Mind Map Creator

Write the outline

The outline and generated files stay in this browser. Saving locally is optional. Funnel mode uses this tab’s session storage for up to 30 minutes; map content never reaches our servers or the URL.

This browser-only map is unavailable or has expired. Return to the first step and create it again.

Create the outline

Use one unindented root topic. Add two spaces for each child level. Markdown bullets are optional; Tab and Shift+Tab change indentation.

Insert icon at cursor

Write one central topic, indent its branches, and see the hierarchy become a horizontal mind map. The editor accepts plain lines or Markdown bullets, assigns a consistent color to each main branch, and keeps the outline in your browser. It is useful when an outline is easier to write than a diagram but you still need a visual overview.

How to create a mind map from an outline

  1. 1

    Write one root topic

    The first line has no indentation and becomes the central node.

  2. 2

    Indent each branch

    Use two spaces per level. The editor's Tab and Shift+Tab controls adjust indentation; pasted leading tabs are normalized to one level. Markdown bullets are optional.

  3. 3

    Choose the appearance

    Select a branch-color theme and compact or comfortable node spacing. Emoji buttons insert simple visual cues.

  4. 4

    Review and export

    Scroll through the generated map, then download real PNG, SVG or Markdown files.

Outline syntax

The first non-empty line is the only root. Every child level uses two spaces in the editor. A pasted leading tab is normalized to one two-space level. You may write plain lines or include Markdown bullet markers:

Outline text Meaning
Product launch Root topic
Research Child of the root
Interviews Child of Research
- Release Another root branch; the bullet is optional

The editor rejects odd indentation, skipped levels and a second unindented root instead of guessing where a node belongs. One map can contain up to 120 nodes, 10 nested levels and 80 characters per node label.

Editing efficiently

  • Tab indents the current line or selected lines by one level.
  • Shift+Tab removes one indentation level.
  • Enter starts a new line with the current indentation and optional bullet prefix.
  • Emoji buttons insert an idea, task, question or star icon at the cursor.
  • Theme and spacing controls redraw the map without changing its hierarchy.

Reordering is text-based: move a line together with its indented descendants. The tool does not provide drag-and-drop nodes, free-positioned connectors, cross-links or real-time collaboration.

Main branches are color-coded consistently. Palette colors repeat when a map has more top-level branches than available theme colors.

Export formats

  • PNG creates a white-background raster snapshot at 1×, 2× or 3×. Very large maps may exceed the browser-safe 8,192-pixel or 32-megapixel limit; choose a smaller scale or SVG in that case.
  • SVG keeps nodes, text and connectors as vectors. It is the best choice for scaling or later editing in a vector application.
  • Markdown preserves the hierarchy as a standard nested bullet list and escapes formatting punctuation so every label remains literal text.

Labels up to 80 characters wrap fully across as many lines as needed in the visual export. Arabic and other right-to-left labels retain their reading direction, while CJK labels can wrap without spaces.

Private storage and recovery

The outline, generated SVG and generated downloads are processed locally in the browser. Nothing from the map is bound to our servers or added to the URL.

Saving between visits is optional. Save in this browser writes the current project to local storage on this device; Delete saved map removes that saved copy. Clearing site data also removes it, so keep an exported file if the map matters.

In the three-step version, the project is stored only in the current tab’s session storage. An opaque job identifier appears in the URL, but the outline does not. That session has a fixed 30-minute lifetime and does not extend when you move between steps. Missing, mismatched or expired jobs show a recovery screen instead of another map.

Readable and accessible maps

Branch color helps grouping but must not be the only source of meaning. Keep descriptive node labels, retain the outline when sharing with screen-reader users, and check the exported image at its final display size. For a dense map, split the subject into smaller maps rather than shrinking every label.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The parser accepts optional -, * or + bullet markers after each indentation level. It exports the result as a normalized Markdown bullet list.

No. Use Save in this browser when you want an explicit local copy. You can delete it from the tool, and clearing the site’s browser data removes it too.

No. Parsing, layout and PNG, SVG and Markdown creation happen in the browser. Funnel pages use session storage and put only an opaque job identifier in the URL.

No. This creator deliberately derives one tree from outline order. Move lines to reorder branches; use a graph or diagram editor when you need cross-links or free positioning.

The selected scale would exceed the browser-safe image limit. Choose 1× or 2×, use compact spacing, split the map, or export SVG, which stays vector-based.

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