Navigating the Canvas

Notemap gives you an infinite canvas to work with. As your mind map grows, you will need to pan, zoom, and navigate between nodes efficiently. This guide covers all the ways to move around your map.

Selecting Nodes

Click on any node to select it. The selected node is highlighted to indicate it is active.

To deselect all nodes, click on an empty area of the canvas background. This clears the selection and returns focus to the canvas.

Keyboard Navigation

Use the arrow keys to move between nodes without reaching for the mouse:

• Up — move to the previous sibling (the node above at the same level).
• Down — move to the next sibling (the node below at the same level).
• Left — move to the parent node, or to a child on the left side.
• Right — move to the first child node, or to the parent if on the left side.

Arrow key behavior adapts to the direction of the branch. In a standard layout, Right moves deeper into right-side branches and Left moves deeper into left-side branches.

Direct Navigation

For larger maps, use these shortcuts to jump directly:

• Cmd+Up — jump to the parent node.
• Cmd+Down — jump to the first child node.
• Cmd+L — jump to the root node and recenter the view on it.

Zooming

Notemap supports several zoom levels so you can get a high-level overview or focus in on details.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Cmd+= — zoom in.
• Cmd+- — zoom out.
• Cmd+0 — reset zoom to the default level.

Mouse and Trackpad

• Cmd+Scroll wheel — zoom in and out, centered on your cursor position.
• Pinch gesture on a trackpad — zoom in and out with two fingers.

Zoom Controls

You can also use the zoom buttons in the top-right corner of the canvas. These provide plus and minus buttons for zooming, along with a reset option.

Fit to Screen

Press Cmd+Shift+0 to automatically zoom and scroll so that all visible nodes fit within your viewport. This is useful when you want to see the full map at a glance.

Panning the Canvas

The canvas is infinite — your map can grow in any direction without hitting a boundary.

To move around the canvas:

• Scroll vertically using your mouse wheel or trackpad to move up and down.
• Scroll horizontally using a horizontal scroll gesture on your trackpad, or hold Shift while scrolling to pan left and right.
• Click and drag on the canvas background to pan freely in any direction. The cursor changes to a hand icon while panning.

As your mind map grows larger, panning lets you move your viewport to focus on the area you are working on.

Recentering the Canvas

If you scroll far away from your map and lose track of where the root node is, there are two ways to get back:

Back to Map Button

When you scroll too far from the visible nodes, a “Back to Map” button appears on the canvas. Click it to instantly scroll back and recenter the root node in your viewport.

Context Menu

Right-click on an empty area of the canvas and select Recenter Canvas from the context menu. This brings the root node back to the center of your viewport.

Keyboard Shortcut

Press Cmd+Shift+R to recenter the canvas and reset the zoom level.

Quick Reference