Jot it down
Double-click anywhere on the board, or press ⌘ ↩, to add a note. Press it again to add the next note right below, in the same stack.
Mac Freeform mind maps
Mind maps without the clutter.
Jot ideas down as fast as you think, drag one note onto another to link them, and press S to stack them neatly. Tidy Mind stays out of your way, so your thinking doesn't have to.
Free to download. Want more room? Tidy Mind Pro is a one-time purchase, with no subscription.
Free
To download and use
Pay once
Pro has no subscription
Keyboard-first
Add, link and stack notes without the mouse
Plain text
Paste lines in, copy notes out
How it works
Jot. Connect. Tidy up.
There's no template to fill in and no system to learn. You can start mapping in the first minute, with a quick-start board of tips to help you along.
Connect ideas
Drag one note onto another to link them. Hold ⌥ while you drag to draw an arrow, or press ⌘ ⌃ + an arrow key to add a linked note.
Tidy up
Select a few notes and press S to stack them, or J to stack and justify. Notes in a stack adjust together as you edit.
Features
Small app.
Small app.
Big thinking space.
Tidy Mind gives you what you need to think clearly and skips everything that gets in the way.
Freeform canvas
Put notes anywhere. Drag the board to pan, scroll to zoom, and press A to see all your notes at once.
Links & arrows
Drop a note on another to link them. Add arrows to show cause and effect, or double-headed arrows for two-way ideas.
One-key stacks
Turn a scattered pile of notes into a neat list with a single key. Stacks keep themselves tidy as notes grow and shrink.
Markdown notes
Add headings, bold, italics, strikethrough, bulleted and numbered lists, and block quotes, so a note can hold a whole draft.
Paste in, copy out
Paste lines of text to create a note for each line. Copy notes back into any text editor as plain text to keep writing there.
Built for the keyboard
Add, edit, select, stack and format notes with shortcuts. Arrow keys move between notes, and ↩ starts editing.
Ideas
Think it through, your way.
You're not locked into any one system or method. Here are a few of the ways people use Tidy Mind.
Plan a novel
Lay out characters, themes, places and mysteries on one board, then work through the story part by part.
Break down a screenplay
Map an act beat by beat, and draw arrows from each plot point to the people, props and places it needs.
Make photo boards Pro
Drag photos from the Finder right onto the board for mood boards, trip journals and visual study notes.
Brainstorming
Get every idea out of your head first, then link, group and stack them once you see the patterns.
Studying
Take freeform notes in class, then map a complex subject so you can see how its pieces fit together.
Project planning
Break a project into stacks of tasks, link the ones that depend on each other, and cross them off as you go.
Free vs. Pro
Start free. Go Pro anytime.
Tidy Mind is free, with everything you need to map out your ideas. Tidy Mind Pro gives you unlimited room and adds images and color, for a one-time price.
FAQ
Questions,
Questions,
answered.
For every feature and shortcut, see the Tidy Mind User's Guide. Still stuck? Send us feedback and we'll get back to you.
Is Tidy Mind really free?
Yes. Tidy Mind is free to download from the Mac App Store and includes notes, links, arrows, stacks, markdown and all the keyboard shortcuts. Tidy Mind Pro is a separate app you buy once if you want more.
What do I get with Tidy Mind Pro?
Everything in Tidy Mind, plus an infinite board, images you can drag and drop from the Finder, custom colors and extra border styles. It's a one-time purchase, with no subscription.
Which Macs does it run on?
Tidy Mind runs on any Mac with macOS 10.14 Mojave or later.
Can I get my ideas out of Tidy Mind?
Yes. Select some notes, copy them and paste them into any text editor, where they appear as a block of text. It works the other way too: paste lines of text into Tidy Mind to make a note from each line.
Is there a version for iPad or iPhone?
Tidy Mind is for Mac only. On iPad, try Cardflow, our digital index cards app, for brainstorming and planning with Apple Pencil.
How do I learn the shortcuts?
Tidy Mind comes with a quick-start board of tips and shortcuts to get you going. The User's Guide has the full list.
clear your head
Give your ideas room to breathe.
Download Tidy Mind free, and upgrade to Pro whenever you want more room.
Requires macOS 10.14 or later.