How to Create a Timeline Chart in Excel

In this Excel tutorial, you will learn how to craft a timeline chart – a powerful tool for representing events or milestones along a timescale. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create a timeline chart in Excel:

Data Preparation

Begin by preparing your data. Create a table that includes the dates or milestones you want to represent on the timeline chart, along with any relevant information, such as event descriptions.

Timeline Chart data

Inserting the timeline chart

Navigate to the Insert tab, click on 2D chart, and choose 2-D bar.

ribbon insert 2d bar chart

Click on Design, and then on Select Data.

Timeline Chart design select data

Press Add.

Timeline Chart select data source add

Name the series, and click on the red arrow beside values.

Timeline Chart edit series red arrow

Select all the cells under that series name.

Timeline Chart select cells close it

Repeat the same process on the Duration.

Timeline Chart repeat duration

Right click on the x-axis, and choose Select Data.

Timeline Chart right click axis

Click Edit.

Timeline Chart select data source edit

Choose all the Task/Action labels.

Timeline Chart axis labels ok

Press Ok.

Timeline Chart press ok again

Right-click on the x-axis, and choose Format axis.

Click on the Axis Options and Categories in reverse order.

Timeline Chart categories in reverse order

Right-click on the Starts series in the chart, and click on Format Data Series.

Timeline Chart format data series

ChooseNo fill.

Timeline Chart no fill

The Timeline Chart is now ready and looking like this:

timeline chart example

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