In this tutorial, you will learn how to make a timeline in Google Sheets
How to Make a Timeline in Google Sheets
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When working with chronological data, you may want to visualize your dataset to make it easier to analyze. While line charts are a straightforward way to view such data, Google Sheets offers a much more powerful solution.
The timeline chart allows users to view chronological data in any given time frame. Unlike the line chart, users can quickly use a slider to adjust the time frame of the data. Users can also click on a few buttons to quickly view data from set time frames such as the past month, week, or day.
The flexibility of the timeline chart makes it a good choice for viewing data with larger datasets that require users to zoom in and zoom out of their data. This guide will explain how you can set up your own timeline chart in Google Sheets.
How to Insert a Timeline Chart in Google Sheets
Here’s how to insert a timeline chart in Google Sheets.
Step 1
First, select the data you want to convert into a timeline. Do note that the first column of your selection must contain date values.
In this example, we have selected a dataset that tracks the stock price of a particular asset over a few weeks. We’ve included the first row since the headers will be useful in the chart later on.
Step 2
Next, click on the Chart option found in the Insert menu.
Step 3
In the Chart editor, click on the Chart type dropdown list and select Timeline chart.
Check the option labeled ‘Use row 1 as headers’.
Step 4
The chart should now show a line graph that spans a given time frame.
We can adjust the sliders at the bottom to change the start and end time of our current view.
Step 5
Hovering over any data point will show the relevant information in the top-right corner.
For example, in our timeline chart above, we’re able to see the stock price of our asset on a given date.
Step 6
Google Sheets provides the option to download the timeline chart as an image. Click on the settings icon on the top-right and click Download > PNG image (.png)
Summary
This guide should be everything you need to make a timeline in Google Sheets.
You may make a copy of this example spreadsheet to test it out on your own.