How to enable Facebook Timeline right now (step-by-step)

Facebook Timeline

To enable Facebook Timeline follow the steps from this article.

Many new features has been introduced on Facebook these past weeks, and one that is getting people excited about is Timeline, this is another redesign coming soon to the social network, and this one is looking pretty good so far. The new feature is focus to bring you the things you care about the most (news, post updates, photo posts, the apps you’ve used, and even places you have visited in a world map) in a new organized and meaningful way, that you can scroll down all the way back to your day of birth.

Timeline will make users engage even more in their profiles, spending more time uploading information and pictures from the past. This feature still in the testing stages, so it is not open for everyone just yet, but hopefully soon will be, and in any way does this mean that you cannot get it right now.

Now if you are willing to go through several steps, you can enable Facebook Timeline right now! How? You may ask, it’s just a matter of following the instructions down below and in no time you’ll be showing to all your friends this new feature.

How to enable Facebook Timeline

1. Here is where everything starts. First, you’ll need to become a Facebook developer — don’t be scared, it is just part of the process, you don’t need to be a programmers –, to do this head over to the Facebook developer page and sign up (make sure you are logged into your Facebook account). Then click Allow.

Facebook Timeline - Request for permission

2. Click on Create New App.

Facebook Timeline - Create new app

3. In New App at the App Display Name field, type a name (anything you can think of will be fine), and in App Namespace type a unique name, this can also be whatever you want, but keep in mind that it has to be unique and has to be available to use, if it is you’ll see the word Available colored in green on the right side. Don’t forget to agree the policy terms, and click Continue, pass the security CAPTCHA, and proceed to the next step.

Facebook Timeline - New App

4. Now in your basic app settings, on the left menu, click Open Graph.

Facebook Timeline - Open Graph

5. In Get Started with Open Graph, fill anything you want in the next two fields and click Get Started.

Facebook Timeline - Open Graph get started

6. Too many steps? Don’t worry we are almost done, in the next screen just scroll down to bottom and simply click Save Changes and Next, and do the same in the next screen, and in the 3rd screen click Save and Finish.

Facebook Timeline - Open Graph: Save changes

7. Then you will see this page (refer to the image below). Now just wait several minutes and go to your Facebook homepage. At this point everything pretty much is done.

Facebook Timeline - Open Graph finish

8. When you are back in your Facebook homepage, you’ll notice the invite atop of the page. You done it! Simply click Get It Now and get started.

Facebook Timeline - Invite: Get It Now

And hopefully you’ll start having fun with your new Facebook Timeline page.

Facebook Timeline Page

Now that you are in it, configure it any way you like it — I would recommend you to click Start Tour to see how everything works, then set yours up and click Publish Now to send your Facebook Timeline live. Or, in the case you are not quiet ready, you can hold off until, September 29, 2011, when it will publish itself. 

Last if you want to browser your new Timeline from another device, just copy and save the address from where you are editing the Timeline, sample address: http://www.facebook.com/USERNAME?sk=timeline.

This is a video that gives you an overview of Timeline

Useful Links

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.