// free tool - timeline maker

Timeline Maker Free timeline creator online

Paste dates and events from Excel or Google Sheets and get a clean timeline with automatic sorting, range bars, category colors and labels that never overlap. Horizontal or vertical, to scale or evenly spaced, PNG and SVG with no watermark.

  • Free - no sign-up
  • Runs in your browser
  • Any date format, even BC
  • PNG + SVG export
Samples
# Date End Event Category Delete

You can paste several rows from a spreadsheet straight into any cell.

100%

Events are sorted by date for you. Use Even spacing when events bunch up or span centuries.

PNG and SVG are free with no watermark. Save, share links, PDF and PPTX come with All-Access Pro ($9) or Team ($29).

    Go past the timeline

    The timeline shows the dates. Hitting them is the job.

    A timeline shows where you are going. These AI skills and agents plug into Claude, ChatGPT or any AI chat and help you plan the roadmap and deliver it on time.

    AI Agent AI Project Management Agent Builds a full project plan: work breakdown, timeline, RACI, risk register and stakeholder updates. See the agent -> AI Skill Roadmap Template Gives you a ready roadmap structure with themes, milestones and priorities to fill in. See the skill -> AI Skill Product Manager Helps decide what goes on the product roadmap, writes specs and plans releases. See the skill ->

    What is a timeline maker?

    A timeline places events on a line in date order, so you can see what happened when, how long each period lasted and how events relate. This free timeline maker draws one from a simple table of dates and events. Type or paste the rows, and the timeline creator sorts them, spaces them, colors them by category and stacks the labels so nothing overlaps.

    It runs in your browser with no sign-up. Your draft is autosaved in this browser, and you can export PNG or SVG with no watermark.

    How to make a timeline in four steps

    1. Add events. Fill in the table, paste rows from Excel or Google Sheets, or load a sample: Company history, Product roadmap or Space exploration.
    2. Add ranges and categories. Fill the End column to turn an event into a range bar for a period or an era, and the Category column to color events and get a legend.
    3. Choose layout and spacing. Horizontal or vertical layout; spacing To scale or Even.
    4. Check and export. Fix anything the Checks panel flags, then download PNG or SVG.

    Timeline input format

    The table has four columns: Date, End, Event and Category. Only Date and Event are required. You do not need to sort the rows; events are sorted by date automatically. Dates can be written in many common forms:

    • Year only: 2026
    • Year and month: 2026-03 or March 2026
    • Full date: 2026-03-15, Mar 15 2026, 15 March 2026 or 03/15/2026
    • Ancient history: 500 BC 
    Date,End,Event,Category
2024-02,,Company founded,Company
2024-09,2025-03,Seed round and first hires,Funding
2025-06,,Product v1 launch,Product
2026-01,2026-06,Expansion to Europe,Market
2026-09,,Product v2 launch,Product

    Rows with an End date become bars, single dates become points, and every category gets its own color in the legend.

    To scale or Even spacing

    To scale places events at their true distance in time, so a five-year gap looks five times longer than a one-year gap. Use it when the gaps themselves tell the story, as in a product roadmap or a project history. Even spaces events at equal gaps regardless of dates. Use it when events are bunched together or spread over a very long span, such as history from 3000 BC to today, where a scale view would squeeze recent events into a corner.

    What the timeline creator checks

    • Invalid dates that do not match any supported format are flagged so you can fix the row.
    • End before start. If a range ends before it begins, the dates are swapped and you get a warning.

    Timeline tips

    • Keep event names short. Three to six words fit cleanly; put details in your doc or slide notes.
    • Use 3 to 6 categories. More colors than that stop helping the reader.
    • Use ranges for phases. Projects, eras and reigns read better as bars than as two separate points.
    • Pick vertical for long lists. A vertical timeline fits more events on a page or a phone screen.
    • Match the date detail. Use years for history, months for roadmaps, days for project timelines.

    Use cases

    Teams use a timeline for company history pages, product roadmaps and release history. If you build roadmaps often, a roadmap template or a product manager skill helps you decide what goes on it, and a project management agent can turn the plan into tasks. Students and teachers use the tool for history timelines, book plots and biographies, where the Even spacing and BC dates come in handy.

    Free version vs Pro

    Building, checking and exporting PNG or SVG are free, with no account and no watermark. Your draft lives only in this browser. With the All-Access subscription (Pro $9 per month, Team $29 per month for 5 seats) you can save diagrams to your account, share a read-only link you can revoke at any time, and export PDF or PPTX for slide decks.

    Planning tasks with dependencies rather than events? Use the Gantt Chart Maker instead.

    More free diagram tools

    Same editor, same free exports, different diagram:

    Or browse all free AI tools and generators.

    FAQ

    Is this timeline maker free?

    Yes. Building, editing and exporting PNG or SVG are free with no sign-up and no watermark. Saving to an account, share links, PDF and PPTX export are part of the paid All-Access subscription.

    Which date formats are supported?

    Years like 2026, months like 2026-03 or March 2026, full dates like 2026-03-15, Mar 15 2026, 15 March 2026 or 03/15/2026, and BC years like 500 BC.

    How do I show a period instead of a single date?

    Fill the End column. The event becomes a range bar from the start date to the end date, which works well for project phases, eras and reigns.

    What is the difference between To scale and Even spacing?

    To scale places events at their true distance in time. Even uses equal gaps, which is better for dense events or very long spans such as ancient history.

    Is my data private?

    The free tool runs fully in your browser and your draft is saved only in this browser. Nothing is stored in an account unless you are on Pro and choose to save the timeline.