Mind Map Maker
Keyboard-first mind maps with automatic layout — export PNG, SVG, PDF, Markdown or OPML.
Arrow keys move between ideas. Tab adds an idea inside, Enter adds the next idea, F2 or typing edits, Space folds, Delete removes, Alt and an up or down arrow moves an idea. Shift and Tab leaves the map.
About the Mind Map Maker
Start with a central idea and grow the map from the keyboard: Tab adds an idea inside the selected one, Enter adds the next idea beside it, and the arrow keys move around. The map lays itself out as you type — main branches spread to both sides of the centre, or all to the right like an outline — with a colour for each branch that you can change. Collapse branches you are not working on, add a note to any idea, and drag an idea onto another to move it there. On a phone, the buttons above the map do the same.
Bring in an outline as a Markdown list, indented text, OPML (the format outliners use) or JSON, and take your map out the same ways or as a PNG, SVG or PDF picture — without a watermark. Keep as many maps as you like: they are saved in this browser only, and nothing you type is uploaded.
How to use it
- Click the map (or press Tab until it is focused) and type the central idea: press F2 or just start typing to edit an idea, and Enter to finish.
- Press Tab to add an idea inside the selected one, or Enter to add one beside it — then type it. Delete removes an idea and everything inside it; Ctrl+Z undoes.
- Move with the arrow keys; Space folds or unfolds a branch; Alt+↑ / Alt+↓ moves an idea up or down. Drag an idea onto another to move it there.
- Use the panel beside the map for the selected idea’s note and colour, or edit the whole map as text under Outline.
- Use Import for a Markdown, OPML or JSON outline, and Export for PNG, SVG, PDF, Markdown, OPML or JSON.
Examples
# Photosynthesis ## Inputs - Light - Water - Carbon dioxide ## Outputs - Glucose - Oxygen
A central idea “Photosynthesis” with two branches, Inputs (3 ideas) and Outputs (2 ideas).
Headings and bullets set the levels; text under an item that is not a bullet becomes its note.
Trees › Oak (note: Deciduous), Pine
<outline text="Trees"> <outline text="Oak" _note="Deciduous"/> <outline text="Pine"/> </outline>
Common uses
- Summarising a chapter or a lecture for revision.
- Brainstorming an essay, a project or a presentation, then exporting the outline to a document.
- Planning with a team in a meeting and sharing the map as a picture.
- Turning a Markdown or outliner list into a picture, or a picture back into a list.
Keyboard shortcuts
With the map focused:
- Tab: add an idea inside the selected one · Enter: add the next idea beside it
- F2, or start typing: edit · Enter: done · Esc: cancel · Tab while editing: done and add an idea inside
- Arrow keys: move to the next idea outwards, inwards, up or down · Home: the central idea
- Space: fold or unfold · Delete or Backspace: delete the idea and what is inside it
- Alt+↑ / Alt+↓: move the idea up or down among its neighbours
- Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y (⌘Z / ⌘⇧Z on a Mac): undo and redo · + / −: zoom · 0: fit the map
Tab is used by the map, so to leave it press Shift+Tab, or Esc and then Tab.
Import and export formats
- Markdown: the central idea as a
#heading and every other idea as a nested-bullet, with notes as indented lines under their idea. When importing, headings (#to######), bullets (-,*,+,1.) and indentation set the levels, and other lines become notes. - Indented text: one idea per line, indented with spaces or tabs.
- OPML 2.0: the outline format outliners and many note apps exchange ([specification](http://opml.org/spec2.opml)). Each idea is an
<outline>with itstext; notes go in the_noteattribute that many outliners use. - JSON: the whole map with notes, colours and folded branches, to back it up or open it here again.
- PNG, SVG, PDF: a picture of the map on a white background, the PDF on an A4 or US Letter page (following your country), turned to suit the map. SVG keeps the text as text and scales to any size.
Making a good mind map
- Put the subject in the centre in a few words.
- Use one short idea per box — a keyword or a phrase, not a sentence; put the details in a note.
- Give the main branches the big themes, and go one level deeper for each detail.
- Fold branches you are not working on, so the map stays readable.
- Colour lets you group branches that belong together.
Limitations
- Up to 2,000 ideas in a map, nested up to 30 levels, and 50 maps.
- Ideas are text with a note: there are no pictures, links between branches or free positioning; the layout is always automatic.
- PNG and PDF are pictures, so their text cannot be selected; use SVG or Markdown when you need the text.
- Maps are saved in this browser only. Export JSON to keep a copy or move a map to another device.
Privacy
Everything happens in your browser. What you enter or open here is not uploaded or stored by MySmartCoPilot.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free, and are exports watermarked?
It is free with no sign-up, and nothing is added to your PNG, SVG or PDF — they show only your map.
Can I use it on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Tap an idea to select it and use the buttons above the map to add, edit, fold or delete ideas; drag with one finger to move the map and pinch to zoom. Double-tap an idea to edit it.
How do I import a map from another app?
Export it from that app as OPML or as a Markdown or text outline — most outliners and many mind-map apps can — then use Import here and paste the text or open the file.
Where are my maps saved?
In this browser’s storage on this device, and nowhere else. The list at the top switches between your maps; export JSON to keep a backup.
Can I move an idea to another branch?
Yes: drag it onto the idea it should go into. With the keyboard, use the panel beside the map: Move into the idea above and Move out change its level, and Alt+↑ / Alt+↓ change its place.