Find your timeline.įrom the new menu that appears, select “Process”. Open a new Word document and head to the “Insert” tab, then select “SmartArt”. Whatever the case, it’s also possible to create a timeline graphic in Word. Maybe you don’t like Google Docs, maybe your company uses Microsoft Office exclusively, or maybe you don’t like the idea of potentially shared timelines. When you’ve entered all of your timeline data, click “Save and Close” and the image will be automatically added to your Google Doc. While the latter option is quicker to create (we used it) the natural left-to-right format of the box means you’re limited in how information appears. You can either copy and paste multiple boxes to ensure consistent sizing and spacing or use a single, giant text box. Enter your text.Ĭlick on the Text Box tool - represented as a T surrounded by a box - and create a box above or below your line to start adding details. If you see more than one, it’s at an angle. To make sure it’s straight, look at the left-hand side - if you only see one line, it’s level. Select the “Line” button from the top menu and choose “Arrow”. This will bring up a new window that looks like a checkerboard. Head to “Insert”, then select “Drawing” and “+ New”.

So how do you make a timeline graphic? Featured Resource: 8 Free Timeline Templates for Businessĭownload Now for Free 1. Source How to Make a Timeline on Google Docs This timeline on the Evolution of the iPhone is a great example: To maximize space many of these top-to-bottom templates alternate information left-and-right down the line. In this case, our graphic element is the line itself but you can also insert relevant images of people or places associated with the event to increase user engagement.Īnother common graphic timeline format runs top-to-bottom with earlier dates at the top of the page and later dates further down. How much information is worth including depends on the complexity of the topic at hand, who’s going to be using the chart, and its overall purpose.

Some timelines will include both a header - such as merger - with a longer description below. Dates above the line are paired with brief details below.

This (very basic) example was made in Google Docs and uses an arrow to denote the passage of time.

Google slides timeline templates