How to Create a Timeline in Excel

Although Excel isn't focused on graphics, there are various ways to create a timeline. If you're using Excel 2013 or later, you can automatically generate a timeline from a pre-made table. For older versions, you'll need to rely on SmartArt, templates, or simply organize cells in a table.

Create a new worksheet. SmartArt offers a graphic layout to input your data. This feature doesn't auto-fill your existing data, so you need to create a new worksheet for the timeline.

Open the SmartArt menu. Depending on your Excel version, click the SmartArt tab on the ribbon, or click the Insert tab and select SmartArt. This option is available in Excel 2007 and later.

Select a timeline from the Process submenu. Click on the Process option under the Insert SmartArt Graphic menu in the ribbon. From the dropdown menu, select Basic Timeline (with an arrow pointing right).

• You can modify other graphics within the Process category to create a timeline. To view the name of each graphic, hover your cursor over the icon until the text appears.

Add more events. By default, only a few events are available. To add events, click on the timeline. The Text Pane will appear on the left side of the graphic. Click the + symbol at the beginning of the text box to add a new event to the timeline.

• To zoom in on the timeline without adding new events, click on the timeline to show the border. Then, click and drag the left or right edge of the box outward.

Edit the timeline. Enter data into the Text Pane to add items. You can also copy and paste data into the timeline for Excel to automatically arrange them. Typically, each column of data represents an independent timeline item.

Open the spreadsheet that contains a summary table or pivot table. To automatically create a timeline, your data must be organized into a summary table. You will need the pivot table analyze menu, a feature introduced in Excel 2013.

Click anywhere inside the summary table. The “PIVOT TABLE TOOLS” will appear in the ribbon at the top.

Click on “Analyze”. A ribbon with options to manage the table data will show up.

Click on “Insert Timeline”. A dialog box will pop up with the data fields corresponding to date formats. Be aware that if you input dates as text, they will not be recognized.

Select the applicable field and click OK. A new frame will appear allowing you to navigate along the timeline.

Choose how your data will be filtered. Depending on the available information, you can select how the data should be filtered, whether by month, year, or quarter.

Analyze data by month. By clicking on a specific month in the Timeline Control Box, the summary table will display data for that particular month.

Expand your selection area. You can increase the selection range by clicking and dragging the edges of the slider.

Consider downloading a template. Although not mandatory, a template can save you time by providing pre-set timeline structures. You can check if you already have a timeline template by browsing the options in File (File) → New (New) or File → New from Template (New from template). Alternatively, you can search online for templates created by other users. If you prefer not to use a template, proceed to the next step.

• If the timeline is intended for tracking project progress with multiple branches, you might want to consider finding a "Gantt chart" template.

Start your timeline from simple cells. You can set up a basic timeline using a blank spreadsheet. Enter the timeline's dates in a row, separating them with blank cells corresponding to the time intervals between them.

Write timeline events. In the cell directly above or below each date, describe the event that occurred on that specific day. Don't worry if the data doesn't appear perfectly formatted.

• Adjust the descriptions above and below the dates to make the timeline as readable as possible.

Rotate the descriptions. Select the cell containing your description. Click on the Home tab in the ribbon, and then find the Orientation button under the Alignment options group. (In some versions, the Orientation button will display as the letters abc.) Click this button and select one of the tilt options. Once the text is rotated properly, the descriptions will fit neatly within the timeline.

• For Excel versions prior to 2003, right-click on the selected cells. Choose Format Cells, then click the Alignment tab. Enter the degree of rotation you want, and then click OK.

• If you're not satisfied with these options, PowerPoint offers you even more graphic choices.