How to Create Multiple Project Timelines in Microsoft Project

In this updated for 2026 blog post, I’m going to walk you through how to create multiple project timelines in Microsoft Project. If you’ve ever presented a schedule to stakeholders and realized that a single timeline just can’t capture everything you want to highlight — maybe you need one view for key milestones and another for major phases — then this is exactly what you’ve been looking for. Microsoft Project gives you two different ways to accomplish this, and once you know how to use them, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without them.

And if you’d rather watch a YouTube video of this same article, click here or click on the thumbnail below.

To make this concrete, suppose you’re managing a large software rollout for your organization. You might want one timeline that shows the full project summary from start to finish, and a separate timeline that highlights just the milestone dates your executive team cares about. Rather than cramming everything into one cluttered view, multiple timelines let you tailor the presentation to your audience. That’s a powerful thing.

In this article, I’ll walk you through both methods — creating a brand-new timeline view, and adding a new timeline bar to an existing view — so you can choose the approach that best fits your situation. Let’s dive in!

Getting the Timeline Pane on Your Screen

Before you can work with multiple timelines, you need to make sure the Timeline pane is visible. If you’re working in the Gantt Chart view and don’t see a timeline bar across the top of the screen, right-click anywhere in the white or gray area of the Gantt chart and choose Show Timeline from the shortcut menu. This brings up the default timeline view that ships with Microsoft Project.

One important thing to note is that you may want to increase the height of the Timeline pane before you get started. A taller pane gives you more room to work, especially when you’re stacking multiple timeline bars on top of each other. You can drag the horizontal border between the timeline and the Gantt chart downward to resize it.

Method 1: Creating a Brand-New Timeline View

The first method involves creating an entirely new, named timeline view that you can switch to at any time — similar to how you switch between Gantt Chart view and Resource Sheet view. This is ideal when you want to maintain completely separate timeline configurations for different audiences, like one for your project team and one for your executive sponsors.

Here’s how to create a new timeline view:

1. Click anywhere in the Timeline pane to activate it.
2. Navigate to the Format tab on the ribbon (it will be labeled Timeline when the Timeline pane is active).
3. Click the Timeline Picklist button and choose More Views from the dropdown.
4. In the More Views dialog, click New.
5. In the Define New View dialog, type a descriptive name for your view — for example, Milestones View — and click OK.
6. When prompted for the screen type, select Timeline and click OK.
7. Click Apply to activate your new timeline view.

Notice that your new timeline view is now empty — it’s a blank canvas waiting for you to add tasks. Let’s populate it.

Adding Tasks and Milestones to Your New Timeline View

With your new timeline view active, here’s how to add content to it:

1. Right-click on the project summary task (row 0 in your task list) and choose Add to Timeline. This stretches a summary bar across the full span of your project, giving you a helpful date range backdrop.
2. Click once in the Timeline pane to make sure it’s still active, then click Existing Tasks on the Format ribbon.
3. In the Add Tasks to Timeline dialog, check the boxes next to the milestones or tasks you want to display, then click OK.
4. If any milestone labels overlap, click and drag them to reposition them for clarity.

Formatting Your New Timeline View

Here’s how to give your new timeline some visual polish:

1. Click the project summary task bar in the timeline to select it, then click the Background Color picklist on the ribbon and choose a color that suits your project or organization’s branding.
2. To style the milestone labels, click the Text Styles button on the left side of the Format ribbon. From there, you can change the font, size, and color for milestone names and dates.
3. If you’d prefer a cleaner look without the date tick marks on the timeline bar, click the Date Format picklist and deselect Timescale.

And that’s how you build a fully customized timeline view from scratch! To switch between your new view and the default timeline view, simply click the Timeline Picklist button on the right side of the Format ribbon and select whichever view you need.

If you want to go deeper on timeline views and all the other powerful scheduling features in Microsoft Project, Dale covers these topics thoroughly in his training courses. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to sharpen your advanced skills, you can view Dale’s Microsoft Project training courses.

Method 2: Adding a New Timeline Bar to the Existing View

The second method is a bit more lightweight. Instead of creating a separate named view, you simply add an additional timeline bar directly inside the existing Timeline pane. This is a great option when you want to compare two different sets of tasks or milestones side by side without leaving the current view.

Here’s how to add a new timeline bar:

1. Make sure the Timeline pane is tall enough to display multiple bars. If you haven’t already, drag the border between the pane and the Gantt chart downward to give yourself more room.
2. Click anywhere in the Timeline pane to activate it.
3. On the Format ribbon, click Timeline Bar. Microsoft Project will add a new, empty bar below the existing one.
4. Click anywhere in the new blank timeline bar to select it.
5. Click Existing Tasks on the ribbon, and in the Add Tasks to Timeline dialog, select the tasks or milestones you want to display in this new bar. Click OK.

Formatting and Labeling Your New Timeline Bar

Once your tasks are added, you can format the new bar using the same color and text style options described in Method 1. One additional feature worth using here is bar labels. Click the Bar Label button on the left side of the Format ribbon to add a descriptive label to each timeline bar — for example, “Executive Summary” or “Key Milestones.” This makes it immediately clear to anyone viewing the schedule what each bar represents.

Notice that with two bars displayed in the same pane, you can give each one a distinct color scheme so they’re easy to tell apart at a glance. A little formatting goes a long way when you’re presenting to stakeholders.

Choosing the Right Method for Your Situation

Both methods accomplish the goal of showing multiple timelines, but they serve slightly different purposes. Method 1 — creating a new named timeline view — is best when you need entirely separate, saved timeline configurations that you’ll reuse across multiple sessions or share with different audiences. Method 2 — adding a timeline bar — is quicker and works well when you simply want to show two or more task groupings side by side within the same view.

There’s no wrong choice here. The best approach depends on how you manage your schedule and how your stakeholders prefer to consume project information. Try both and see which one fits your workflow.

Wrapping Up

And that’s it! You now know two different ways to create multiple project timelines in Microsoft Project. Whether you build a brand-new named view or simply stack additional timeline bars inside the existing pane, you have the flexibility to present your project exactly the way your audience needs to see it. Go ahead and experiment with different color schemes and label combinations — a well-designed timeline is one of the most effective communication tools a project manager has.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a timeline view and a timeline bar in Microsoft Project?

A timeline view is a fully separate, named view that you can save and switch to independently — similar to switching from Gantt Chart view to Resource Sheet view. A timeline bar, on the other hand, is an additional horizontal bar added within the existing Timeline pane. Both can display different sets of tasks, but a named view gives you more flexibility for reuse and sharing, while an additional bar is quicker to set up for an in-the-moment comparison.

How many timeline bars can I add to the Timeline pane?

Microsoft Project allows you to add up to three timeline bars within a single Timeline pane. If you need more than three separate views of your schedule, you would use Method 1 to create additional named timeline views instead.

Can I copy a timeline from Microsoft Project into a PowerPoint presentation?

Yes! With the Timeline pane active, go to the Format ribbon and click Copy Timeline. You’ll be given options to copy it for use in email, a small presentation size, or a full-size slide. You can then paste it directly into PowerPoint or Outlook. This is one of the most popular ways project managers share schedule summaries with stakeholders.

How do I add a task to a specific timeline bar rather than the default one?

When you right-click a task in your task list and choose Add to Timeline, Microsoft Project will add it to whichever timeline bar is currently active. To target a specific bar, click inside that bar first to activate it, and then add your tasks using the Existing Tasks button on the Format ribbon. This gives you precise control over which tasks appear on which bar.

Can I delete a custom timeline view or timeline bar if I no longer need it?

Yes. To remove a timeline bar, click inside it to activate it, then click the Remove Timeline Bar button on the Format ribbon. To delete a custom named timeline view, go to the View tab, click Other Views, and choose More Views. Select your custom view from the list and click Delete. One important thing to note is that deleting a view is permanent within that project file, so make sure you no longer need it before removing it.

Do my custom timeline views get saved with the project file?

By default, custom views are saved within the individual project file where you created them. If you want a custom timeline view to be available in all of your future project files, you can use the Organizer (found under File > Info > Organizer) to copy the view into your Global template. Once it’s in the Global template, it will be accessible from any project you open on that machine.

Where can I learn more about creating and formatting timelines in Microsoft Project?

Dale Howard has a library of free tutorials on his YouTube channel, plus in-depth training courses available at dalehowardmvp.com.

Ready to master Microsoft Project?

If you’re serious about building better schedules and communicating your projects more effectively, Dale’s training courses will take you from the basics all the way to advanced techniques. Each course is designed specifically for working project managers who need practical, real-world skills they can apply right away.View Dale’s Training Courses