing in the slide.

Step #2: Insert a Basic Shape

Click on the Insert tab in the top menu bar to change the ribbon.

In the section Illustrations , click on the Shapes icon.

A drop-down menu will open.

Click on the Arrow: Striped Right under Block Arrows .

Note: You can select any other shape to suit your specific timeline.

The cursor will change to a cross.

Position the cross suitably in the slide.

Click and hold the mouse button.

Drag the cursor to a diagonally opposite corner to create the shape.

Use the handles on the shape to resize and position it.

Step #3: Add Text Boxes

In the section Text , click on the Text Box icon.

Drag the cursor to a diagonally opposite corner to create the text box.

Right-click on the boundary of the text box.

In the menu that opens, click on the Outline icon.

From the color palette, choose a suitable color.

Click on the text box.

Use CTRL+C to make a copy.

Use CTRL+V to paste the copy of the text box.

Use CTRL+V to paste as many text boxes as necessary.

Use the handles to position the text boxes appropriately.

Right-click on the first text box.

In the menu that opens, click on Edit Text .

Type in the required text.

Resize the text as appropriate.

Repeat for all the shapes.

We have shown you three methods of creating a timeline in PowerPoint. Use the one you find most suitable.

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Martin Luther King Timeline

Monthly Timeline

How to make a Timeline Diagram?

Create a Timeline in No Time

Simple-to-use drag and drop timeline making tool to visually chronicle events.

Multiple timeline templates including horizontal, vertical and snaking timeline options. Pick the one that suits you best.

Professional timeline diagramming tools for project timelines and educational purposes.

Style your timeline by changing icons, backgrounds, fonts and colors in a few clicks.

Look Back at Time, Look Ahead at Time with History Timeline Maker

Visualize milestones, step-by-step procedures, future plans, and more with Free online timeline maker.

Import images, vectors, and more to create data-rich timeline infographics.

Create timeline online, and visual aids or connect to other timelines for more context.

Embed documents, videos, and other assets with in-app previews for comprehensive timelines.

Our free timeline maker for students helps create timeline, visualize projects, present research, and more.

Create, Edit, Share, and Download Timelines Together

Download your timeline in multiple formats such as PDF, SVG, JPEG, PNG and share it across platforms with embed links.

Advanced view and edit permissions to control who can access and change timelines.

Real-time editing to create timelines together.

Pin-point comments, ask questions and leave feedback right on the workspace in the Timeline Maker.

From Timelines to Action Plans

Organize your timelines, group similar content, or build a presentation flow for proposals using frames with simple Timleine Maker.

Convert timelines into interactive presentations with our Presentation Mode.

Export timelines as SVGs, PDFs, and PNGs to publish, present, print, and share.

What is a Timeline?

How teams can collaboratively create a timeline for a project/event using timeline maker, 1. creating a workspace and brainstorming timeline objectives.

Timelines are useful in planning and managing projects, tracking progress and identifying potential issues. Start by creating a workspace on Creately and conduct a brainstorming session together with your team to define the project or event’s objectives and scope. Using a mind map or an affinity diagram will help you to gather everyone’s ideas and record them in an organized manner.

2. Breaking Down the Project and Assigning Tasks

Task Breakdown and Order: Structuring Your Timeline Break the project into smaller tasks, estimate the time it would take to complete each and arrange them in the order that they need to be completed. Once the order is determined, you can start assigning tasks to team members and use a Kanban board to track them.

3. Drafting and Customizing Your Timeline

Make a draft timeline of important milestones and deadlines, using one from the wide range of timeline templates. Whether you’re looking for a history timeline maker, a horizontal timeline maker, or a fantasy timeline maker, Creately has got you covered. You can easily customize it by dragging and dropping elements from the dedicated timeline shapes from shape library.

4. Styling and Enhancing Your Timeline

Style your timeline and add images. With Creately you can quickly style your timeline with preset color themes or even choose your own to reflect the company’s branding. While you can import images, clipart, gifs, logos, icons, etc. right from your device to customize your timeline, you can also use the built-in Google image search to find more images from across the web.

5. Collaborating and Reviewing the Timeline

Collaborate around the timeline with your team members to get everyone on the same page and keep everyone informed. Review the timeline together with your team and make changes and improvements where necessary. Get comments and feedback from team members to ensure that the goals you have set are achievable within the timeline. For students, there is even a free online timeline maker option, making it an ideal tool for educational projects.

6. Downloading or Sharing the Timeline with Stakeholders

Easily share the timeline with relevant stakeholders by exporting it in PNG, SVG, PDF, and JPEG formats to embed in websites, presentations, etc. You can also share it with anyone via an email or link invite making collaboration easier for remote teams. Whether you need a timeline maker for PowerPoint or an AI-driven timeline maker, Creately provides the flexibility and tools needed for every type of project.

FAQs About the Timeline Maker in Creately

How do i make a timeline, how can timelines help your team.

Timelines are useful especially in project management, since they allow you to plan a project properly and identify tasks that need to be completed depending on the priority. Teams can easily collaborate and use timelines as a visualization of a particular sequence of events, tasks or project milestones. It also improves communication among team members since everyone is aware of deadlines and how the project should progress with successive events.

Timelines are also important when illustrating the history of a particular subject or theory, as it enables you to present an overview of what you want to convey to your audience.

What is the best free timeline maker?

Does google have a timeline maker, can i create a timeline in word, guides and resources to manage your time.

How to Draw the Perfect Timeline Diagram with Creately

How To Create a Project Timeline In 6 Simple Steps

Take Your Timelines to the Next Level with These Premium Templates

Gantt Chart Templates to Instantly Create Project Timelines

The Quick Guide to Creating a Proper Product Roadmap

The Ultimate List of Graphic Organizers for Teachers and Students

The Easy Guide to Event Planning with Instantly Editable Templates

Project Timeline Template

24/7 Live Support

Live in-app chat support

Customizable project timeline and roadmap templates

Plotting your course isn't just clarifying, it can be captivating too. build your next project timeline or roadmap using designer-developed, customizable templates. no matter what kind of project you're planning or managing, there's a timeline template that'll keep you on track..

Show your plan at a glance with timeline templates

Don't waste any time—start your next project plan or production roadmap with a timeline template. Timelines are a great way to visually organize your thoughts, plotting each step that you plan to execute. Making planners and trackers into timelines is a snap when working with templates. You can also use timeline templates to show how far a project has come along, every milestone accounted for. Small businesses can find timelines helpful for pitching new business during presentations as well as planning new products. And adding a timeline to a wedding save the date or an invitation is a great way to let guests know everything they can look forward to during your celebration. Timelines aren't just for project planning. Resumes are themselves a kind of timeline, and there are some fantastic graphic resume layouts that incorporate easy-to-read timelines that make your work history stand out.

Timeline Templates: The Web's Top Free Downloadable Templates

Creating timelines from scratch take time. If you want to speed up your job and put together your presentation slides quickly, then high-quality timeline templates are your best bet. I know there are tons of free templates on the web, but most of these aren’t really what you’d call ‘professionally’ designed. To help make your search for the perfect timeline templates faster, I’ve compiled some of the best-looking and easy-to-edit free timeline templates in this article.

A Timeline? What’s That?

A timeline is basically a visual representation of dates, milestones, or events. It’s usually shown in either chart or graphical format. With a timeline, it’s easier to show people the sequence of events that’s happened in the past or is about to happen in the future.

You can use a timeline to show how long it took someone or something to get from Point A to Point B, or how certain important events panned out. Even with just a simple line graph on your slide, your audience can easily deduce the amount of time that has passed or will pass between two events or milestones.

Here’s a short YouTube video explaining what a timeline is all about:

When it comes to presentations, you want to keep your audience’s attention on what you’re saying. So, if you’re presenting a timeline of events or activities in nothing but boring, plain text format, your audience is most probably going to tune you out.

Writing down a series of dates on a slide is not visually appealing. At all. Unless, of course, you’re only presenting two or three dates. In this case, simply writing down these dates will probably be a more effective way of getting your message across. However, if you’re presenting a series of dates (more than 3-5), then it’s best to show this in a more visual manner. This is where timeline templates come in.

Depending on the topic you’re presenting, timelines can be as simple or as complex as you like. Just make sure, however, that your audience will understand the point(s) you’re trying to convey. You can have the best-looking timelines ever, but if your audience didn’t understand a single word you said, it would all have been for nothing.

4 Benefits Of Using Timeline Templates

Whether you’re an educator looking to present a chronological arrangement of important dates in history, or a project manager getting ready to share your project’s milestones or proposed schedules to higher management, you’ll surely benefit from using a timeline template for PowerPoint.

Here are the top benefits of using timeline templates for your presentation:

Time-saver . When you use a timeline template, you’re basically using a ready-made timeline. You don’t need to create it from scratch. Rather, what you need to do is just edit the template, and insert your data on the slides. If you need to add more milestones or delete some pre-set events on the template, it should be relatively easy for you to do so.

Ready-made design . You don’t need to worry about your timeline’s design. Most templates already come pre-designed, though of course, if you want to customize it and make it match with your overall presentation theme, then you can tweak the template accordingly. For example, if the template is primarily in a blue theme, and your presentation uses mostly yellow and red, then you should do the necessary changes to make sure your presentation flows from one slide to the next. In most cases, it will still take far less time to edit a template than to design one from scratch.

Tons of options . There are plenty of timeline templates on the Internet, both free and premium. For free (but professionally designed) templates, you can check out our very own Template Hub . For premium timeline templates, you should head on over to sites like Graphic River , Envato Elements , Slide Store , and Slide Bazaar . These sites have thousands of premium templates between them, so you’ll not run out of templates to choose from!

Visual presentation of data . Timeline templates already come pre-designed with various shapes, charts, graphs and even animations to make it easy for you to present your data to your audience. Most template providers include screenshots of the slides included in the template pack, so you can easily see which designs are going to make sense for your topic and the data you’re going to present.

Where To Download Free Timeline Templates For PowerPoint

Downloading free PowerPoint timeline templates is, fortunately, relatively easy nowadays. Gone are the days when you’d need to spend days creating your timelines from scratch simply because you couldn’t find any suitable templates on the Internet!

Here are the top places where you can download the best-looking timeline templates on the web:

Templates by 24Slides

Our in-house team of graphic designers professionally designs all of our free templates. Whether you’re looking for a history timeline template, a simple timeline template, a creative timeline template, or even high-level project plan timeline templates, we’ve got all these for you!

Timeline Pictures PowerPoint Template

This 9-slide template pack is essential if you’re looking for more than just the usual diagrams and graphs that are usually used to present timelines in presentations. As the name suggests, this template uses pictures or images to help you present your timeline to your audience.

The template’s color theme is yellow and gray, so if you’re into these colors, feel free to download this template. Otherwise, it’s quite easy to change the colors to something that’s more in line with your presentation’s color theme!

Here are some screenshots:

Timeline Pictures Template

This 11-slide timeline template for PowerPoint uses plenty of white space, and the design accent is in a stunning aqua color. As you’ll see in the screenshots below, the overall design is easy on the eyes, so any timeline you want to share with your audience should be easy enough to remember!

Here are screenshots of the timeline slides included in this template pack:

This specific template pack will work best for introducing your company or business to a new audience. This is because, in addition to the timeline slides, this template pack also includes some company-specific slides. For instance, a couple of the slides will allow you to list down your company’s main services as you see below:

Timeline Presentation Templates

This 10-slide template pack follows the more recent trend of using icons, instead of pictures like the two template packs I’ve shown earlier. It also helps that the accent color is orange, so if you need to present information that needs to stand out, then this is the template to use. Orange, after all, is a color associated with energy and excitement. So, if you want your audience to feel these emotions, then you need to download this template pack right now!

Here are screenshots of some of the slides included in this pack:

Timeline and Roadmaps Template Package

Strategies and roadmaps are essential to any project’s success. If you find it extremely difficult coming up with a suitable design to make your roadmap easy enough to follow, then you should check out this 9-slide template pack right now. It has all the elements you need to convince your audience that the project is on the right track. Here are some screenshots:

Business Roadmap PowerPoint Template

This 10-slide template pack will allow you to present more than just timelines. It’s a full-featured template pack that you can use to present your business or company’s strategies to your intended audience. It even includes a slide where you can present your company’s mission and vision.

Check out these screenshots:

PresentationGo

PresentationGo has a number of good quality timeline templates you can download for free. However, note that you will need to check out their Terms of Use for each template. For instance, they may require attribution and you may only be able to use a particular template for personal use. With that said, here are some of their popular timeline templates:

• Simple Timeline PowerPoint Diagram

• Roll Film Timeline For PowerPoint

• Growth Timeline With Trees For PowerPoint

Office.com / PowerPoint Templates

There are a few good timeline templates you can download directly from the Office.com website (you’ll get timeline templates for Excel, Word, and PowerPoint). Alternatively, you can simply fire up PowerPoint on your computer and on the welcome screen, type ‘ timeline’ and you’ll see something like the below screenshot on your computer. Click on the timeline template you want to use, then hit the ‘ Create ’ button.

Of course, the only downside is you’ll have thousands or even millions of other presentations using the same timeline templates. So, if you want to stand out, you need to think outside the box and be creative with how you’re going to make your timeline unique.

This is another popular site to download free PPT templates from. They’ve got quite a collection of nice-looking timeline templates. These are our top picks:

• Simple Table Timeline PowerPoint Diagram Template

This timeline template looks deceptively simple at first glance. You have a simple line at the top to denote the chronological arrangement of events. But the table at the bottom half is a great addition as it allows you to add more details about the various events you’ve added to the timeline. Remember not to get too wordy. Limit the text not just in this slide but throughout your entire presentation, so your audience doesn’t end up reading and not paying attention to what you’re saying!

• Spheres Timeline PPT Diagrams

This slide may look simple. But if you’re in a hurry and you don’t want to mess around with SmartArt or inserting shapes on PowerPoint, then this template may be useful to you. You can use this slide as well if you’re looking for a suitable history timeline template.

Create A Timeline Online

There’s a good number of tools you can use to create stunning timelines. First and foremost is, of course, PowerPoint. However, it’s not always the fastest way to go about editing existing templates and make it your own.

Note : If you’re interested in learning more about how to create timelines in PowerPoint, I wrote a step-by-step tutorial here: How To Make A Timeline In PowerPoint .

For instance, did you know you can make a timeline in Excel ? Or in Google Docs ? Or even in online software like Canva? There also interactive timeline makers you you can use nowadays to create your timelines!

One of the most popular online tools you can use to quickly come up with stunning and easy to understand timelines for your presentations is an app called Princello . It’s a cloud-based app that creates PowerPoint slides natively.

If you’re not a fan of cloud-based technology, and you prefer working directly on PowerPoint, you should check out Office Timeline . It’s an add-in for PowerPoint that you can download and install for free (the plus edition unlocks even more powerful features).

Timeline templates and other timeline creation tools all have one purpose. They’re all there to make your life easier so you can focus on what’s really important: making sure your audience understands what your presentation is all about.

You might also find this interesting: The Ultimate Guide To Being A Better And More Confident Presenter

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL 25 - TITLE UPDATE AUGUST 29TH, 2024

This title update is live for all users starting august 29th at 11:00am et..

Hey College Football 25 fans! Welcome back to the Campus Huddle! Your home for all news and updates about College Football 25! We have a new Title Update that has hit your consoles today with some pretty cool updates! In addition, we wanted to give you a small preview of what you can expect with Season 2! Let's dive in!

Title Update Notes

• Slight Delay
• Large Delay
• Disable Switch Stick
• Dev Note: We will be working on an additional fix slated for the next title update which will result in further balancing. 
• Increased the responsiveness of the pass block slider for users and CPU. 
• Fixed an issue where defenders could slip through double teams without the appropriate animation.
• Dev Note: We will monitor feedback on this and make necessary changes in future title updates.
• Decreased the times the CPU calls jet touch pass.
• Increased the effectiveness of Pass Committing vs Trick Plays.
• Increased the risk of Run Committing from Man Coverage.
• Fixed an issue where players could continue to spin when using a conservative ball carrier coach adjustment.
• Adjusted the AI Logic to significantly reduce the chances of receiving a roughing the kicker penalty on punts and field goals.
• Increased the chance for Defensive Linemen to sniff out HB Screen plays
• Singleback Wing Slot Over (Uconn, Charlotte)
• Pistol Ace Double Wing (Ball State)
• Pistol Doubles Y Off Stack (Florida, Louisville, Illinois)
• Pistol Trips Over Y Off (Cincinnati)
• Pistol Full House Twins Over (NMSU, UNLV, Option, Spread Option)
• Pistol Strong Tight (Liberty, Louisville, UTEP, Rice, Kennesaw State)
• Pistol Bunch Open (Missouri)
• Pistol Ace Heavy Overload (Ball state)
• Pistol Wing Slot Over (Florida, Texas A&M, Michigan, Kennesaw State)
• Pistol Weak Slot Over (Texas A&M, Cincinnati)
• Pistol Strong Trips Over (Florida, Multiple, Cincinnati)
• Added new Jet Sweep series plays under center for Utah, Bowling Green, Kentucky
• Added more formations and plays to multiple teams’ playbooks, specifically empty and short-yardage formations (will continue through future title updates)
• Changed default personnel for Liberty’s pistol formations to have 2 HBs instead of an HB and a TE/FB
• Enabled the ability to edit ratings for non NIL players and recruits.
• Further Super Sim tuning to reduce completion percentages across the country, especially limiting quarterbacks completing more than 70% of their passes.
• Dev Note: This applies to Super Sim - Normal and Super Sim - Fast settings
• Enabled Mass Subs for Online and Offline Dynasty games when playing against the AI. You will be able to sub in either your entire 2nd unit (if your starters are in) or your entire starting group (if your 2nd unit is in). 
• Further tuning of Awards systems. 
• Fixed an issue with the Stat Display for Returner of the Year.
• Dev Note: You will be required to start a new Dynasty for the updated staff.
• Fixed an issue where the Broken Vertebrae injury was incorrectly labeled as a Strained Back.

COLLEGE ULTIMATE TEAM

• Player Upgrade & Refund animations are no longer misaligned.
• Fixed an issue that was causing Milestone Progress to display incorrectly. You would see two different milestone totals at times depending on where in the Challenge Sequence you viewed.
• Fixed an issue that was causing the filter drop down for ‘My Rank’ and ‘Top 100’ to remain on the screen after navigating away in Solo Battles.
• Fixed a navigation issue on the Live Events tab that was giving users error messages after selecting ‘Objectives.
• When viewing Team Chemistry on the Upgrade Tab of the Single Item Viewer, the required coin amount to unlock the Chem will be displayed. Previously, the amount was only shown on the confirmation popup.
• Fixed an issue with Sets that gave users server errors after trying to add an Item Set.
• ‘Open Next Pack’ is now available during the Fantasy Pack Flow. Hopefully it's a little quicker to open up some of those rewards from Season 1.
• Cleaned up truncated text on various screens.

ROAD TO GLORY MODE

• Gave players the ability to audible regardless of what position you are in when lined up on the field.
• Re-tuned starting attributes for all HB archetypes, which includes an increase to speed, agility, change of direction, and stamina (to lower the times you get pulled from the game after a big run)
• Re-tuned starting attributes for all CB archetypes, which includes an increase to speed, stamina, acceleration, and agility

PRESENTATION AND UI UPDATES

• Introducing new uniforms for Arkansas State, UAB, Western Kentucky, Louisiana Monroe, Tennessee, ECU, West Virginia, UMass, Charlotte, Ohio State (jersey swoosh will only turn diamond when in playoff games), Colorado State, Minnesota
• Updated uniform pieces for 2024 season: Charlotte, Cal, Tulsa, Miami (OH)
• Included New NIL Players for multiple teams.

ROAD TO CFP

• Additional Tier Rebalancing to reflect the 5 Tier format.

Season 2 is here!

Season 2 of College Football Ultimate Team™ launches today. Work your way up the Field Pass to earn all-new player rewards, packs, Coins and more. Dominate the new Daily Solo Seasons mode, kick off the college football season with Welcome Packs, honor Legends, celebrate Weekly Phenoms, and more.

Read more about all the content we have in store for you during Season 2.

Stay in the conversation by following us on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , YouTube , and Answers HQ .

Score the MVP Bundle*** to make game day every day, and get both Madden NFL 25 (when Early Access goes live on 8/13) and College Football 25 with bonus pre-order content.

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College football 25 season 2, college football 25 - title update august 8th, 2024, college football 25 team builder deep dive.