How to Enable Facebook Timeline

Posted by on Sep 22, 2011 | 30 Comments

Announced today at the f8 conference is a completely new redesign of Facebook; this new design is more customizable to your needs and filters out a lot of the trash that can build up over time and ruin the quality of your Facebook experience. If you’re an impatient person like me and you want to access the new Facebook Timeline layout, follow these simple steps to activate it.

Once you’ve logged into your Facebook account, enable Developer mode.

To do this, go to the search bar and type Developer. You’re looking for an application made by Facebook — it should be the first result that appears. Once you click on it, give it permission for your account.

How to Enable Facebook Timeline

If it doesn’t automatically get you to a screen that looks like what you see above, head over to the Developer section of Facebook and create a new application.

This application will not be seen by anybody, but it is needed to activate Facebook Timeline. Once you name your application, you must agree to the platform privacy agreement.

Once your application has been created, head to the Settings page in the Developer application. Under the settings for your application, look for where it says Open Graph and click on the Get Started Using Open Graph link.

Once you click that link, there will be a form where you may enter test actions. In these two fields you may enter whatever you wish, as long as it goes along the lines with the statement.

How to Enable Facebook Timeline

Once you press the Get Started button, you should be thrown into a configuration prompt and you may change data and save it again.

Now it’s time to wait (not long — only five minutes or so) and head back to your main Facebook profile.

On the top you should see your invitation to the Facebook Timeline beta. Presto! You’re in!

Have fun with the new Timeline and tell us what you think about it. Is this the last time Facebook will make a major change, or will it happen again soon?

  • Jimmy Rooney

    Chris, thanks so much for posting this!! Very cool. Are you liking it??

  • http://www.facebook.com/JAltimore Jennifer Kelly-Altimore

    Thank you so much for this… it worked!  So excited to test it out and play around with it!!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/JAltimore Jennifer Kelly-Altimore

    Thank you so much for this… it worked!  So excited to test it out and play around with it!!!!

  • Sarah Eaglesfield

    ok… how do I change back now? :-) (arghh, yes, I hate being the ‘Facebook Hater’ but this is just too weird!)

  • Sarah Eaglesfield

    ok… how do I change back now? :-) (arghh, yes, I hate being the ‘Facebook Hater’ but this is just too weird!)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=587108126 Nicholas Lescarbeau

    Great great great! I’m living google+ and coming back to facebook now!

    Ha! Ha! Just joking! But I realy like!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=587108126 Nicholas Lescarbeau

    Great great great! I’m living google+ and coming back to facebook now!

    Ha! Ha! Just joking! But I realy like!

  • Jeremy Neal

    I say they will change again with Google+ releases something new!

  • Jeremy Neal

    I say they will change again with Google+ releases something new!

  • http://www.OnlineMarketingMuscle.com Dean Mercado

    Thanks for the heads up! Implemented your instructions and I’m in… My initial take is that Facebook Timeline is awesome to say the least!

  • Anonymous

    Thanks for the heads up! Implemented your instructions and I’m in… My initial take is that Facebook Timeline is awesome to say the least!

  • joe

    thanks its working now 
    but what will happen when they release it for the public
    is there a problem ? 

  • http://joshbjorge.com Joshua BJorge

    I can’t wait for this!  BTW thanks Craighton, this helped a lot! 

  • http://joshbjorge.com Joshua BJorge

    I can’t wait for this!  BTW thanks Craighton, this helped a lot! 

  • http://hautepinkpretty.com hautepinkpretty

    love it! but i find it frustrating that I can’t remove career/education post like “graduated” or “ended work” etc… Also, maps is creepy – i like checking into places but don’t like that people can look at my history and see where i’ve been every day/week/month – maybe see a pattern eventually. This is unnerving. Anyway, featuring posts is super fun and i love the cover!! :D

    • Anonymous

      it’s still in beta, not meant for public yet. so maybe this is one of the consequences

  • Brandon O’Keeffe

    So weird. I love the ”milestones” and ”life event” sections, but it isn’t as slick, quick and simple as G+, and it seems a bit cluttered, which has always been Facebook’s main issue.

  • Brandon O’Keeffe

    So weird. I love the ”milestones” and ”life event” sections, but it isn’t as slick, quick and simple as G+, and it seems a bit cluttered, which has always been Facebook’s main issue.

  • Colin Pamplin

    thanks for the instructions, it works :)

  • http://robertglenfogarty.com/ Robert Glen Fogarty

    Nice one, Craighton! Got it working now. Thanks!

  • http://robertglenfogarty.com/ Robert Glen Fogarty

    Nice one, Craighton! Got it working now. Thanks!

  • http://www.facebook.com/krystal.kenville Krystal Kenville

    Holy Crap, I can’t beleive that worked.  I hate Facebook changes because it takes me so long to figure it out and it takes away so much of my time getting actual work done on it!  So I wanted to bite the bullet now instead of waiting so I can navigate it through the weekend!  Thanks so much…  ~K

  • http://www.facebook.com/krystal.kenville Krystal Kenville

    Holy Crap, I can’t beleive that worked.  I hate Facebook changes because it takes me so long to figure it out and it takes away so much of my time getting actual work done on it!  So I wanted to bite the bullet now instead of waiting so I can navigate it through the weekend!  Thanks so much…  ~K

  • Tami

    i hit the allow button and it took me to facebook developers page-the word “Apps” is in the upper left hand corner and “edit App” is in the right.  Under that are choices of ‘Websites”, “Apps on Facebook”, “Mobile apps”, and “Samples/How-to’s”…so what do I do now?

  • Anonymous

    are there any cons to this?

  • Anonymous

    are there any cons to this?

  • Anonymous

    it’s still in beta, not meant for public yet. so maybe this is one of the consequences

  • Simonizerlol

    I see nothing on the top of my profile can anyone help??

    Did i close something before that contain the timeline thing doesnt show out??

    Email: simonizerlol@gmail.com 

  • Simonizerlol

    I see nothing on the top of my profile can anyone help??

    Did i close something before that contain the timeline thing doesnt show out??

    Email: simonizerlol@gmail.com 

  • Simonizerlol

    I see nothing on the top of my profile can anyone help??

    Did i close something before that contain the timeline thing doesnt show out??

    Email: simonizerlol@gmail.com