How to Make a Timeline in Word With SmartArt Layouts

Project plans, launch schedules and the story of how your business grew all read better as a timeline than as a list of dates. Word has two ready-made timeline graphics in SmartArt, and you can switch to other layouts later without retyping a single milestone.

Creating the timeline

1. Click where the timeline should go.
2. On the Insert tab, select SmartArt.
3. In the gallery, select Process.
4. Double-click Basic Timeline or Circle Accent Timeline.
5. Click each [Text] placeholder and type a date and milestone, or paste them in.

Microsoft points out that you're not limited to those two layouts. Almost any process-related SmartArt graphic can work as a timeline, which gives you plenty of choice once the content's in.

Typing milestones the quick way

Clicking into each placeholder gets tedious after five or six dates. Open the Text Pane instead, from the SmartArt Design tab, and type one milestone per line. Each line becomes a point on the timeline. It also makes it easy to paste a list of dates straight from an email or a project plan.

Adding earlier or later dates

1. Select a shape in the timeline, next to where the new date belongs.
2. On the SmartArt Design tab, select Add Shape.
3. Choose Add Shape Before for an earlier date or Add Shape After for a later one.
4. Type the date in the new box.

Putting dates back in order

If a date's in the wrong place, you don't need to delete and retype it. Select it and, on the SmartArt Design tab, choose Move Up to move it earlier or Move Down to move it later. On a Mac, Microsoft labels these Move Before and Move After.

Ideas for timelines in a small business

• Client project plans: kick-off, first draft, feedback, final delivery and launch, so the client sees where things stand.
• Launch schedules: the run-up to a product or course launch, from teaser emails to doors closing.
• Your business story: the year you started, your first big client, a rebrand, a new service. It's a lovely touch on an About page or in a speaker pack.
• Onboarding a new hire: what happens in week one, the first month and the first quarter.

Whichever you pick, decide what the reader needs to take away before you start. A timeline for a client should answer one question: what happens next, and when?

Timeline layouts compared

Layout	Looks like	Use it for
Basic Timeline	A simple line with points along it	Project milestones and plans
Circle Accent Timeline	Circles marking each event	Company history or key dates
Accent Process	Steps showing progression	Phases that build on each other
Continuous Picture List	Circular shapes designed for pictures	A visual story with photos

Switching to a different layout

Select the timeline, then on the SmartArt Design tab, in the Layouts group, select Change Layout. To see only timeline and process layouts, choose More Layouts and then Process. Your text moves across to the new design, so it's worth trying a few before you settle.

For a timeline with photos, Microsoft suggests Continuous Picture List, as its circular shapes are designed to hold pictures. That's great for an About page or a pitch document showing how your business has grown.

The catch: it's a picture of dates, not a schedule

This is worth knowing before you build a big plan around it. A SmartArt timeline is a graphic, and in my experience it doesn't know anything about real dates. The points sit evenly along the line, whether two milestones are a week apart or a year apart, and nothing updates if a deadline moves. It's a communication tool, not a project planner.

Microsoft's own page links to timeline tools in Visio and Project for heavier scheduling. For most small businesses, my approach is simpler: keep the real dates in your calendar or project tool, and use the Word timeline to show clients the big picture.

Styling it to match your documents

On the SmartArt Design tab, select Change Colors and hover over the combinations for a preview. SmartArt styles apply effects such as line style, bevel or 3-D perspective in one click, and Quick Styles shows more options. I'd stick to your brand colours and a flat style so the dates stay easy to read when the document's printed or viewed on a phone.

Tips for a clear timeline

• Keep each label short: the date plus a few words.
• Use the same date format throughout, such as 3 Mar or March.
• Limit it to the milestones that matter. Ten or fewer points is usually plenty.
• Put the detail in a table or paragraph below the graphic.

What I'd do

Use Basic Timeline for client plans and Circle Accent Timeline or Continuous Picture List for your own story. Type everything in the Text Pane, reorder with Move Up and Move Down, and remember it won't track real deadlines for you. If you share plans in Google Docs too, here's how to make a timeline in Google Docs, and if you're putting a CV together, my guide to formatting a resume in Microsoft Word has more layout tips.

Frequently asked questions

Where are the timeline templates in Word?

Go to Insert, SmartArt, Process. Basic Timeline and Circle Accent Timeline are the two timeline graphics.

How do I add a date to a Word timeline?

Select a shape, then on the SmartArt Design tab choose Add Shape, then Add Shape Before or After.

How do I reorder events on the timeline?

Select the date and choose Move Up or Move Down on the SmartArt Design tab.

Can I add pictures to a timeline in Word?

Yes. Change the layout to Continuous Picture List, which has circles designed for pictures.

Does a SmartArt timeline space dates accurately?

In my experience, no. The points sit evenly along the line, so it shows the order of events rather than the real gaps.