Try it right now

Download the example collection, import it, and you have your first timeline in Parallel, ready to edit. A CSV is a table that becomes your timeline in the app.

Example: Ancient Rome

20 entries, from the founding of the Republic to the fall. Emperors, thinkers and generals as bars across about a thousand years.

Download the example collection (.csv)

The imported Ancient Rome collection shown as a timeline in Parallel, with overlapping lifespans from Cicero to Hadrian.

A first timeline of your own, as an example: It is here to show how easy importing is once you have the one-time upgrade to Parallel Pro. This example collection makes no claim to be complete. After importing, you can edit and expand the collection right in the app.

How to import

Open Parallel and go to the Collections tab.
Scroll down and tap Import CSV file.
Open the folder where your CSV is, usually the Files app, and pick the file.
Decide whether to create a new collection or add to an existing one.
Give the new collection a name, for example "Ancient Rome", and a color.
Tap Import. The collection appears right away.
Switch to the Timeline tab to see it there.

CSV import needs a one-time upgrade to Parallel Pro.

Build your own

Prefer to start from scratch? All you need is a spreadsheet app like Numbers, Excel or Google Sheets. Exactly two columns are required: a title and a startYear. Everything else is optional and adds more detail to your collection.

Template to copy

title;startYear;startMonth;startDay;endYear;endMonth;endDay;isAlive;type;category;description;colorHex;tags;startFuzziness;endFuzziness;websiteURLs
Cicero;-106;1;3;-43;12;7;false;person;Statesman;"Roman statesman and orator of the late Republic.";#007AFF;rome,statesman,politics,antiquity;0;0;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicero
Augustus;-63;9;23;14;8;19;false;person;Emperor;"The first Roman emperor and founder of the Principate.";#007AFF;rome,emperor,politics,antiquity;0;0;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus

It is easiest to edit the file in a spreadsheet app, which then handles separators and quotes automatically on export. Parallel accepts comma, semicolon or tab as the separator. Write years before the common era as negative, so -106 for 106 BC.

Where does the file go?

When you get the CSV onto your iPhone, for example by download, AirDrop or email, it lands in the Files app, usually under Downloads or iCloud Drive. That is exactly the place you pick during import.

Every column explained

Only title and startYear are required. Add the others when you have the information, and skip the rest. Empty cells are perfectly fine.

All 16 columns

Column	Needed	What to put
title	required	The name of the person, event or period.
startYear	required	A whole number, negative for years before the common era.
startMonth	optional	1 to 12. Leave empty if unknown.
startDay	optional	1 to 31. Leave empty if unknown.
endYear	optional	Leave empty for a single moment or an ongoing entry.
endMonth	optional	1 to 12.
endDay	optional	1 to 31.
isAlive	optional	`true` for a living person, otherwise leave it empty.
type	optional	One of eight: person, event, epoch, dynasty, conflict, place, movement, work. If left empty, the row counts as an event.
category	optional	Any label you like, for grouping. For example Art, Science or Politics.
description	optional	A sentence or two. Wrap it in quotes if it contains commas.
colorHex	optional	A color like `#E74C3C`. Skip it and Parallel colors by type.
tags	optional	Comma separated, anything you like. Tags power the filters.
startFuzziness	optional	Uncertainty in years, a number like `10`, or just high, medium or low.
endFuzziness	optional	Same idea, for the end date.
websiteURLs	optional	One or more links, separated by a vertical bar `\|`.

Fuzziness draws the uncertainty. If a birth year is only known to within about ten years, put 10 and Parallel softens the edge of the bar to match.
Your tags are yours. Type any tags you want, and add more anytime. The built in collections use a fixed set so the filters stay tidy, but your own entries can use anything.

With the help of an AI tool

Have a topic but do not feel like typing it all out, or just want a head start on the research? Describe it to an AI like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and have it generate a ready CSV. Copy this prompt and replace "TOPIC" with your own.

Make me a CSV file for the Parallel timeline app about TOPIC.

Format:
- Semicolon ( ; ) separated. UTF-8.
- Use exactly this header, in this order:
title;startYear;startMonth;startDay;endYear;endMonth;endDay;isAlive;type;category;description;colorHex;tags;startFuzziness;endFuzziness;websiteURLs
- Every row must have all 16 fields, so 15 semicolons. Fill what you know and leave the rest empty, but keep the semicolons in place.

Field rules:
- title: short and clear, no semicolons.
- startYear / endYear: whole numbers. Negative for years BC, for example -753. Leave endYear empty for a single event or a living person.
- startMonth, startDay, endMonth, endDay: numbers, only if known.
- isAlive: true only for a living person, otherwise false.
- type: one of person, event, epoch, dynasty, conflict, place, movement, work.
- category: a single grouping label, for example Art, Science, Politics, Music, Literature, Military.
- description: two or three factual sentences. No semicolons. Wrap it in straight quotes.
- colorHex: a hex color like #E74C3C, consistent per category.
- tags: a few lowercase comma separated tags, no spaces.
- startFuzziness / endFuzziness: years of uncertainty as a number, or 0 if the date is firm.
- websiteURLs: a Wikipedia link where possible.

Give me 12 to 25 well chosen entries. Check the dates carefully. Output only the CSV, nothing else.

Some AI tools offer the CSV as a direct download. If not, copy the text, paste it into Notes or a text editor, and save it as a .csv file. Then import it exactly as described above.

What to watch out for with AI

AI is a strong starting point, but it gets things wrong, often very confidently. Typical problems are dead links, clumsy spelling, the wrong quotation marks, and, over and over, wrong dates and facts. So treat an AI-generated CSV as a draft, look it over, and check it against reliable sources like Wikipedia.

Every collection in Parallel is carefully researched and checked, entry by entry. None of it comes from a quick AI prompt. The nine built in collections are free, with optional premium packs on top.

One-time upgrade, no subscription

CSV import is part of Parallel Pro, a one-time upgrade. You will find everything about Free, Pro and Premium on the Parallel page.