Focus Mode
Focus Mode gives you a distraction-free canvas by hiding the sidebar and inspector panels. When you need maximum screen space for your map, focus mode strips away the surrounding UI and lets you work on just the canvas.
Video: Toggling focus mode to hide panels and maximize canvas space
What Focus Mode Does
When you activate focus mode:
- The sidebar (file tree) is hidden.
- The inspector panel on the right is hidden.
- The canvas takes up the full window, giving you maximum space to work with your map.
- All nodes remain visible and fully interactive.
Press Shift+F to toggle focus mode on and off. When you exit focus mode, the sidebar and inspector reappear exactly as they were.
How to Toggle Focus Mode
- Keyboard shortcut — Press Shift+F to toggle.
- Menu — Use the View menu to enter or exit focus mode.
When to Use Focus Mode
Deep work sessions
When you are building or editing your map and do not need the file tree or inspector, focus mode gives you more room to see your map and reduces visual clutter.
Presenting your map
Before entering Present Mode, toggle focus mode to remove the side panels for a cleaner view. This is also useful when sharing your screen.
Large maps
When working with a large, sprawling map, every pixel of canvas space helps. Focus mode lets you see more of the map at once.
Small screens
On laptops or smaller displays, the sidebar and inspector can take up significant space. Focus mode reclaims that space for the canvas.
Focus Mode vs. Collapse Others
Focus mode and Collapse Others (Shift+Space) serve different purposes:
| Feature | Focus Mode | Collapse Others |
|---|---|---|
| What it hides | Sidebar and inspector panels | Sibling branches of the selected node |
| Affects map content | No — all nodes remain visible | Yes — collapses unrelated branches |
| Keyboard shortcut | Shift+F | Shift+Space |
| Best for | Maximizing canvas space | Reducing map clutter while keeping context |
These two features work well together. Use Collapse Others to simplify the visible map, then switch to Focus Mode to maximize your canvas space.
Toggling Panels Individually
You can also show or hide the sidebar and inspector independently:
- Cmd+\ — Toggle the sidebar (file tree).
- Cmd+Option+\ — Toggle the inspector panel.
This gives you fine-grained control when you want to keep one panel visible while hiding the other.
Use focus mode when you want maximum canvas space, and use Collapse Others when you want to simplify the map itself. Combine both for the most focused editing experience.