Timelines in presentations are useful design tools that help demonstrate complex processes in a clear and visually engaging way. Whether you want to show a company’s history or product life cycles, a timeline presentation lets you present data in an easily understandable manner.
Although PowerPoint offers built-in templates, users find them generic and lacking interactive features. They also have limited customization options, making it difficult for users to create the design they envision.
So, if you’re looking for an alternate tool with more visually appealing and customizable templates, EdrawMax is the answer. In this article, we will introduce 10 timeline templates from EdrawMax, which you can use in PowerPoint to make your presentations more impactful and interactive.
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10 Best Timeline Templates for PowerPoint
EdrawMax Timeline Maker offers thousands of ready-made templates that are editable and free. It gives you an option to start from a template, edit it as per your needs, and get a quick diagram. Let’s explore some timeline templates that you can use for PowerPoint.
Horizontal Timeline- Engineering Design Phases
A horizontal timeline like the one above presents information in chronological order from the left side of the page to the right-hand side. This template demonstrates an engineering design phase timeline where each task is assigned a specific date, following a clear chronological order.
Vertical Timeline- The EU Milestones
In a vertical timeline, information is presented chronologically, with the most recent event at the top. This milestone timeline presents the history of the European Union, highlighting important events in the last three decades.
Infographics Timeline
An infographic timeline presents information through graphics in a time progression context. This timeline format is very popular in presentations as it’s visually appealing and illustrates data in greater detail. Looking at the above template, you will notice the milestones are shown vertically, starting from the first or most recent event at the top.
Horizontal Timeline- Finance Development
Here’s another horizontal template showing a business's finance development timeline. You can customize the template according to your needs, adding more months/ years to the diagram. You can also change the icons to better reflect the information.
Gantt Chart Timeline
The Gantt chart timeline follows a horizontal pattern, presenting information through bar charts. Gantt charts allow users to track the progress of a project over time. A template like the one above can be used for managing projects of all sizes, as well as coordinating dates and allocating resources.
Gantt Chart Timeline- Project Management
This Gantt chart template highlights the different project management stages. This chart presents a lot of overlapping information. Still, because the diagram is divided into two parts, on the top and bottom, it is easier to understand the timeline for each task.
Journey Timeline
Here’s another timeline template, showing a timeline for a journey. It gives an overview of your upcoming journey to your friends or customers. Although designed for the travel industry, this timeline can be edited to fit any business needs.
Horizontal Bar Timeline
Here’s a template for a horizontal bar chart. It highlights important project milestones, and the bar's color coding represents the duration of events.
Chronological Timeline- Annual Business Growth
A chronological timeline like the one above highlights important milestones over the years. The template shows a business's annual growth and can be applied in any industry. You can change the icons and text to make it more relevant to your business.
Pert Chart Timeline
PERT, or project evaluation and review technique charts, visually represent a project’s timeline. They are similar to Gantt charts but without the horizontal bar structure. The template above is a simplified PERT chart, but it can be edited to reflect the complexity of a project’s timeline.
How to Use a Timeline Template?
Once you’ve found a template that meets your needs, you can download it in PPT format for your PowerPoint presentation. Here is a step-by-step guide to get you started.
Step 1 Open the App
Download EdrawMax or try it online.
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Write Timeline in the search bar to explore EdrawMax’s different diagram styles.
Search the templates library for a timeline diagram that best suits your needs. Once you’ve found one, click Use Immediately to open the template in the editing canvas.
Step 2Export the Template to PowerPoint
You will see an Export button at the top left of your screen. Click it to reveal the exporting options, then select PPT from the list.
Enter the File Name and select the Export Range and Ratio. Next, click Export to download the template in PPT format to your system.
Step 3 Edit the Template in PowerPoint
The downloaded template will open in PowerPoint. You can now edit the text color, size, content, and slide layout, among other things. You can also add animation effects to the presentation. After making the changes, click Save at the top-left corner.
Make a Timeline with EdrawMax for Presentations
EdrawMax is an all-in-one diagram-making tool that creates timelines, flowcharts, fishbone diagrams, floor plans, Gantt charts, presentations, and more. Let’s explore why the tool is a popular choice among users.
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Large Template Library
This powerful software includes an extensive template library, which makes it easy for users to start creating their presentations immediately. It gives you a head start to make a quick diagram from a ready-made template.
Templates Are Customizable
The best thing about EdrawMax templates is that they’re customizable. You can do much with this tool, from changing colors and line styles to adding unique symbols, icons, and images. And once you’re done, you can share the presentation with third parties and across teams, thanks to EdrawMax’s cloud storage.
Beginner-Friendly UI
EdrawMax's interface is fairly simple. There are numerous diagram-specific icons and symbols available for use. Plus, they can be simply dragged and dropped into the canvas.
Interactive AI Tool
If you don’t want to build a diagram from scratch, you can always use EdrawMax’s generative AI tool. It can create a timeline with prompts and meet your project requirements.
Better Compatibility
You can import files from other apps and export drawings to Word, PowerPoint, Vision, and other third-party apps. Because it allows files to be downloaded in various formats, the diagrams and presentations created on EdrawMax can be shared however you want.
Install EdrawMax Inside PowerPoint as an Add-in
EdrawMax allows users a lot of creative freedom on its own, but installing an add-in inside PowerPoint can optimize the presentation experience even further. When you integrate EdrawMax into PowerPoint, you can:
- Access the tool’s extensive diagram library and create various drawings such as timelines, mind maps, Gantt charts, and more.
- Transform plain slide text into presentations within seconds.
- Generate diagrams using prompts with EdrawMax’s AI tool.
- Analyze diagrams with AI assistance for valuable suggestions and quick summaries.
- Customize each slide through EdrawMax’s advanced diagramming toolkit.
Here’s a quick guide you can follow to add EdrawMax as an add-in in PowerPoint.
Step 1
Get 500 free AI tokens
Launch EdrawMax and find the PowerPoint Add-in on the homepage. Click on the tab to get started.
Tip: If the step above does not work, check the guide here to learn how to install EdrawMax Add-in.
Step 2
Open PowerPoint and locate EdrawMax at the top right of the panel. Click the tab to reveal the tool’s features.
Step 3
Select More Diagrams from EdrawMax’s tools panel. Click More to reveal EdrawMax’s featured templates.
Step 4
Search for Timeline templates and select one that best fits your needs. You can then customize the template however you want and save the final copy to your system.
EdrawMax’s PowerPoint add-in eliminates the need to export templates from the app, saving you time and allowing you more customization freedom.
Conclusion
In this article, we have examined the 10 best timeline templates for PowerPoint. Although PowerPoint offers templates as well, they are not as interactive or customizable as EdrawMax. With EdrawMax, you can access 210 types of diagrams and more than 10,000 free templates, making it a must-have for teams looking for visual project management solutions. Give it a shot, see if optimizes your productivity.
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