A free online mind map maker that keeps up with your thinking
This mind map maker is built for speed: type a central topic, press Tab to branch out, Enter to add the next idea at the same level, and keep going. The map lays itself out as you type — a balanced tree that grows to both sides of the centre — so you never stop to drag boxes around unless you want to. Branches get their own colour, can be collapsed to hide detail, and carry notes for anything that does not belong in a short label.
When the brainstorm is done, export the picture as a sharp PNG or SVG, save an editable JSON copy, or download a Markdown outline that drops straight into your notes app or a document. The import works the other way too: paste a bulleted list or indented text and the tool builds the map from it.
The map autosaves in your browser and never leaves your device, which makes it a safe place for essay plans, meeting agendas, study notes, project scoping and the half-formed ideas that are not ready to be shared. For step-by-step processes, the companion Flowchart Maker is the better fit.
How to use the Mind Map Maker
- Press “New map”, type the central topic and press Enter.
- Press Tab to add a child topic and Enter to add a sibling. Type the text and press Enter to confirm; the map re-arranges itself automatically.
- Move around with the arrow keys, or click a topic. Double-click (or press F2) to rename it; Space collapses or expands its branch.
- Drag a topic onto another topic to move it, with its whole branch, under the new parent. Drag it into empty space to nudge it slightly; “Tidy” resets all nudges.
- Pick a colour swatch to recolour the selected branch and everything below it, and write longer details in the Notes box under the map.
- Export with the buttons at the bottom: PNG or SVG for a picture, Markdown for an outline, JSON to reopen and keep editing later. “Import” accepts outlines and files.
Mind Map Maker features
Keyboard-first editing
Tab, Enter, F2, Space, Delete and the arrow keys cover adding, renaming, collapsing, removing and navigating topics without touching the mouse.
Automatic balanced layout
A tidy tree layout places each branch beside its parent and centres parents on their children. Choose balanced (both sides), tree to the right or tree to the left; drag a first-level branch across the centre to swap sides.
Drag to reorganise
Drop a topic on another topic to re-parent it along with its sub-branches. Small drags nudge a topic’s position so you can make room for an annotation.
Colours, notes and collapsing
Each first-level branch gets its own colour automatically, which its children inherit; override it per topic. Notes are shown with a ≡ mark and kept in the Markdown and JSON exports. Collapsed branches show how many topics are hidden.
Markdown in and out
Export a nested bulleted outline with notes as block quotes; import a Markdown list, an indented text outline or a saved JSON file.
Undo, autosave, privacy
A hundred steps of undo and redo, autosave to your browser after every change, and no upload of any kind.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Tab | Add a child of the selected topic (also works while typing a topic) |
| Enter | Add a sibling after the selected topic; while typing, confirms the text |
| F2 or double-click | Rename the selected topic |
| Space | Collapse or expand the selected branch |
| Delete / Backspace | Remove the selected topic and its branch |
| Arrow keys | Move to the parent, first child or neighbouring sibling |
| Ctrl + Z · Ctrl + Shift + Z | Undo · Redo |
| Scroll · drag the background | Zoom · pan |
How the Markdown outline works
The outline export is plain Markdown, so it opens in any editor and renders as a nested list in Obsidian, Notion, GitHub and most note apps. The central topic becomes a heading, each level of the map is indented by two spaces, and notes follow their topic as block quotes:
# Product launch - Audience - Early adopters - Existing customers - Messaging > Lead with the time saved, not the feature list - Key benefit - Tagline
Importing reverses the process. Bullets (-, *, +, numbers) are optional — indentation alone sets the depth, and tabs count as two spaces. If the text has a single top-level line it becomes the central topic; otherwise the heading, or “Mind map”, is used. A quick way to turn meeting notes into a map is to paste them here, build the map, and then prune and regroup with drag-and-drop.
Ideas for using a mind map
- Essay or report plan: the thesis in the centre, one branch per section, evidence as sub-topics, citations in the notes. Export the outline and write from it.
- Meeting agenda and minutes: build the agenda before the meeting, add decisions and owners as notes during it, then share the Markdown.
- Revision notes: one map per chapter; collapse branches to quiz yourself on what sits underneath.
- Project scoping: goals, deliverables, risks and open questions on separate coloured branches.
- When a map turns into a sequence of steps, rebuild that part in the Flowchart Maker; when you need free-form sketching, open the Online Whiteboard; keep the prose in the Online Notepad.
Mind Map Maker FAQ
Is this mind map maker free?
Yes. It is free, needs no account, and has no limit on the number of maps or topics beyond your browser’s storage space.
How do I add topics quickly?
Select a topic, press Tab for a child or Enter for a sibling, type the text and press Enter. You can build a whole map without using the mouse.
Can I move a branch to a different parent?
Yes. Drag the topic and drop it on the new parent; its sub-topics move with it. Drag a first-level branch across the central topic to switch it to the other side.
Where is my map saved?
In your browser’s local storage on this device, automatically after every change. To keep a permanent copy or move it to another device, download the JSON file and open it there with “Import”.
Can I turn a list into a mind map?
Yes. Press “Import”, paste a bulleted or indented list (for example from your notes), and press “Build map from text”. Lines starting with “>” become notes of the topic above them.
What export formats are available?
PNG at 2× resolution, SVG vector graphics, a Markdown outline and an editable JSON file. The file name comes from the central topic.