How to Make a Mind Map Online (Type an Outline)

To make a mind map, open the Mind Map Maker and type an outline in the Ideas box: the first line is the central topic, and each indented line becomes a branch or sub-branch. The map redraws as you type — no dragging boxes around. Choose a Compact, Normal or Roomy layout, and download a PNG, JPG or SVG.

Make a mind map step by step

1. Open the Mind Map Maker.
2. In Ideas, type the central topic on the first line.
3. On the following lines, type the main ideas indented once (spaces or Tab), and their details indented further:

Holiday plan
  Travel
    Flights
    Train to the coast
  Stay
    Hotel
    Camping
  Things to do
    Beaches
    Museums

1. Watch the map grow. Main branches are shared between the left and right sides, each with its own colour.
2. Under Layout, choose the spacing — Compact, Normal or Roomy — and Wrap text at (px), how wide a line of text may get before it wraps.
3. Set the title and style, then download a PNG, SVG or JPG.

Why an outline is faster

Most mind-map apps make you click, drag and connect boxes. Writing an outline is how people already think through a topic — and it's much faster to reorganise: move a line, change its indent, and the map follows.

Paste notes from anywhere

The outline understands bullets (-, *, 1.) and Markdown headings (#, ##), so you can paste:

• Notes from Word, Google Docs or Notion.
• A brainstorm from a meeting.
• An outline from an AI chat ("give me a mind map outline of…").

Ideas for mind maps

• Studying: summarise a chapter or topic with its key concepts.
• Brainstorming: blog posts, product features, gift ideas.
• Planning: a project, an event, a trip — then turn the plan into a Gantt chart or a timeline.
• Problem solving: causes branching from a problem.
• Presentations: a one-slide overview of a talk.

Tips for useful mind maps

• One idea per line, a few words each. Long sentences wrap and make the map cluttered.
• Five to seven main branches. More is hard to take in; group them.
• Go deep where it matters, shallow elsewhere.
• Use the Roomy layout for presentations, Compact for dense notes.

A study example

Revising photosynthesis? Put "Photosynthesis" on the first line, then indented branches for Inputs (light, water, carbon dioxide), Where (chloroplasts, leaves), Outputs (glucose, oxygen) and Factors (light intensity, temperature, CO₂). Export it as a PNG and you have a one-page revision sheet — and editing it later is just editing text.

From mind map to action

Once ideas are organised, turn them into plans: the branches of a project mind map often become the tasks of a Gantt chart, and the steps of a story become the events of a timeline.

Mind map, org chart or Venn diagram?

• Mind map — ideas radiating from a central topic.
• Org chart — a strict top-down hierarchy, like who reports to whom.
• Venn diagram — what groups share.

Privacy

Your ideas stay in your browser — nothing is uploaded or stored.

Frequently asked questions

Can I change a branch's colour?

Each main branch gets its own colour from the palette automatically, and its sub-branches follow it.

How big can the map be?

Dozens of ideas work well; very large outlines are easier to read split into several maps.

Can I edit the map by clicking on it?

Edit the outline — the map is redrawn from it instantly.