Mind the Map

Getting Started

When you first open Mind the Map, you'll see a single "Central Topic" node. This is your root node - the starting point for your mind map.

Creating Your First Map

Press E or F2 to edit the root node text
Type your main topic and press Escape to save
Press Tab to create a child node
Type your first idea and press Enter to create a sibling
Continue adding ideas - use Tab for sub-topics, Enter for related ideas

Tip: You can press Tab or Enter while editing - it will save your current text and immediately start editing the new node.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Mind the Map is designed to keep your hands on the keyboard. Press ? or Ctrl+/ in the app to see the quick reference.

File

Key	Action
`Ctrl`+`N`	New Document
`Ctrl`+`O`	Open...
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`O`	Map Folder...
File → Map Workflowy...	Import from Workflowy
`Ctrl`+`S`	Save
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`S`	Save As...
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`E`	Export as PDF
`Ctrl`+`P`	Print...
`Ctrl`+`,`	Preferences...
`Cmd`+`Q` (Mac) / `Alt`+`F4` (Win)	Quit

Edit

Key	Action
`Ctrl`+`Z`	Undo
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Z` / `Ctrl`+`Y`	Redo
`Ctrl`+`X`	Cut
`Ctrl`+`C`	Copy
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`C`	Copy for Miro
`Ctrl`+`V`	Paste
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`V`	Paste as Child
`Ctrl`+`D`	Duplicate Node
`Ctrl`+`Backspace`	Delete Node
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Backspace`	Delete Node & Children
`Ctrl`+`A`	Select All (in text)
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`A`	Select All Siblings
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`A`	Select All Children
`Ctrl`+`F`	Find...
`Ctrl`+`G`	Find Next
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`G`	Find Previous
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`P`	Go to Node...
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`D`	Jump to Daily Note
`Ctrl`+`R`	Recent Nodes

Insert

Key	Action
`Enter`	New Sibling Node Below
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Enter`	New Sibling Node Above
`Tab`	New Child Node
`Shift`+`Enter`	Line Break (in node)
`Ctrl`+`K`	Link...
`Ctrl`+`T`	Tag
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`N`	Toggle Note Panel
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`I`	Icon...
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`K`	Color/Style...
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`P`	Priority

Format

Key	Action
`Ctrl`+`B`	Bold
`Ctrl`+`I`	Italic
`Ctrl`+`U`	Underline
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`X`	Strikethrough
`Ctrl`+`E`	Code
`Ctrl`+`\\`	Clear Formatting

Note: Formatting shortcuts work in both node text and notes. Select text while editing and press the shortcut to apply formatting.

Node

Key	Action
`Ctrl`+`]`	Indent
`Ctrl`+`[`	Outdent
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`↑`	Move Node Up
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`↓`	Move Node Down
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`←`	Move Node Left (Outdent)
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`→`	Move Node Right (Indent)
`Space`	Expand/Collapse
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`→`	Expand All Children
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`←`	Collapse All Children
`Ctrl`+`.`	Zoom to Node (Focus)
`Ctrl`+`,`	Zoom Out from Node
`Ctrl`+`Home`	Jump to Root

Navigate

Key	Action
`↑`	Move to Sibling Above
`↓`	Move to Sibling Below
`→`	Move to First Child
`←`	Move to Parent
`Ctrl`+`↑`	Jump to First Sibling
`Ctrl`+`↓`	Jump to Last Sibling
`Ctrl`+`→`	Jump to Last Child
`Shift`+`↑`	Extend Selection Up
`Shift`+`↓`	Extend Selection Down
`Ctrl`+`Enter`	Select/Deselect Node

View

Key	Action
`Ctrl`+`M`	Toggle Outline ↔ Mindmap
`Ctrl`+`+`	Zoom In
`Ctrl`+`-`	Zoom Out
`Ctrl`+`0`	Reset Zoom
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`F`	Fit to Screen
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`H`	Show/Hide Completed
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`.`	Focus Mode (Hide UI)
`Ctrl`+`B`	Toggle Sidebar
`F11`	Enter Full Screen (Windows)
`Ctrl`+`1`	Actual Size

Window (macOS)

Key	Action
`Cmd`+`M`	Minimize
`Ctrl`+`Cmd`+`F`	Enter Full Screen

Help

Key	Action
`?` / `Ctrl`+`/`	Keyboard Shortcuts

Workflowy Integration

Mind the Map can sync with Workflowy, allowing you to work with your Workflowy outlines in a mind map format. When a document is synced with Workflowy, Push/Pull buttons appear in the header and a "Workflowy" menu is added.

Action	Purpose	Conflict Behavior
Push to Workflowy	Upload your local changes to Workflowy (creates, updates, deletes, moves nodes)	Keeps local version when both local and remote were modified. Shows warning about conflicts.
Pull from Workflowy	Download updates from Workflowy to your local document	Accepts remote version when both local and remote were modified. Overwrites local changes.

Sync Status Indicators: Nodes in Workflowy-synced documents show a small list icon badge to indicate their sync status:

Gray list icon - Node is synced with Workflowy, no local changes
Red list icon - Node has been modified locally since last sync (needs push)
Red list icon with diagonal bar - Conflict detected (both local and remote have changes)
No badge - New node created locally, not yet synced to Workflowy

These indicators help you see at a glance which nodes need to be pushed to Workflowy.

Conflict Resolution Strategy: The Push/Pull model follows a Git-like approach:

Push = "I want to save my work" → Preserves your local changes, warns about conflicts
Pull = "I want the latest from remote" → Accepts remote changes, overwrites local
This prevents deadlock scenarios. Always Push before Pull if you have local changes to keep.

Note: The Workflowy menu and Push/Pull buttons appear only when the current document has Workflowy sync metadata (created via File → Map Workflowy...).

Mac Users: Replace Ctrl with Cmd and Alt with Option where shown. Rows labeled (Mac) or (Win) are platform-specific.

Two View Modes

Mind the Map offers two ways to view and edit your mind map:

Shortcut: Press Ctrl+M to toggle between Mind Map and Outline.

Mind Map View

Visual 2D canvas with automatic tree layout
Pan: Right-click and drag, or use scroll wheel with Shift/Ctrl
Zoom: Mouse wheel (without modifiers)
Fit to screen: Ctrl+Shift+F to zoom and pan so the entire tree is visible
Nodes connected by curved lines (bezier curves)
Double-click or press E to edit nodes in place

Outline View

Hierarchical list with indentation
Focused text editing experience
Same keyboard shortcuts as Mind Map view
Drag nodes to reorder or change hierarchy

Tip: Use Outline view for rapid brainstorming and text entry. Switch to Mind Map view to see the big picture and spatial relationships.

Collapse & Expand

Manage complexity by hiding parts of your map you don't need to see.

Basic Toggle

Press Space to collapse or expand the selected node's children. Collapsed nodes show a count of hidden children.

Smart Collapse All

Press Shift+Space to cycle through three states:

1. Collapsed
All children hidden

→

2. Expanded (except completed)
Shows all except nodes marked with ✓

→

3. Fully Expanded
Everything visible

→

Back to 1...

Tip: The "Expanded except completed" state is perfect for focusing on remaining work. Mark finished items with the Done status icon (✓), then use Smart Collapse to hide them while keeping unfinished items visible.

Icons & Markers

Add visual markers to nodes for status tracking, priorities, or categorization.

Adding Icons

Press I to toggle the Icons panel (right sidebar)
The panel stays open while you select different nodes
Click an icon in the panel to add it to the selected node(s)
Each node can have one icon per category (e.g., one Priority + one Status + one Flag)

Cycling Through Icon Variants

Click directly on an icon that's already on a node to cycle to the next variant within the same category:

Priority icons: Click to cycle through 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 1...
Status icons: Click to cycle through Todo → In Progress → Done → Paused → Cancelled → Waiting → Locked → Todo...
Flag icons: Click to cycle through Red → Orange → Yellow → Green → Blue → Purple → Black → Red...
Mood icons: Click to cycle through Very Positive → Positive → Neutral → Negative → Very Negative → Very Positive...
Other categories: Click to cycle through all available variants in the category

This works in both Mind Map and Outline views, providing a quick way to update icon status without opening the Icons panel.

Icon Categories

Priority (1-5)

Numbered badges for task prioritization with color gradient from red (highest) to blue (lowest).

Status

Todo, In Progress, Done, Paused, Cancelled, Waiting, Locked. Track work status visually.

Flags

Seven colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Black. Use for categories or marking.

Mood

Very Positive, Positive, Neutral, Negative, Very Negative. Express sentiment about items.

Time

Clock, Alarm, Timer, Calendar, Calendar Check, Calendar X, Hourglass, History. Time-related markers.

People

User, Users, User Plus, User Check, User X, User Cog. Track assignments and responsibilities.

Communication

Message, Message More, Mail, Phone, Send, At Sign. Mark items needing communication.

Document

File Text, File, Image, Link, Attachment, Folder, Database, Code. Reference external resources.

Symbols

Star, Heart, Thumbs Up/Down, Bookmark, Map Pin, Lightbulb, Target, Trophy, Gift, Zap, Flame, Rocket, Sparkles.

Notice

Info, Help, Warning, Error, Alert, Eye, Eye Off, Bug, Wrench, Shield, Shield Check. Attention markers.

Tip: Click directly on any icon on a node to quickly cycle through variants in that category. For example, click a Priority 1 icon to change it to Priority 2, then Priority 3, and so on. This is faster than opening the icon picker!

Tip: When multiple nodes are selected, adding an icon applies it to all selected nodes at once. Great for bulk categorization!

Search & Filter

Find nodes quickly and focus on what matters with the Search & Filter panel. Press Ctrl+F to toggle the panel open or closed.

Text Search

The Search section lets you find nodes by their text content:

Type in the search box to find matching nodes
Results appear in a list below the search box
Use ↑ ↓ arrow keys to navigate results
Press Enter or click a result to select that node
The panel stays open so you can continue searching

Filter View (Blue)

The Filter section lets you show ONLY nodes with specific icons:

Shows all icons that exist in your document, grouped by category
Click an icon to toggle it as a filter (blue highlight)
When filters are active, only matching nodes are shown
Parent nodes remain visible to maintain tree structure
Multiple icons can be selected (shows nodes matching ANY selected icon)
Click "Clear" to remove all active filters

Hide View (Red)

The Hide section lets you hide nodes with specific icons:

Click an icon to hide all nodes with that icon (red highlight)
All other nodes remain visible
Works opposite to Filter View
Can be combined with Filter View for advanced filtering
Click "Clear" to unhide all hidden icons

Tip: Filter View and Hide View can be used together! For example, filter to show only Priority icons, then hide the Low priority ones to focus on high-priority tasks.

Note: Both filtering and hiding work in Mind Map and Outline views. Hidden or filtered nodes are not deleted - clear the filters to see them again.

Inline Text Formatting

Node text and notes support rich inline formatting for emphasis, structure, and visual organization.

Available Formatting

Format	Shortcut	HTML Tag	Example
Bold	`Ctrl`+`B`	`<b>text</b>`	Bold text
Italic	`Ctrl`+`I`	`<i>text</i>`	Italic text
Underline	`Ctrl`+`U`	`<u>text</u>`	Underlined text
Strikethrough	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`X`	`<s>text</s>`	~~Strikethrough text~~
Inline Code	`Ctrl`+`E`	`<code>text</code>`	`code`
Hyperlink	—	`<a href="url">text</a>`	Link
Text Color	—	`<span class="colored c-red">text</span>`	Red text
Highlight	—	`<span class="colored bc-yellow">text</span>`	Highlighted

How to Apply Formatting

While editing a node or note, select the text you want to format
Press the keyboard shortcut (e.g., Ctrl+B for bold)
The formatting is applied immediately and visible in both views

Supported Colors: Text color and highlights support 10 colors: red, orange, yellow, green, teal, sky, blue, purple, pink, and gray. Use Workflowy-compatible class names for import/export compatibility.

Nested Formatting: You can combine multiple formats on the same text (e.g., bold and italic). Tags can be nested in any order.

Node Notes

Add extended notes to nodes for detailed descriptions, context, or longer-form content.

Opening the Note Panel

Press Ctrl+Shift+N to toggle the Note Panel
The panel appears in the right sidebar below other panels
Select any node to view or edit its note

Editing Notes

Click "Add Note" or "Edit Note" button to start editing
Type your note content in the text area
Apply inline formatting using keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I, etc.)
Press Cmd/Ctrl+Enter to save, or Escape to cancel

Formatting Support: Notes support all inline formatting options including bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, code, colors, and highlights. Use the same keyboard shortcuts as you would for node text.

Note: Notes are independent of the node's main text. They're perfect for adding implementation details, rationale, or reference information without cluttering the visual map.

Node Links

Add hyperlinks to nodes to reference external resources or other .mindmap files.

Adding a Link

Select a node and press Ctrl+K to open the Link panel
Enter a URL (web link) or file path (.mindmap files open in new windows)
Linked nodes show purple text with an underline
Click the link icon on a node to edit or remove the link

Opening Links

Click on linked text to open the URL in your browser
Links to .mindmap files open in a new Mind the Map window

Multi-Selection

Select multiple nodes to perform bulk operations like copy, delete, or add icons.

Action	Result
`Ctrl`+Click	Toggle node in selection (add or remove)
`Shift`+Click	Select range from last selected to clicked node
Click	Clear multi-selection, select only clicked node
`Escape`	Clear selection and close any dialogs

Multi-selection works in both Mind Map and Outline views.

Clipboard & Export

Mind the Map handles copy/paste intelligently, preserving structure when possible.

Copying Within the App

Ctrl+C copies selected nodes and all their descendants
Ctrl+X cuts nodes (they're removed immediately)
Ctrl+V pastes as children of the selected node
Multiple nodes can be copied/cut when using multi-selection

Note: The root node cannot be cut or deleted. This ensures your map always has a starting point.

Pasting from External Apps

When you paste text from other apps, Mind the Map tries to preserve structure:

Indented text - Indentation levels (tabs or spaces) become parent/child relationships
HTML lists - Copied lists from web pages or apps like Workflowy maintain their hierarchy
Plain text - Each line becomes a separate sibling node

Copy for Miro

Use Ctrl+Shift+C to copy nodes in a format optimized for Miro.

How to use with Miro:

Select the nodes you want to export
Press Ctrl+Shift+M to copy
In Miro, paste with Ctrl+V
Choose "Table" in Miro's paste dialog
Miro will create a table that can be converted to sticky notes or a mind map

PDF Export

Export your mind map as a high-quality PDF document to share, print, or archive.

How to Export

Press Ctrl+Shift+E or select File → Export → Export as PDF
Use Ctrl+P for Print...
For Mind Map view: A dialog will ask how many pages wide you want the export (default: 1)
Choose a location and filename for your PDF (defaults to current file name with .pdf extension)
The PDF is generated based on your current view and settings

Mind Map View Export

Exports the visual mind map as a high-resolution image (300 DPI) across multiple pages:

Multi-page support - Large maps are automatically tiled across pages in landscape A4 format
Clickable links - Nodes with links are clickable in the PDF and open in your browser
High resolution - Crisp text and graphics suitable for printing
Consistent quality - Same output regardless of window size

Outline View Export

Exports as a structured text document in portrait A4 format:

Hierarchical structure - Indentation shows node relationships
Visual indicators - Bullet dots (•) for leaf nodes, triangles (▶/▼) for parent nodes showing collapse state
Icons rendered - All icons are converted to images and displayed with proper colors
Japanese text support - Full Unicode support using NotoSans font
Multi-page - Automatically paginated with proper page breaks

What's Preserved

PDF export preserves the state of your mind map exactly as displayed:

Expand/Collapse State - Only visible nodes are included in the PDF
Icon Filters - If you have icon filters active, only matching nodes are exported
Hidden Filters - Nodes matching hidden filters are excluded from the export

Tip: Use Smart Collapse (Shift+Alt+Space) or icon filters before exporting to create focused PDF views showing only relevant content.

File Management

File Format

Mind the Map saves files with the .mindmap extension. Files are stored in JSON format, making them human-readable and easy to version control with Git.

Auto-Save

Once you've saved a file for the first time, Mind the Map automatically saves your changes every 1 seconds. The title bar shows an asterisk (*) when there are unsaved changes.

File Operations

Action	Shortcut	Notes
New	`Ctrl`+`N`	Creates a fresh map with one root node
Open	`Ctrl`+`O`	Opens a .mindmap file
Map Folder	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`O`	Creates a map from a selected folder structure
Map Workflowy	File → Map Workflowy...	Imports a Workflowy subtree using the target bullet ID configured in Preferences → Workflowy tab. Creates a synced document that enables Push/Pull buttons in the header and the Workflowy menu.
Save	`Ctrl`+`S`	Saves to current file (or prompts if new)
Save As	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`S`	Save with a new name
Print...	`Ctrl`+`P`	Print the current view
Export as PDF	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`E`	Export as high-quality PDF with clickable links (Mind Map: multi-page image; Outline: structured text with Japanese support)

Mouse Controls (Mind Map View)

Action	Effect
Left-click	Select node
Double-click	Edit node text
Click icon on node	Cycle to next variant in that icon's category
Right-click + drag	Pan the canvas
Mouse wheel	Zoom in/out
`Ctrl` + wheel	Pan vertically
`Shift` + wheel	Pan horizontally
Horizontal wheel	Pan horizontally (if your mouse/trackpad supports it)
Drag node	Move node to new position or parent

Settings / Preferences

Open the Preferences dialog with Ctrl+, (or Cmd+, on Mac) to customize Mind the Map.

General Tab

Auto-save - Enable or disable automatic saving. When enabled, choose the save interval (10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, or 5 minutes).
Check for updates - Coming soon: Automatically check for new versions on startup.

Appearance Tab

Theme - Choose Light, Dark, or System (follows your OS preference).
Font Size - Select Small (14px), Medium (16px), or Large (18px). Coming soon: Currently not applied to the UI.
Animations - Enable or disable animations in the mind map view. Coming soon: Currently not implemented.

API Keys Tab

Store API keys securely for integrations with external services:

OpenAI API Key - For AI-powered features (coming soon)
Anthropic API Key - For Claude AI features (coming soon)
Workflowy API Key - For Workflowy import/export integration

Security: API keys are stored in your operating system's secure keychain (macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager) and are never saved in plain text files.

Settings Storage

Settings are automatically saved and persist across app restarts and version updates:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/com.shunya.mindmap-app/settings.json
Windows: C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Roaming\com.shunya.mindmap-app\settings.json

Tips & Tricks

Quick capture: Press Tab or Enter while editing to create new nodes without stopping to save first
Rich formatting: Use Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I, and other shortcuts to format node text and notes
Detailed notes: Press Ctrl+Shift+N to add extended notes with formatting to any node
Cycle icons quickly: Click directly on any icon on a node to cycle through variants (e.g., Priority 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5, or Status Todo → In Progress → Done) without opening the Icons panel
Bulk icons: Multi-select nodes, then open the Icons panel to apply icons to all at once
Focus mode: Use Smart Collapse (Shift+Alt+Space) to hide completed work
Filter by priority: Use icon filtering (Ctrl+F) to show only nodes with specific icons like Priority 1 or In Progress
Link maps together: Use Ctrl+K to add links to other .mindmap files - they open in new windows
Japanese input: IME composition is fully supported - Enter during conversion confirms the character, not the node
Undo everything: Up to 50 operations are saved in history, even across editing sessions
Cancel edits: Press Ctrl+Escape to abandon changes to a node

Download

Why Mind the Map?

Keyboard First

Lightning Fast

Smart Clipboard

Two Views

Icon Markers

Search & Filter

Local Files

User Manual

Getting Started

Creating Your First Map

Keyboard Shortcuts

File

Edit

Insert

Format

Node

Navigate

View

Window (macOS)

Help

Workflowy Integration

Two View Modes

Mind Map View

Outline View

Collapse & Expand

Basic Toggle

Smart Collapse All

Icons & Markers

Adding Icons

Cycling Through Icon Variants

Icon Categories

Priority (1-5)

Status

Flags

Mood

Time

People

Communication

Document

Symbols

Notice

Search & Filter

Text Search

Filter View (Blue)

Hide View (Red)

Inline Text Formatting

Available Formatting

How to Apply Formatting

Node Notes

Opening the Note Panel

Editing Notes

Node Links

Adding a Link

Opening Links

Multi-Selection

Clipboard & Export

Copying Within the App

Pasting from External Apps

Copy for Miro

PDF Export

How to Export

Mind Map View Export

Outline View Export

What's Preserved

File Management

File Format

Auto-Save

File Operations

Mouse Controls (Mind Map View)

Settings / Preferences

General Tab

Appearance Tab

API Keys Tab

Settings Storage

Tips & Tricks