How To Make and Use Timeline Charts in Google Sheets

Unsure which chart type to use? Click here to find the right chart for your data and the ideas that you want to convey.

Timeline charts are a special type of line chart in Google Sheets for data that is marked by date or time stamp. They will allow you to zoom in and out to see both short-term and long-term patterns. 

In this tutorial, we will learn how to make and use timeline charts in Google Sheets. 

The sample data that we will use in this tutorial is the historical stock value data of Microsoft (MSFT) on NASDAQ: Microsoft Corporation Common Stock (MSFT) Historical Data

How to format the data for timeline charts

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The data for a timeline chart can be formatted as follows:

• The first column contains the date or datetime
• The second column is for the data attached to a given date or datetime
• Additional columns can be added for another line or curve in the chart

This straightforward format is similar to the format of line charts.

How to make a timeline chart

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Step 1: Select the data to be plotted to a timeline chart, then click Insert on the main menu, then select Chart.

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Step 2: Go to the Chart editor, then click the drop-down box below Chart type. Scroll down to find the Timeline chart option under the Other heading.

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Here is the timeline chart:

As you can see, there are more features on a timeline chart that do not exist on a simple line chart which can be useful when analyzing historical data. At the top of the chart is a set of buttons with different time periods ranging from 1 hour to the maximum time period covered by the data, as well as a range below the main chart with ends that you can drag. We will learn their purpose  in the next section.

How to change the period displayed by the timeline chart

There are two methods for changing the period displayed by the timeline chart which each use one of the range controls in the timeline chart. 

Method 1: The zoom options on the top of the chart

There are buttons on the top of the chart with the label Zoom that you can select to zoom in to within a given period backwards from the most recent entry. There are options for 1 hour, 1 day, 5 days, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and the maximum period.

By default, the maximum range is used:

If we select 1 yr, we will get the following timeline chart:

If we select 1 month, we will get the following timeline chart:

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Method 2: The date range selector on the bottom of the chart

There is a slider on the bottom of the chart, called the date range selector, that you can modify if you want to focus on a specific time period in between the earliest and most recent data points.. For our example, we want to zoom in on the dip in the first quarter of 2020 (you know what happened in this period):

To do so, slide the sliders on the bottom of the chart until you cover the relevant period:

You can now better analyze a specific period in the timeline chart.

How to hide the range controls in the timeline chart

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There are two range controls in the timeline chart: the zoom buttons on the top of the chart and the slider on the bottom of the chart. If you want to hide the range controls in the timeline chart, here are the steps:

Step 1: Go to the Chart editor sidebar on the right side of Google Sheets, then select Customize tab, then select Timeline. 

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Step 2: Look down to find Show zoom buttons and Show date range selector. By default, they are ticked. Untick them.

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Here is the final timeline chart now.

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How to include zero in the timeline chart

By default, timeline charts modify the range of the y-axis so that it starts with the lowest value within the displayed range. You can change the starting point to zero  by ticking Expand range to show zero, located near the bottom of the Timeline options under the Customize tab of the Chart editor sidebar.

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Here is the timeline chart:

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How to make a timeline chart with several columns

You can also make a timeline chart that includes more than one column of data for a given period of time. Each additional column of data will plot another line on the timeline chart. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Select the data to be plotted to a timeline chart, then click Insert on the main menu, then select Chart.

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Step 2: Go to Chart editor, then click the drop-down box below Chart type. Scroll down to find the Timeline chart under the Other heading.

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Here is the timeline chart:

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Sample sheet

Here is the sample sheet you can check for the examples shown here.

Timeline chart sample sheet