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Concept map maker

Make a concept map of ideas joined by arrows that say how they link, on your device. Free, with no account or uploads.

Make a concept map

Start from a concept map of ideas joined by arrows that say how they link, then write your own: double-click an arrow to change its words. Open a board file (.excalidraw), or a PNG or SVG saved with its board inside, by choosing it or dropping it here.

Drawn on this device. Nothing is uploaded, and the board is kept in this browser only if you turn that on.

How it works and help

A little help along the way

Follow these steps. Every option is explained underneath, and nothing you draw leaves your device.

  1. Open a boardPress New board, or open a board file (.excalidraw) or a PNG or SVG saved with the board inside. The board opens in its own window, as large as the screen.
  2. Pick a tool and drawChoose a rectangle, a diamond, an ellipse, an arrow, a line or the pen in the bar at the top, or press its key: R, D, O, A, L or P. Drag on the board to draw. Hold Shift for a square, a circle or a line at a steady angle, and Alt to draw from the middle.
  3. WritePress T and click where the words go, or double-click anywhere on the board. Double-click a shape to write in it: the words are wrapped to fit and stay in the middle when the shape moves or changes size. Press Escape or click away when you are done.
  4. Choose, move and changeWith the arrow pointer (V), click something to choose it, or drag a box around several things. Drag to move them, the square handles to resize, the round one to turn. Alt while dragging leaves the originals and moves copies.
  5. Join things with arrowsDraw an arrow from one shape to another: its ends hold the shapes, and when a shape moves the arrow goes with it. Choose Elbow under Through its points for an arrow that goes only across and down, round the shapes. Double-click an arrow to write on it, or a line to move, add or take out its points.
  6. Make a flowchart from the keyboardChoose a shape and press ⌘ or Ctrl and an arrow key: a shape like it appears that way, joined by an arrow. Press again for the next step, or the same way twice for a branch.
  7. ArrangeChoose several things to line them up or space them evenly, group them (⌘G), flip them or lock them. Draw a frame (F) round a part of the board to keep it together and name it; frames are your slides. Things snap to each other as they move; hold ⌘ or Ctrl to stop that for one drag.
  8. Give it a lookThe panel that opens on the left changes what is chosen, or what you draw next: the line's and the fill's colours, a hatched or solid fill, the width and style of the line, how rough it looks, corners, arrowheads, fonts and how see-through it is.
  9. Move aroundScroll to move the board, or hold Space and drag. Hold ⌘ or Ctrl and scroll, or pinch, to zoom. Shift and 1 shows everything on the board.
  10. Pictures and the penPress Picture (9), drop a picture on the board or paste one. Double-click it to crop it by its sides. With a stylus, a finger only moves the board once the pen has touched it. Draw a rough box, ring, line or arrow with the pen and the board offers to make it neat.
  11. Equations, templates and diagramsPress M to write an equation in LaTeX, set by MathJax as you type; double-click it to change it. In More, start from a template, make a diagram from Mermaid or from an outline (one idea a line, details indented under them), or open the library of what you keep to draw again.
  12. Share a linkShare as a link puts the whole board, locked, in the link itself, after the #, which is never sent to any server. Anyone who has the link can open the board; opening one asks before it takes the place of yours.
  13. PresentEach frame is a slide. Press Present (F5) and use the arrow keys to go through them; press and drag to point with the laser, which fades. The laser (K) works on the board too.
  14. Save itSave a PNG, an SVG or a PDF to share (a page for each frame, or one frame alone), or the board itself as a .excalidraw file to open and change later, here or in Excalidraw. Turn on Keep this board on this device to find it again when you come back.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between a concept map and a mind map?
A mind map branches out from one idea in the middle. A concept map joins ideas in any direction, and each arrow says how one idea links to another, such as leads to or is made of.
How do I write on an arrow?
Double-click the arrow and type. The words sit in the middle of the arrow and move with it.
Is anything uploaded?
No. The map is drawn and saved in your browser, and nothing is sent anywhere unless you send the file or a link yourself.

This page is the Whiteboard, opened for this one job; every other tool it has is one press away. Each of its settings is explained on the Whiteboard's own page.

Read the step-by-step guide

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