Canvas and editor basics

Every map opens in the same editor. This page covers the mechanics; Keyboard shortcuts lists every key, and The AI assistant covers the AI actions.

The screen at a glance

• Top bar — back to your files, save state, Share, Export, and sign-in.
• Canvas — the map itself. Pan, zoom, select, and edit here.
• Bottom-left toolbar — Outline, Pitch Mode, Help, Fit, Zoom, Colors, Layout, Undo, and Redo.
• Node toolbar — appears above the selected node: delete, icon, image, note, collapse, and three AI actions.
• Left drawer — notes for the selected node.
• Right drawer — AI chat. Hover the right edge of the canvas to reveal its handle.

Select and edit a node

• Click a node to select it.
• Double-click it, press F2, or start typing a visible character to edit. Typing replaces the selected node's text.
• Enter or clicking outside commits; Esc cancels.
• Shift + Enter inserts a line break inside a node.

Add nodes

With a node selected:

• Tab adds a child node and starts editing.
• Enter adds a sibling after it and starts editing.
• Right-click for the full menu: add child, add sibling after, add sibling before, and add parent.
• To add a child to the root, select the root and press Tab, or start again with New blank mind map from the dashboard.

The root node cannot be deleted, but it can be renamed like any other node. Add parent is the way to insert a new level above an existing node.

Rearrange the map

• Change parent: drag a node and drop it on the new parent.
• Reorder: drag a node between siblings.
• Move to the other side: drag a first-level node across the root, or use Move to other side in the right-click menu.
• Move up/down: select two or more siblings and use Move up / Move down in the right-click menu.

The drop target is highlighted while dragging. A node cannot be dropped into its own subtree.

Select more than one node

• Shift-click, ⌘-click, or Ctrl-click to add or remove nodes from the selection.
• Drag on empty canvas to draw a selection box.
• ⌘/Ctrl + A selects every non-root node.
• Esc clears the selection.

With several nodes selected you can delete them in one undoable step, move them together, or flip them to the other side as a group.

Delete nodes

• Delete / Backspace, or Delete node, removes the node and its whole subtree.
• Delete single node removes only that node; its children move up and reconnect to its parent.

Deletion is one undo step, including multi-selection.

Collapse and expand

Click the chevron on a branch, use the collapse button on the node toolbar, or right-click a node. The empty-canvas menu has Collapse all and Expand all.

Collapsing only affects the canvas. Pitch Mode and exports still include the hidden nodes.

Notes, icons, images, and AI

The node toolbar is the shortcut to everything that belongs to one node:

• Note — open the note panel (Alt + N).
• Icon — add a small marker icon.
• Image — attach or remove an image.
• Collapse — fold the branch.
• Ask AI / AI branch / AI explore — run an AI action on the node.

See Add images and notes and The AI assistant.

Move around the canvas

• Pan: hold Space and drag, drag the empty canvas, or use a trackpad or mouse wheel.
• Zoom: pinch on a trackpad or touch screen, use the zoom buttons, or press + / -.
• Fit the whole map: Alt + F, 0, or the fit button.
• Fit one branch: right-click a node and choose Fit branch.
• Outline view: the bottom toolbar opens a text outline of the map.

Change the look

The Colors menu applies a palette and node shape to the whole map:

• Six palettes.
• Three node shapes: underline, frameless, and rounded.
• Two layouts: balanced mind map and right-facing tree.

Styling is intentionally map-wide. For a single node, use an icon or a note instead of a one-off color.

Undo, redo, and saving

• ⌘/Ctrl + Z undoes; ⌘/Ctrl + Shift + Z or ⌘/Ctrl + Y redoes.
• The toolbar buttons show whether there is anything to undo or redo.
• Saving is automatic about half a second after you stop editing. The top bar shows the current save state.
• ⌘/Ctrl + S is captured by the editor so the browser's Save Page dialog does not open; it does not create a separate version.

Signed-in maps save to your workspace. Guest maps are cached in this browser only — see Files, folders, and your workspace.

Outline view

Outline view turns the canvas into an editable list. It is the fastest way to write a lot of text.

• Enter adds a sibling; Shift + Enter opens the note.
• Tab indents (makes a child); Shift + Tab outdents.
• ↑ / ↓ move between rows.
• Backspace on an empty row deletes it.
• The bottom toolbar has indent, outdent, icon, note, and delete actions.

Changes in the outline and on the canvas are the same data. Switch back with Back to map.

On a phone or tablet

You can open, read, pan, zoom, and present a map on a phone or tablet, including its notes and Pitch Mode. Single-finger drag pans and two-finger pinch zooms. Editing can be fiddly on a small touch screen, so the editor shows a "Best edited on desktop" hint on narrow screens.