Mind map maker. Thinking that branches out.

How to use the Mind Map maker

This mind map maker lets you grow ideas out from one central topic, branch by branch, on a canvas you can drag, zoom and tidy with one click. It is built for the keyboard: Tab adds a child and Enter adds a sibling. Use it to plan a project, outline an article or sort out notes, then export the map as an image, a backup file or a text outline.

Step by step

1. 1
   Open a map or start a new one

   On your first visit a sample map called My first map is open. To start fresh, press + New, type a Map name and press Create. The new map holds one node, Central idea. Switch between maps with the Map menu, and use the pencil and bin icons beside it to rename or delete the open map.

2. 2
   Name the central topic

   Click a node to select it, then press F2, double-click it or use the rename button in the second toolbar. Type the text and press Enter to save or Escape to cancel. Long text wraps onto several lines.

3. 3
   Add branches

   With a node selected, press + Child or the Tab key to add a node under it, and + Sibling or Enter to add one beside it. The new node opens for typing straight away. While you type, Tab saves and adds a child at once. A new node left empty is called New idea.

4. 4
   Arrange the map

   Press Auto-layout to tidy everything, and pick Tree for a left to right layout or Radial for branches spread around the center. The menu beside them sets the lines to Curved, Elbow or Straight. Drag a node to move it, drag empty space to pan, and use the mouse wheel, the minus and plus buttons or Fit to zoom.

5. 5
   Color and collapse branches

   Each main branch gets its own color. To change one, select a node and pick a color from the swatch. Recolor a main branch and every node under it follows, except nodes you colored yourself. Press the collapse button, the C key or the small circle on the node's edge to hide or show everything below it.

6. 6
   Fine tune the spacing

   Use the sliders in the third row: H-gap sets the distance between levels (120 to 340, default 210), V-gap the space between siblings (8 to 60, default 18), Text the font size (11 to 22, default 14) and Line the connector thickness (1 to 5, default 2). Moving H-gap, V-gap or Text tidies the whole map again, so nodes you placed by hand move back into line. Drag moves subtree and Auto-layout on add are both on by default.

7. 7
   Undo and redo

   Use the Undo and Redo arrows, or Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y. The tool remembers up to 100 steps for the open map. Switching maps or reloading the page clears that history.

8. 8
   Export or back up the map

   Press Download PNG for an image at double resolution, Export JSON for a backup file, or Outline .txt for an indented text list. Import JSON opens a backup as a new map, leaving your other maps as they are. Press ? Help to see every shortcut.

Reading the map

• The counter under the canvas shows how many nodes the open map has, collapsed ones included. The sample map shows 5 nodes.
• A small circle with a minus sign on a node means it has children you can hide. When a branch is collapsed, the circle fills in and shows a plus sign and how many nodes are hidden, for example +3.
• The percentage between the zoom buttons is the current zoom, from 20% to 250%. Fit picks the zoom that shows the whole map.
• The PNG shows the map as it looks now, so collapsed branches are left out. The text outline and the JSON file always include every node.

Tips and common mistakes

• Keyboard shortcuts only work while the canvas has focus. If Tab moves you around the page instead of adding a node, click the map first.
• Turn off Auto-layout on add if you place nodes by hand. With it on, every new or deleted node tidies the whole map and moves your nodes back into line.
• The central topic cannot be deleted, only renamed. Deleting any other node removes everything below it, and the tool asks first when more than one node would go.
• Uncheck Drag moves subtree when you want to move one node without the branch under it.
• Your maps live in this browser only. Export JSON now and then, since clearing site data or switching to another browser or device leaves them behind.

Privacy and limits

Everything runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Your maps, the layout and line style, the sliders and the two checkboxes are saved in this browser's local storage under the key dh_mindmap_v1, so they come back when you return on the same browser. Files you import are read on your device and are not sent anywhere.

Back to the tool

Everything a mind map should do.

• Build a map from scratch in seconds, starting from a central topic you name yourself, and keep as many separate maps as you like.
• Add child and sibling nodes with Tab and Enter, then rename them inline with a double-click or F2.
• Auto-layout the whole map as a left-to-right tree or a radial burst with one click, with curved, elbow or straight connectors.
• Color entire branches by selecting any node and choosing a color, which cascades to all children.
• Collapse subtrees to hide detail, drag any node (with its whole subtree) to reposition it, and undo/redo every change.
• Export your map as a crisp 2× PNG, a JSON backup you can re-import, or an indented text outline.

Frequently asked questions.

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