Can I Create a Timeline in PowerPoint? (Yes, With SmartArt)

Yes, you can create a timeline in PowerPoint with SmartArt. Click Insert › SmartArt, choose Process, and double-click Basic Timeline or Circle Accent Timeline. Then type your dates and events into the [Text] boxes and use Add Shape to add more.

This guide covers building a SmartArt timeline, turning an existing bulleted list into one, adding and reordering dates, changing the layout and colors, animating the timeline, and what to do when it gets crowded. The core steps follow Microsoft’s guide to creating a timeline in PowerPoint, which covers PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2016–2019 and PowerPoint for the web.

How to Create a Timeline in PowerPoint

1. Select the slide where you want the timeline.
2. On the Insert tab, click SmartArt.
3. In the Choose a SmartArt Graphic gallery, click Process.
4. Double-click a timeline layout, such as Basic Timeline or Circle Accent Timeline.
5. Click each [Text] placeholder and type a date or event.

Result: A timeline appears on the slide with one shape per entry, and PowerPoint spaces them evenly along the line.

Microsoft notes that you can also open the Text Pane and type there, one line per entry. If you don’t see it, click Text Pane on the SmartArt Design tab. Typing in the Text Pane is the fastest way to enter a long list of dates.

Turn a bulleted list into a timeline

If you’ve already typed your milestones as bullet points, you don’t have to start over. Use this shortcut:

1. Select the text box with your bulleted list.
2. On the Home tab, click Convert to SmartArt.
3. Choose Basic Timeline. If it isn’t shown, click More SmartArt Graphics and look under Process.

Result: Each bullet becomes a point on the timeline, in the same order.

How to Add or Move Dates

• Add an earlier date: click a shape, then on the SmartArt Design tab click Add Shape › Add Shape Before.
• Add a later date: click a shape, then click Add Shape › Add Shape After.
• Move a date: click it, then click Move Up to make it earlier or Move Down to make it later.

Result: The timeline updates and re-spaces the shapes automatically.

How to Change the Timeline’s Look

Switch to a different layout

Click the timeline, then on the SmartArt Design tab click More in the Layouts group. Microsoft suggests Accent Process to show progression, or Continuous Picture List for a timeline with photos, since its circles are designed to hold pictures. Microsoft adds that almost any Process layout can work as a timeline.

Change colors and styles

1. Click the timeline.
2. On the SmartArt Design tab, click Change Colors and pick a color combination.
3. Click a style in the SmartArt Styles group to add effects such as bevels or 3-D.

Result: The whole timeline changes at once. Point to an option first to preview it.

How to Animate a Timeline

Animation lets you reveal one milestone at a time while you talk. Try a Wipe entrance set to come in From Left, so the timeline grows in the direction it reads.

1. Select the timeline.
2. On the Animations tab, choose Wipe.
3. Click Effect Options and choose From Left.
4. For a SmartArt graphic, click Effect Options again and choose One by One to bring in each entry separately.

Result: In Slide Show, each date appears on a click, from left to right.

Tips for a Clear Timeline

• Keep labels short. A date and a few words per point stays readable. SmartArt shrinks text to fit, so long labels get small fast.
• Read left to right. Try running timelines left to right, the direction most audiences read as progress.
• Split long timelines. Slides have limited space. If yours gets crowded, spread the milestones across two slides or group them by phase.
• Update by hand. PowerPoint timelines aren’t linked to a schedule, so change the dates yourself when plans shift.

Troubleshooting

• The SmartArt Design tab is missing. Click the timeline itself. Microsoft notes the tab only appears when the graphic is selected.
• Text is tiny. Shorten labels, remove a few entries, or try another Process layout that gives labels more room.
• You want exact spacing for dates. SmartArt spaces entries evenly. For proportional spacing, draw the timeline with a line and shapes from Insert › Shapes instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does PowerPoint have timeline templates?

Yes. Microsoft links to timeline templates from its timeline guide, and you can search for “timeline” when creating a new presentation.

Can I make a timeline in PowerPoint for the web?

Yes. Microsoft’s guide includes SmartArt timeline steps for PowerPoint for the web as well as the desktop app.

Related Guides

• How to change line spacing on every slide
• How to take a screenshot in PowerPoint