FAQ

1. Central theme: This is the start of the mind map. It's the title, the subject, a problem or just a thought. Starting from the central theme, add topics. This creates a hierarchy of topics, with the central theme as the ultimate parent.
2. Relation: A relation is the line that connects the parent topic to the child topic. It visualizes the hierarchical relation between the two topics.
3. Cross link: A line that can connect any two topics that are not hierarchically connected.
4. Tools
• Collapse/Expand tool : Collapses or expands a branch.
• Topic toolbar tool: Click to show the topic toolbar. This toolbar has the command you use most often, for example adding images, copy or paste.
• Note tool : Adds a note to the topic.
• Node-well: Adds new topics or cross links.
• Word wrap tool: Adds and removes line breaks.
• Rotate tool: Rotates the topic's branch.
• Sibling tool: This adds a sibling topic, a topic with the same parent as the selected topic.

Add topics to build your mind map.

• Add a child topic with a single tap on the "add topic tool" or use "Tab".
  
• To add a sibling, use the "add sibling tool"  or "Enter". This adds a new topic to the selected topic's parent.
• Add another central theme by double-tapping in empty space when nothing is selected.
• Insert a topic in between two existing topics by using the "Insert Topic" command from the (drop-down) menu. (Not available for iPhone)

Place topics freely

Add new topics anywhere you want in free form layout.
Select a topic and double tap on an empty space. This adds a new child topic where you double tapped. Alternatively, drag and release the add topic tool  or add sibling tool . SimpleMind adds the topic where you release the tool.

Brainstorm

Double tap a topic to edit the topic text. Stop editing by tapping outside the text editor or press escape.

SimpleMind for Android: Long press the add sibling tool  to change it to the "Edit Text" tool. Tapping the edit text tool is equivalent to double tapping the topic.

If you type longer texts, add linebreaks or use the word wrap tool.

Add line breaks when you type.

Word wrap tool

The word wrap tool adds line breaks to text. This makes the topic look less wide. Long press the word wrap tool to automatically wrap the topic. The word wrap tools requires spaces between words.

The word wrap tool removes existing lines breaks before it adds new line breaks. It maintains paragraphs and lists. Those are recognized based on markdown syntax.

Resize the topic

Add a minimum width and height for a topic to change the topic size, regardless of topic text. You can select this via Element style. If you want to use this more often, you may want to add the "Resize Tool" to your topic tools via Preferences - General - Topic Tools. Simply drag the tool to resize the topic.

To delete topics and elements, select it. Next:
Mac and Windows: use the Delete button.
iPad&iPhone and Android: use delete from the (overflow) menu. Or use the topic toolbar and cut .

Note!
Deleting a topic deletes the whole branch. Mac and Windows: Delete a single topic via the the main menu - "edit" - "delete" - "delete single topic".
Deleting a cross-link or relation does not delete topics.

To move one or more topics to a different location, select and drag the topics.
To move an entire branch, long press before dragging. This selects the whole branch.

In free form layout, move topics around freely. Place the topics exactly where you want them to be.
In auto layout, you cannot move topics around freely. The topics are placed by the auto layout. Use drag and drop to rearrange the topic order.

The rotate tool rotates the selected topic's branches. To rotate the entire mind map, use the rotate tool on the central theme.
Long press the rotate tool for additional options, for example, to flip topics.

Rotate is only available in free form layout.

SimpleMind makes it easy to reconnect topics to another parent topic. To do so,

• Drag the topic and drop it on the new parent topic.
  To keep the relative positions in free form layout, long press before dragging.
• Or select the relation leading from the topic to its parent topic, and drag and drop the reconnect tool  to the new parent topic.

• The free form layout allows you to organize your ideas exactly how you want it. Manually place topics anywhere you like, in positions that you feel visualizes best the relations with other topics.
• The auto-layout automatically places and (re)arranges the topics for you. When you add more topics, topics move to make room.

Choose different layout

• New mind maps:
  Change the layout for all new mind maps via "Preferences" - "General Options". This will not affect existing mind maps.
• Existing mind maps:
  
  • Free form layout to auto-layout:
    Select a topic, tap the topic toolbar and layout icon . All child topics will be shown in the auto layout.
  • Auto layout to any other layout:
    Click the topic where the auto layout starts. This topic is marked with a fork like symbol. Usually, this is the central theme. Next tap the topic toolbar and layout icon .

If a branch has an auto layout, changing the layout of any of the child topics is not possible. To combine multiple auto layouts in a single mind map start with a free form layout. Next, apply different layouts to the main topics. Or use multiple central themes.

Free-form
Horizontal	Vertical
List	Top down
Linear layout	Radial

Select multiple elements to move, or customize, all the selected elements in one go.
You can select either topics, relations, images or labels. Selected elements show a thick border.

Mac and Windows:

• Click to select a single element.
• Long press an element to select a single branch or use shift+click.
• To include or exclude a single element, use Control+click (Windows) or Command+click (Mac).
• To include or exclude an entire branch, use Control/Command+long press.
• Rectangular lasso selection: Control+Drag (Windows) or Command+Drag (Mac) selects, Shift+Command/Control+Drag extends selection.
• Click in empty space (or press Escape) to exit multiple selection.

iPad&iPhone and Android:

• Tap to select a single element.
• Long press an element to start the multiple selection.

• When in multiple selection mode, single tap to include or exclude an element. Long press to include or exclude an entire branch.
• Rectangular lasso selection: Long press in empty space to start and drag to select.
• Tap in empty space to exit multiple selection.

A crosslink connects two unconnected topics.

To add a crosslink, first select a topic.

• Drag the node-well  and drop it on the topic you want to connect to.
• Or use the topic toolbar and select  to add a crosslink between topics that are located a further distance away from each other.

Crosslinks look different from hierarchical relations (see A). Sometimes they look like "normal" hierarchical relations (see B). That way you can use crosslinks to merge paths and/or make a summary.

Manually toggle the crosslink style via "Toggle crosslink style" in the relation toolbar .
The crosslink's path can be adjusted as shown in the image above (A).

Add one or more images to your mind map.
To do so, select a topic. Tap on the topic toolbar  and tap on the image icon . Select the image type:

1. "Normal" image
   This adds a thumbnail of your image outside the topic. The thumbnail has no visible connection to the topic. Double tap to view the full-size image.
   
2. Embedded image
   This adds an image inside the topic.
   
3. A topic with an embedded image
   This adds a new transparent child topic without borders. It only shows the image.
   

Storing the full-size image

• Include in Mind Map file: SimpleMind stores a copy of the full-size image in your mind map file. This means you can always see the full-size image, even when you share the mind map with someone else. However, this increases the size of your mind map file. Large mind maps can take very long to synchronize via clouds. It helps to limit the full-size image.
• Link to source: The thumbnail links back to the original image's current location, for example on your device or on a cloud.  If the location is on your device, the full-size image is not available on other devices.
• Upload to Cloud: A copy of the full-size image is uploaded to the cloud. The thumbnail links to this cloud link and the image can be opened on other devices that have access to the same cloud.

Tips

• After adding the image, drag the resize tool  to increase or decrease the image or thumbnail size. When you increase the image, the resolution will decrease.
• Use drag and drop to add an image. (Not available on Android or iOs10 or lower)
• Images are anchored to their topic: if you move the topic, images move along with it. Drag and drop the image to another topic to anchor the image to that other topic. In free form layout drag an image and move it anywhere on the mind map. In auto layout drag an image to change the distance between the topic and the image.

Add icons to topics via the topic toolbar. An icon is small image shown inside the topic. A topic has one icon at most.

SimpleMind has over one hundred built-in stock icons. You can also add emojis and custom icons.

• Mac and Windows: Add icons via the  tab in the inspector panel. If you do not see the inspector, use the main menu - "View" - "Icons". Tap any icon to add it to the selected topic.
• iPad & iPhone and Android: Select the topic and tap on the toolbar icon . and the icon button . Tap on any icon to add it to the selected topic.

Adding more Emojis (Mac 10.13+, Android, iPad&iPhone)

You can add as many emojis as you want in this tab.

• Mac: Click "Edit" and click the + icon. This opens the character viewer (you'll see emojis). Drag and drop the emojis into the list. Tap edit again.
• iPad&iPhone: Tap "Edit" and tap the + icon. You'll see the emoji keyboard. Enter (multiple) emojis and tap the "+" icon. Tap done.
• Android: Tap "Add" and click the + icon. You'll see the emoji keyboard, or on some Android devices first select Emojis on your keyboard. Enter (multiple) emojis and tap "done".

Adding custom icons

To add custom icons open the icon picker and select the "Custom Icons" tab.

• Mac and Windows: At the bottom toolbar click "Edit Icons". This enables the edit mode. Use "Add" to select one or more images. Click "Edit Icons" again to exit the edit mode.
• iPad&iPhone: Tap "Edit Custom Icons". This opens the custom icon editor. On the top toolbar tap "+" to add a new icon, for example from the camera roll. Tap "Back" to exit the custom icons editor.
• Android: Use the commands in the top toolbar: "Image from Gallery", "Take a small picture" or "Image from file".

Use Notes to add text to a topic, without cluttering the mind map.
To add a note, tap on the note tool .

Once you have added note, the topic will show a small yellow note marker in the top right corner of the topic.

Labels and call-outs are floating text elements. They are not part of the mind map's hierarchical structure. This means a label, unlike a topic, does not have a parent topic or child topics.
Use a label to label relations or to add comments.

To add a label to a topic or relation, select it so you can click it's toolbar and select  the label icon. A topic may have an unlimited amount of labels.

• A label is a floating element, move it to any position you like.
• Labels are anchored to a topic or relation. Move the topic and the labels move along with it. If you do not want the labels to move when you move a topic, add the labels to the central theme.
• Drag and drop a label on another topic to anchor the label to the other topic. Is it not possible to drop a label on a relation.
• Change a Label to a Call-out via the style panel . Mobile devices: If you don't see the icon use the overflow menu - Style..

A navigation link is a link to a mind map, a web page, a contact or a file. A topic may only have one navigation link.

To add or remove a link, tap on the topic toolbar  and select link . After you have added the link, the topic will show a navigation icon. Tap on this navigation icon to open the link.

Navigation links

• Link to a mind map: Links to another mind map on your device on or in a cloud.
• Link to a specific topic in a mind map: Use copy/paste link to link to a specific topic in the same or another mind map. See more in this video .
• Link to a web page: Links the topic to a web page. Fill out, or copy/paste, the whole internet-address, including http:// or https:// to make the link work.
• Link to a document in the cloud: When you store the mind map in a built-in cloud you can link to a document in that same cloud. Other devices with access to the same cloud can open these documents.
• Link to a document on your device: A link to a local file is bound to your device or computer and won't open across devices. To overcome this problem, SimpleMind optionally allows uploading a copy of the linked document to a cloud. The link will then actually be a "Link to Document in Cloud" as described above.
• Link to a contact: (not on Windows) Adds a link to a contact by phone-number or email address. Other devices with the same contact can open the link. If the contact has more than one e-mail address or phone number you can choose where you want to link to. See more in this video .
  Note: If you use different contact apps, use "link by e-mail". Phone numbers need to be exactly the same, if they are not, the link will not work. For example, when Jim's number is (+31) 11 1234567 on your Android and 011-1234567 on your iPhone.
• Linking to a specific page in a pdf (Mac and Windows): From the topic toolbar  select link and "Link to document or web page". Click the pdf icon and select the pdf. Next, from the pdf's table of contents select the page you want to link to.

Add checkboxes, progress bars or roll-up progress bars to topics. To add this, select  from the topic toolbar

You can check or uncheck a checkbox. A progress bar is different, this sets progress gradually (0 to 100 percent).
The roll-up progress automatically calculates the total progress of the branch.

Tip! On Mac, iPad&iPhone you can export all checkboxes en progress bars to the Reminder app. Read more...

Add dates to topics via topic toolbar and select the date icon.

• Select "set date" to add a date to the topic.
• Select "add event to Calendar" (Not on Windows) to add a new event in your calendar. The selected date will be added to the topic.
• "Clear date" removes the date.

Tip! You can export all dates in a mind map to a calendar. Read more..

Group borders

A group border visually groups topics by drawing a line around those topics.
To display a group border, use the topic toolbar  and select the group border icon . Next select group border or branch border.

Group border

• Around any group of topics.
• Customize colors and shape easily.
• Click the group border to select it and;
  • delete it
  • use the toolbar to customize.
  • add or remove topics with the icon.

Branch border

• Always around the whole branch.
• The branch border’s colors are auto-derived from the topic’s fill color and the mind map’s background color.

Collapase and expand topics

Collapse topics to keep oversight in large maps. When a topic is collapsed, the whole branch is hidden. Expand is the reverse of collapse. Tap the collapse tool  to either collapse or expand its child topics.
Long press the tool for additional options like collapse children, full expand, etc.

Hide and show topics

Rather than collapsing a topic, use the hide/show tool to hide and show (child-)topics one by one. To hide, select the relation (line) and tap . To show, tap the show tool .
Long press the tool for more options options

Display hide tool

Unlike the collapse/expand tool, the hide/show tool is not shown when you select a topic. You can change this in "Preferences" - "General Options".

Learn more in this video:

SimpleMind for iPad&iPhone and SimpleMind for Android support adding one or more video recordings to a topic.

To add a video recording, select the topic you want to add the video to. Use the topic toolbar  and select the image icon . Tap “Add image” and “Record Movie”.
Once done, SimpleMind adds an image with a thumbnail of the video in the mind map. Double tap the thumbnail to play back the video.

SimpleMind stores the video recordings in a cloud or locally on your device. This depends on where the mind map is stored.

Add a voice memo to a topic to record and play back audio.

To add a voice memo, select a topic. Use the topic toolbar and tap the voice memo icon .
After recording, SimpleMind shows a voice memo icon in the topic. Tap this icon to play back the voice memo.

Note! SimpleMind for iPad&iPhone:Adding voice memo’s is possible only when using a built-in cloud. Because of Apple’s security, it is not possible to store/open the recorded file on your device.

SimpleMind for Mac and Windows can play those back voice memos.

How a mind map looks is controlled by styles. The styles control everything, such as colors, topics, lines, font size, and more. Pick a style sheet to set the default style for the mind map. Customize the details by changing the style of one or more of the elements.

Style Sheet:
Top level. The style sheet controls most of what you see in the mind map. When no other style settings are applied, the Style Sheet defines the appearance of the mind map.
Select any of the default style sheets, or create your own custom style sheet.

Mind Map Style:
Use the mind map style to redefine aspects of the selected style sheet, for that mind map only.
For example, to change the background color for one mind map. Or the color of the relations.

Element Style:
Use the element style to redefine the appearance for a single element. For example, to make one crosslink red.

Additionally, set Preferences that operate on a global level for all mind maps.

Tip: The layout of a mind map, how topics are organized, is set via layouts.

A style sheet contains a complete definition for a mind map’s appearance. It defines a color scheme and sub-styles for topics and relations. SimpleMind has a set of good looking built-in style sheets to quickly change the look of your mind map. You could also create your custom style sheets.

To select a style sheet:
Mac and Windows: Click the style sheet icon  in the toolbar.
iPad/iPhone and Android: Tap on the style sheet icon  or select “Style Sheet” from the overflow menu.

Create custom style sheets

Create your own custom style sheet to suit your needs perfectly. Change colors, line styles,  topics, crosslinks and more. The custom style sheets appear in the style sheet list, just like the built-in style sheets.
Create a custom style sheet by first selecting one that resembles it.

Mac and Windows: Use  in the style toolbar or use the inspector (right side of the screen). Click the "Edit select style sheet" button. Customize and click "save" or "save as".
iPad/iPhone: Tap  from the toolbar or tap “Style Sheet”. Tap "Edit". Select a style sheet. Tap the "edit style" icon at the bottom. Name the style sheet, customize and tap "Save".
Android: Tap the style sheet tool  from the toolbar or “Select Style Sheet” from the overflow menu. Tap action bar next to the style sheet and tap [+]. Name the style sheet, customize and tap "OK".

Level based or branch based style sheets

Style sheets can either apply the color scheme per level or per branch.
A level based style applies colors per level like so:

A branch based style applies colors per branch like so:

Note: if you change a topic’s color in a branch based style, this affects the whole branch, unless a child defines its own customized color.

• Auto numbering,
• Background color,
• Custom checkbox color,
  Checkboxes are tinted according to the topic colors. Selecting a custom color changes this for all checkboxes and tinted links. Defining (near) white as custom checkbox color results in plain black and white checkboxes,
• Connections,
  The way hierarchical relations connect to topics (centered, baseline or left-right).

To open the mind map style, select from the menu (Style) “Mind Map Style”.
Or open the style panel Tap once in blank space in your mind map to display the mind map style. Click "Mind Map Style" to open additional settings.

Fine-tune your mind map with Element Style.
An element can be a topic, label, relation, crosslink or groupborder. Unlike mind map style or a style sheet, this changes the selected elements only. You can customize one or more elements, use style presets or use copy/paste style.

Open the style panel with the style icon to easily customize elements to your liking.
Mobile devices: If you don't see the icon use the overflow menu - Style.

Style presets

• Use a style preset: In the style panel select "use style preset" . Select one of the style presets.
• Create a custom style preset: Use the style panel to customize the element(s) exactly how you want. Once done, select the "add style preset" .
  SimpleMind will only save your custom choices as a preset. If you customize only the topic border shape for example, that alone will be saved in the preset. As a result, you can easily apply the preset to any topic, without changing f.e. the color or font size.

Copy or paste Style

Instead of making new presets, you could use copy style and paste style .

Note! When using a branch based style sheet, changing a topic’s color affects the whole branch. Should you do not want this, please use a level based style sheet instead.

Format (parts of) text in topics, label and notes using rich text. For example, make one word italic or bold.

Important! SimpleMind for Windows can only show rich text in notes.

Windows: To format text in Notes use the toolbar in Notes. Change whole topics and whole labels via the style toolbar.
Mac: Select the text and via the menu use Style – Font.
iPad: Select the text. Use the toolbar of your keyboard. “A” toggles toolbar between typography and tools.
iPhone: Select the text and use the context menu.
Android: Select the text and use the (overflow) menu.. Not all Android devices support this.

Note, use the word wrap tool to add line breaks.

• curved
• straight
• rounded
• or angled.

The path is defined in the style sheet. You can change this with a custom style sheet, via Mind Map Style or per relation. Read more about that here.

In free form layout drag a relation line to manually adjust the path. Use the relation toolbar to clear  the manually adjusted path. In an auto layout it's possible only to drag crosslink lines.

Note for smaller mobile devices: First enable “Draggable relation lines” in Preferences.

Change settings that apply to all mind maps in Preferences. For example, fonts, snap options, general options and image options.

To open the preferences:
Mac or Windows: Select from the main menu “SimpleMind” → “Preferences”.
iPad/iPhone and Android: Select “Preferences” from the drop down/ overflow menu.

Fonts

Using the default fonts assures mind maps will look identical across platforms and devices. Should you adjust the default global fonts on one device, please remember to select the same fonts on your other devices.

Tip! Rather than increasing the font size, change the editor scale factor. This will make the font look bigger (or smaller).
Adjusting the editor scale factor, rather than adjusting font sizes, assures your mind maps will still look identical across all devices.

Snap options may assist you in aligning topics when using a free form layout. SimpleMind supports:

• Snap to grid When snap to grid is enabled, the topic aligns or “snaps to” the grid position, even though the grid itself is not visible. This is useful for accurate placement of topics.
• Snap to guidelines Guidelines help align topics. When enabled, SimpleMind displays guidelines when a topic aligns with other topics. The guidelines are only displayed when you move a single topic around. See the video below.
  The combination of “center horizontal” and “center vertical” guidelines is usually the best choice to keep topics aligned. Topics always keep the same center, even when you edit the topic text or change the font(size).
  Another useful combination is to horizontal align left and right sides combined with center vertical. However, should you change the topic text (or font size), you'll need to re-align the left or right edges.

Select “Snap Options” in Preferences to change the options.

The outline view can display the mind map as a hierarchical list, checklist, to do list, done list or date list.
Mac and Windows: Click the outline icon  in the inspector (right side of the screen).  Or via the main menu – “View” – “Outline”
iPad/iPhone and Android: Select “Outline” from the menu.

Hierarchical view

Check list

To Do list

Done list

Date list

Easily create and play a slideshow presentation with SimpleMind. To start, open the slideshow view.
Mac and Windows: Use the inspector or the main menu – “View” – “Show slides”.
iPad and Android tablets: select “Slideshow” from the menu.
This feature is not available for phones.

Create a default Slide Show in one tap

Tap on the "Add default slides" button so SimpleMind will create a slide for each branch.

Create a custom slideshow

Select one or more topics and tap "Add Slide".
The new slide will be added after the last selected slide. Reorder the slides by using drag and drop.
See more in this video  

Play or export

Tips!

• Have you changed your mind map? For example, you've made a topic red? No need to start over. Simply select the slide and tap on the "retake slide" button.
• Long press "Add slides" or "Delete" for more options.
• Select a parent topic and Use "Show Childeren sequentially". This will add new slides, starting with the parent, next the parent and topic 1, next parent and topic 1 and 2 etc.
  
• Add the .png images as slides into a presentation app.

Autofocus is designed to help you focus on your ideas. It removes all the distractions while mind mapping by focussing only on the topics you are working on. You can apply it to:

• selected topic(s) only
• the selected topic(s) and the children (see image below)
• the selected branch
• lock autofocus on the selected branch. This helps you focus on one branch only, without any distractions.
• Optionally check “include cross-linked topics”

Mac: Click the autofocus button on the toolbar, or use the main menu “Zoom” → “Auto Focus”.
Windows: Select “Autofocus” from the status bar (bottom of the screen), or use the main menu “Zoom” → “Auto Focus”.
iPad/iPhone and Android: Select “Autofocus” from the menu.

SimpleMind can search for mind maps, or search inside a mind map.

Search for mind maps

This is used to find and open a mind map quickly.
First select the storage, for example, Local or Dropbox. Type the text in the search bar in the toolbar. SimpleMind shows a list with the found mind maps. Tip: Long press the search icon to select “Search Titles” or “Full Text Search”.

Search text in an opened mind map

Use this to find topics or labels with a specific text. All other topics/labels will be faded, so the search results stand out. The search also applies to the outliner.

Mac: Command+F (Mac) and enter text.
Windows: Control+F (Windows) and enter text.
iPad/iPhone/Android: Select “search” from the (overflow) menu and enter text.
Tip: Use the arrows in the search window to move from the first found topic/label to the next and so forth.

Search in an opened mind map – advanced (Mac and Windows)

The advanced search can also filter topics by (un)checked state, a specific icon, before a date or after a date. Filters can be combined, so you can look for a topic with an unchecked state and a red flag icon (see image below).
Long press the search tool and check “advanced search”.

SimpleMind for Mac and Windows can open mind maps in multiple windows. To open the mind map in a new window, use the main menu “View” – “Open in New Window” or the shortcut Command+O (Mac) or Control+O (Windows).

• When opening the same mind map twice, the second mind map will be read-only and has a watermark lock.
• On Windows, you can add a button "Open in new Window" in the mind map explorer toolbar or main toolbar. To do so, right-click on the toolbar and select "customize".

When you create a new mind map, you can select a template or start with a blank mind map. SimpleMind Pro has multiple predefined templates and you can add your own templates or download more here.

To do so:

• Mac: Main Menu → Mind Map → Add to Templates.
• Windows: Main Menu → Mind Map → Share → Add to Templates.
• iPad&iPhone: Select the share icon from the toolbar → Add to Templates.
• Android: Select share from the toolbar or select "Share Mind Map" from the overflow menu→ "Add to Templates".

Note, on Mac this requires MacOS 10.13 or newer.

Select a topic and tap the toolbar icon  to bring up the topic toolbar.

The topic toolbar contains these topic related commands: (not all commands are available on all platforms)

	Copy - copies the selected topic and branch to the clipboard.
	Cut - cuts the selected topic and branch to the clipboard.
	Paste - the pasted topics are added as a child to the selected topic. iPad/iPhone: Long press for options "Paste as Central Theme" and "Paste text as list".
	Open the style panel.
	Topic properties.
	Add an icon.
	Add an image. On Android and iPad/iPhone you can also record a video.
	Add a label or a call-out.
	Add a navigation link.
	Record a voice memo. SimpleMind for iPad/iPhone and Android only.
	Select checkboxes or progress bars.
	Set date.
	Display a group border or branch border.
	Change the layout.
	Add a cross-link.

We like to keep it simple. You need one license per platform and you pay only for what you need.
SimpleMind is available on four platforms:

• Mac
• Windows
• iPad & iPhone
• Android

For example, you want to use SimpleMind on Android and Windows. Only buy a license "SimpleMind for Android" and a license "SimpleMind for Windows".

SimpleMind 1.x is a one-time purchase per platform, there are no subscriptions or monthly fees. All updates within this 1.x version are free and included.
Click here for links to the stores

SimpleMind for Mac and/or Windows is sold by MyCommerce.
SimpleMind for iPad/iPhone is sold via Apple’s App Store only.
SimpleMind for Android is sold via Google Play only.
Click here for the links to the stores

Please note: When you purchase SimpleMind in Apple's App Store or the Google Play Store, their terms and (refund) conditions apply.

• English
• Dutch
• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Spanish
• Simplified Chinese (not in SimpleMind for Android)
• Traditional Chinese (not in SimpleMind for Android)

The language is set by the system settings of your device.
In SimpleMind for Windows set and change the language using the main menu - SimpleMind - Preferences - General options.

Note! Support is available in English only.

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Example 5

See more examples, including how to mind map, here.

We made a list that compares the differences between the free edition and the Pro edition.

There are two versions of SimpleMind for iPad & iPhone, SimpleMind and SimpleMind Pro.

SimpleMind Pro is the paid edition.
Simplemind, without in-app purchase, is the free edition. In-app purchase SimpleMind unlocks the Pro functionality, making it identical to SimpleMind Pro.
The only difference is Apple’s family sharing. This is not available in SimpleMind because Apple made in-app purchases not available for family sharing.

1. the SimpleApps edition, sold via our website
2. the AppStore edition, sold by Apple’s App Store

• linking to a file on your computer
• importing the bookmarks of a .pdf
• when opening mind maps directly from Finder, or a cloud app, you cannot open or create links to mind maps, links to documents or store full-size images in the cloud.

We like to keep it simple. You need one license per platform (Mac, Windows, Android and iPad & iPhone) and you only pay for the platforms you use. SimpleMind is sold at the sharpest price possible per platform. Always.
As a result, we don't have special discounts for students, resellers or existing client discounts.

SimpleMind for Mac and SimpleMind for Windows are both sold in the same store. Because of that, we can offer combination packs. Those prices are visible here . Unfortunately, we are unable to upgrade an existing license at a later time.

How to (re)install SimpleMind depends on where you purchased SimpleMind.

Tip! Make a back-up of local mind maps and import those on the new device.

Mac and Windows

• SimpleApps edition – Use the original download and activation e-mail to (re)install SimpleMind. Should you not have this, please contact us and include
  - the original e-mail address and order number
  - or open via the main menu - SimpleMind – About and send us a screenshot.
• Mac App Store edition – Read how in Apple Support.

iPad&iPhone

• If you purchased SimpleMind Pro+, install SimpleMind Pro+.
  If you used in-app purchase in SimpleMind +, install SimpleMind+ on your other device and use "restore purchase".
• Read how in Apple Support.

Android

• Read how in the Google Play Store help.

Trouble installing or asked to pay again? Please click here
Learn more about how licensing works.

SimpleMind Trial

• SimpleMind Pro shares the mind maps and settings with the SimpleMind Trial. After installing the full version continue working where you left off, even if the trial expired.
• Transferring mind maps is necessary should you purchase SimpleMind Pro for Mac in the AppStore.

SimpleMind or SimpleMind Lite

• Mac: SimpleMind Lite to Pro.
• iPad&iPhone: SimpleMind to SimpleMind Pro.
• Android:  SimpleMind Lite for Android will prompt you to transfer the mind maps. Should this not happen automatically, or if you declined, do this manually.

With SimpleMind you can open mind maps on all your devices. For example, start your mind map on your phone or tablet and continue working on your desktop. The mind map looks the same on all devices. To sync your mind maps SimpleMind uses clouds. This is demonstrated in the video below. Note! You need a license per platform.

Built-in clouds

SimpleMind has built-in support for multiple clouds, such as Dropbox and Google Drive. Connect SimpleMind to your cloud and you'll see all your folders and mind maps. Create and open mind maps anywhere in your cloud from within SimpleMind.

Other clouds

Mac and Windows: The cloud app creates and syncs a folder on your computer. SimpleMind can save, and open, mind maps in that folder. Therefor you can use every cloud as long as it has a sync app for Windows or Mac.
iPad&iPhone iOS 13 and up: You can store mind maps in Apple's Files app. iCloud Drive and OneDrive can create and sync a folder in Files. SimpleMind can save, and open, mind maps from the Files. This way you can use iCloudDrive and OneDrive.
Android: This is not available on Android.

Need help connecting to a cloud or copying your local mind maps?

Click on the link in the table below for a step-by-step instruction.

	Mac	Windows	iPad&iPhone	Android
Dropbox
Google Drive
OneDrive
iCloud Drive
坚果云 - Nutstore
Nextcloud
Other clouds			*

* Only if the cloud app creates, and syncs, a folder in Files.

1. In the private app data directory.
   These are local mind maps. Local mind maps are stored on your device only.
   Manually back-up your data so it is safe.
   Local mind maps can only be opened via the local tab in SimpleMind.
2. In a clouds.
   All changes synchronize safely with the cloud.
   Access your mind maps on all your devices with SimpleMind Pro.
   Read more...
3. In any folder (Mac, Windows and iPad/iPhone with iOS 11 or higher).
   Store mind maps anywhere on your device, for example in "Documents". SimpleMind for iPad & iPhone can store mind maps in any of your Locations in Files. Read more...
   Open mind maps via Finder, Explorer or the Files App. Those mind maps open in the Files tab in SimpleMind Pro.
   Note for AppStore edition: Because of Apple's security, adding or opening links to external documents or mind maps is not possible.

Detailed steps

• Mac Main Menu → Mind Map → Export Mind Map or Export Outline. or use "Share Mind Map" if you want to share with another an app, for example, the Mail app
• Windows Main Menu → Mind Map → Share → Export Mind Map or Export Outline.  Optionally use Outline options, for example for a Notes report.
• iPad & iPhone Select the share icon from the toolbar → "Open in.." or "Open Outline in..".
• Android Select share from the toolbar or select "Share Mind Map" from the overflow menu. → "Send Mind Map" or "Send Outline".

Share all dates in a mind map to a calendar app. Each topic with a date will be a new event, the topic text will be the title.

Windows

Use the Main Menu → Mind Map → Share → Export to Calendar.
This creates a .ics file that includes all topics with a date. This file can be imported in most calendar apps.

Mac, iPad & iPhone

• "Export to Reminders" exports the mind map as a new list in the Reminders app. Each topics with a checkbox is added as a list item.
• "Export to Calendar" exports the mind maps as a new calendar in the Calendar app. Each topic with a date is added as new event.
• "Export to .ics" creates a .ics file that includes all topics with a date. This file can be imported in most calendar apps.

Android

• "Export to Calendar" prompts Android open a calendar app so each topic with a date can be imported into your calendar.
• "Export to .ics" creates a .ics file that includes all topics with a date. This file can be imported in most calendar apps.

SimpleMind Pro is able to import text files, .mm, .opml, and can import the table of contents of a .pdf as bookmarks.

• Text files (.txt) This is an easy way to convert your text files into mind maps. Each new line in the text file creates a new topic. If a line starts with a tab, this creates a child topic.
• FreeMind (.mm) and .opml files. The file is imported as a new local mind map. SimpleMind imports the basic structure of an .mm or .opml file. SimpleMind extracts text, notes and hierarchy from and ignores all other attributes such as links and icons. It is intended to be used as a one-time import.
• The table of contents of a .pdf as bookmarks (not available on Android or iPhone) This creates a new topic for each bookmark with a link back to that page in the .pdf. This requires an official Table of Contents in the .pdf. Because of Sandboxing, SimpleMind from purchased in the AppStore can only link from built-in clouds. See video for Mac and Windows and iPad

Tip: Use paste text as list (not on Android) to quickly copy text and paste this as mind map topics. Use the main menu - Edit - Paste - Paste Text as list. On iPad & i Phone, tap the toolbar, long press paste and select "paste text as list".

• Via e-mail or another app:
  • Share in original .smmx format via e-mail or another app. The other person can import this file in SimpleMind Pro.
• To avoid sending mind maps back and forth, use a shared cloud folder:
  1. If you haven't already, connect SimpleMind to a cloud or use Files.
  2. Share a folder via the cloud's website. The person(s) you shared the mind map with must accept your invite. Some clouds require an additional step before you see the folder. The shared folder also needs to be added to the other person's cloud/storage. If this is the case, please check the cloud's help on how to do so.
  3. Store mind maps you want to share in that shared folder so everyone can open and edit those mind maps.
  4. SimpleMind does not support real time editing, only one person should edit the mind map at the same time.

The mind map will look the same, even if the other person use SimpleMind Pro a different platform.

iPad&iPhone and Android

If editing is not possible, for example moving a topic, most likely you’ve zoomed out too much. Zooming out beyond a certain level will switch the mind map to read-only, this prevents unwanted changes.
Zoom in to bring back the normal functionality.

If you prefer to work zoomed out, you can adjust the editor scale in Preferences.

A trash-can image in the mind map means the mind map is in the trash.
Deleting a local mind map moves it to the local trash folder. To remind you that you’ve deleted this mind map, the mind map displays a trash can image. To get rid of this, move the mind map to any other folder. The same applies to mind maps accidentally created in the trash folder.

Use “Empty Trash” to completely and irreversibly delete the mind maps in the trash folder.

SimpleMind Trial

• SimpleMind Pro shares the mind maps and settings with the SimpleMind Trial. After installing the full version continue working where you left off, even if the trial expired.
• Transferring mind maps is necessary should you purchase SimpleMind Pro for Mac in the AppStore.

SimpleMind or SimpleMind Lite

• Mac: SimpleMind Lite to Pro.
• iPad&iPhone: SimpleMind to SimpleMind Pro.
• Android:  SimpleMind Lite for Android will prompt you to transfer the mind maps. Should this not happen automatically, or if you declined, do this manually.

• Simplified Chinese: Microsoft Yahei
• Traditional Chinese: Microsoft JhengHei
• Japanese: Meiryo
• Korean: Batang

• SimpleMind won’t start, I see a window "Activating SimpleMind Pro".
  This means you still need to activate SimpleMind. Check this video.
• I purchased SimpleMind Pro, but still see “30-day Trial has expired”.
  The SimpleMind Trial and SimpleMind Pro are two different applications.  Uninstall the trial, or on Mac, delete the SimpleMind trial.app. This will not delete your mind maps.
• I am unable to download/the download file is corrupt.
  If you get an error message stating that the downloaded setup file is corrupt, this is either because the download was incomplete, or a virus scanner has blocked the download. You need to temporarily disable the virus scanner and re-download the setup.

•  Apple Support
• Google Play Support

Mind maps are not stored on our servers, nor do we have access to your mind maps or data. Therefore we cannot restore your mind maps.

If you stored the mind map on a cloud, you may be able to restore a previous version of your mind map via the cloud's website. Some clouds, like Dropbox, can even restore a deleted file.

To delete, rename or move mind maps, tap "Edit" in the mind map explorer. Select a mind map and tap the command at the bottom of the mind map list.

Or navigate to the mind map.Left swipe a little bit and tap "More" to rename, move or duplicate.

Tap "Delete" or left swipe completely to delete the mind map.
Mind Maps in Files cannot be renamed via SimpleMind, only via Apple's Files app.

Tip! To copy an existing (local) mind map to "Files" use "Share" - "Open in.." and select Files. If the file is already stored on a cloud, you can also use the Files app itself to move mind maps.

This can happen when SimpleMind was not installed via the Google Play Store. For example, you used another app/store to install SimpleMind.

The only way to fix this is to install SimpleMind directly in the Google Play Store. First make a back-up of your local mind maps (if you have any). Remove the app and install again from the Google Play Store.

Note! If you use SimpleMind Lite, it is not possible to make a back-up. Deleting SimpleMind will also delete your mind maps.

The SimpleMind for Windows spellchecker uses US-English. You can install dictionaries in some other languages.

We never share or sell your data. You’re our customer, not our product.

What data do we collect:

• SimpleMind for Mac (App Store), SimpleMind for iPhone&iPad and SimpleMind forAndroid:
  The Play Store and the AppStore sell SimpleMind. We do not collect or have access to your personal data.
  We do not have access to your mind maps or any related data (voice memos, images etc.).
• SimpleMind for Mac (SimpleApps edition) and SimpleMind for Windows:
  MyCommerce sells SimpleMind and takes care of order processing and delivery. Similar to how you purchase a book from a bookshop, not from the author (us, SimpleApps). After your order is completed, MyCommerce forwards us your name, address, e-mail address and product keys. We store this in our customer database. We use this information to send you a copy of your registration details should you ever lose the original.
  MyCommerce does not give use payment details, like credit card numbers. Your data is not shared with or sold to anyone else.
  We do not have access to your mind maps or any related data (voice memos, images etc.).

• Access to microphone: required to add voice memos to topics. Recorded voice memos are uploaded to your cloud of choice. Never to our servers. We do not access the microphone for anything else.
• Access to Accounts (and identity): required to be able to authorize with Google Drive. This is actually a Google requirement. Connecting to Google Drive is the only place where SimpleMind accesses Accounts. If you don’t connect SimpleMind to Google Drive, SimpleMind won’t need access to Contacts.
• Access to Contacts: required to be able to add or open a link to a contact. If you don't link to contacts SimpleMind won’t need access to Contacts.
• Access to External Storage and Documents: required to be able to exchange data with other apps and to be able to store mind maps in the “External Directory”.
• Access to Internet and Network state: required to be able to synchronize with the built-in clouds.
• Install Shortcuts: required to be able to add a shortcut to a mind map on the start screen at user request.
• Access to Calendar: to be able to add an event to the calendar and read back to the event's date.

Please contact us if you have a different question, or to send us feedback.

• Android: android@simpleapps.eu
• iPad/iPhone: simplemind-touch@simpleapps.eu
• Mac: simplemind-mac@simpleapps.eu
• Windows: simplemind-windows@simpleapps.eu
• or use the feedback button from within SimpleMind.

E-mail is the fastest way to reach us. We will answer your question as soon as possible.