How to Set up your first mind map with Mindly

Your first item

Open Mindly. If prompted, choose where to store your document (on your device, iCloud, or Dropbox). Tap the + button and give your first item a title. Tap the notepad icon to enter a description for your idea.

Add extra items

Time to add the first layer of sub-item: tap the + button around the original to set up a sub-item in the same way as you did for the parent one. Use this first level to create an overall structure for your map.

Move/copy items

If you want to move or copy an item, drag it to the white button that appears in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Navigate to its destination, then tap and drag, and then choose to move or copy it there.

Set color

Tap Color to choose a color scheme. Tap a color to select it, then tap “Define Child Theme” to determine how additional items will be colored – see the annotations on the previous page for a more detailed explanation.

Flesh out structure

Continue to build out your structure. Tap an item to make it the focus, allowing you to add sub-items to it. Tap and drag an item to the black dot in the bottom right if you want to remove it from your mind map.

Navigation aids

Tap items to delve deeper into your mind map, or tap the parent item in the top-left corner to go up one level. To view the whole mind map and jump quickly to a different area, tap the star-shaped button on the left.

Add an icon

Select the Icon tab to add another distinguishing mark to your item. 15 categories are provided (scroll down). Tap the arrow next to one to view its contents and select an icon, then tap the check mark to finish.

Add photos & links

Tap the button in the top-right corner to take a photo, select an existing image, or generate a web link to add to an item. Drag this onto any item in your map. Choose Copy Inside if you want it to be a sub-item there.

Share with others

Tap the printer button to print your mind map, or tap the Share one to send it to other Mindly users or export it as a PDF file. Other sharing options require purchasing the full version as an in-app purchase ($6.99).