Opening the Timeline
The Timeline lives at the bottom of the slide editor. Click the Timeline button (with the chevron) in the bottom bar to expand it.
When it opens, you'll see a row for every animated element on your slide, laid across a ruler marked in seconds.
Reading the Timeline
Each row is one element on your slide, labeled on the left.
Colored segments show that element's animations: where a segment starts is when the animation begins, and its length is how long it runs.
The ruler across the top marks time in seconds, up to your slide's total duration.
The orange playhead shows the current moment.
If a segment starts later than you expected or two elements animate at the same time when they shouldn't, you'll see it immediately — no need to replay the slide over and over.
Playing and scrubbing
Play / Pause — plays the slide's animations from the current position, exactly as they'll appear on your screens.
Rewind — jumps back to the start.
Stop — ends the preview and returns the slide to its normal editing view.
Scrub — click or drag anywhere on a row's track to jump the playhead to that moment. Every element updates to show precisely how the slide looks at that instant — perfect for checking what's visible at, say, the 3-second mark.
Resizing the panel
If your slide has many animated elements, drag the top edge of the Timeline upward to see more rows at once — just like resizing a panel in your browser. The panel opens showing the first few rows and can grow until every element is visible. Drag it back down when you want more room for your slide, or double-click the top edge to snap back to the default size. The Timeline remembers your preferred height.
Making timing changes
The Timeline shows your animations; the changes themselves are made where you set them up:
Select the element on your slide (or click its row label to find it).
Open the Animate panel.
Adjust the delay, duration, or animation type.
The Timeline updates instantly to reflect the new timing.
A common rhythm: play the slide, spot the element that enters too early, tweak its delay in the Animate panel, and watch the segment shift — then play again to confirm.
Tips
Check the opening moment. Scrub to 0s to see exactly what your audience sees the instant the slide appears — anything that should animate in shouldn't be visible yet.
Stagger for polish. Rows whose segments all start at the same moment animate as a wall; offsetting starts by a fraction of a second reads far more professionally. The Timeline makes those offsets visible.
Mind the end of the slide. If a segment runs past your slide's duration, the animation will be cut off when the slide changes — the ruler shows your total time so you can keep everything inside it.
Frequently asked questions
Why don't I see a row for one of my elements? Only elements with animations appear in the Timeline. Add an animation to the element and its row will appear.
Does the preview match what plays on my screens? Yes — the Timeline plays the same animations with the same timing your displays use.
Can I drag the segments to change timing? Not currently — timing is adjusted in the Animate panel, and the Timeline reflects changes immediately.
The panel is taking up too much room. Drag its top edge down, or double-click the edge to return to the default height. Click the Timeline button to collapse it entirely.