MindView (MindView 9 AT)

Visual mind-mapping and planning software that turns branching ideas and attached Text Notes into structured Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Project documents.

Last reviewed: 28 October 2026 · Applies to: MatchWare MindView 9 AT (Windows & macOS Desktop)

These instructions were checked against official product documentation on the review date. Menus, features and availability may change or vary by device, software version and subscription. If your screen looks different, check the official help links below or contact AAT Solutions.

Separating planning from writing: short branch labels and Text Notes

Starting a long report or essay on a blank Word page is difficult when you are trying to decide the order of sections and write polished sentences at the same time.

MindView lets you split the job in two: first, map out short 2-to-4-word branch titles visually and move them around until the structure makes sense; second, open the Text Note editor on each branch to write or dictate the paragraphs that belong under that heading. When you export to Microsoft Word, your main branches become Heading 1, sub-branches become Heading 2, and your Text Notes become the body text beneath each heading.

Getting started in MindView 9 (Windows & Mac)

  1. Create your central topic and main branches: Open MindView, choose a Mind Map (or Top Down / Left to Right) layout, type your document title in the central root topic, and press Enter (Return on Mac). With the central root topic selected, press Insert on Windows (or Cmd + Return on Mac) to create your first main branch, type a short heading (such as Introduction), and press Enter (Return on Mac) to finish the label. While that main branch is still selected, press Enter (Return on Mac) again to add sibling main branches at the same level (Background, Options, Recommendations), pressing Enter (Return) after typing each title. (Tip: use unnumbered branch titles if you plan to use MindView's automatic numbering in your Word export, so headings are not numbered twice.)
  2. Add sub-branches and reorder sections: Select any main branch and press Insert on Windows (Cmd + Return on Mac) to add a child sub-branch. To reorder sibling branches, drag them with the mouse or hold Ctrl + Arrow keys on Windows (Option + Arrow keys on Mac) — using Up/Down Arrow in Mind Map / Left / Right views, or Left/Right Arrow in Top Down view. Because MindView numbers and exports radial maps clockwise starting from 1 o'clock, reordering branches changes their section order in your Word export.
  3. Write paragraphs in the Text Note editor: Keep branch labels short.
    • On Windows (MindView 9 AT): Select a branch and click Text Note on the Home ribbon, or press F8 to switch between the branch and the Text Note editor (or Ctrl + F8 to create a new Text Note). Type or dictate your paragraphs into the note pane, then press F8 (or click back on the map canvas) to return to the map.
    • On Mac (MindView 9 AT): Select a branch and choose Insert → Text Note from the menu bar (or click the Text Note toolbar/inspector button) to open the note editor, type your paragraphs, and click back on the map canvas when finished.
  4. Reduce visual clutter while working (Focus Mode, Topic Isolation, Fit All, and Outline View):
    • Focus Mode (F3 on Windows): Centres and zooms the selected topic on screen.
    • Fit All (F4 on Windows): Fits the entire mind map into the workspace window.
    • Isolating a topic (Alt + F6 / Alt + Shift + F6 on Windows) and filtering: In Windows MindView 9, pressing Alt + F6 isolates the selected branch (hiding other branches while you focus on one section), and pressing Alt + Shift + F6 restores the full map. Always restore the full map display and clear any restrictive filters before exporting so hidden branches are not omitted from your Word document.
    • Outline View: Switch to Outline view on both Windows and Mac whenever you prefer reading and navigating in a linear hierarchy rather than a 2D canvas.
  5. Export to Microsoft Word: First restore the full map display (for example, press Alt + Shift + F6 on Windows if a branch was isolated) and clear any active filters so the whole project is included.
    • On Windows (MindView 9 AT): Go to File → Export → Microsoft Word → Custom Word Export (or Quick Word Export). In Custom Word Export, choose a Word style template and tick whether to include the map image or export only the headings and text notes. (If you plan to re-import the Word file back into MindView later, keep Word's bookmarks intact while editing.)
    • On Mac (MindView 9 AT): Go to File → Quick Export, set Export to: Microsoft Word, choose your filename and save location, and click Save.

    Open the exported file in Microsoft Word and check the heading styles, contents, and section order before sharing or submitting it.

Platform editions and visual settings

  • Windows AT vs Mac AT vs MindView Online: MatchWare's feature comparison supports Dragon speech recognition integration on MindView for Windows AT, and screen-reader/Read Aloud support on the Windows and Mac AT desktop editions (use Outline view when navigating linearly by keyboard or speech).
  • Adjusting background colours and branch styles: Use the Design tab on Windows (or the Format / Inspector styling controls on Mac) to choose personally comfortable background and branch colours with clear, readable text contrast and a comfortable font size. If you use colour to mark priority or status, include a word or numbered icon in the topic label too so that information carries over into the exported Word document.

5-minute practice exercise

  1. Open MindView 9 and create a new blank Mind Map with the central topic Project Proposal (press Enter on Windows or Return on Mac to finish the root title).
  2. Create three main branches at the same level:
    • With Project Proposal selected, press Insert on Windows (Cmd + Return on Mac), type Aims, and press Enter (Return) to finish the label.
    • With Aims still selected, press Enter (Return) to create a sibling branch, type Budget, and press Enter (Return) to finish the label.
    • With Budget selected, press Enter (Return) once more, type Timeline, and press Enter (Return) to finish the label.
  3. Select Aims, open the Text Note editor (on Windows: click Text Note on the Home ribbon or press F8 / Ctrl + F8; on Mac: choose Insert → Text Note from the menu bar or click the Text Note toolbar button), and type two sentences describing the project goal. Return to the map (F8 on Windows, or click the map canvas).
  4. Confirm the full map is displayed (not isolated to a single branch or filtered), then export to Microsoft Word: on Windows, choose File → Export → Microsoft Word → Custom Word Export (or Quick Word Export); on Mac, choose File → Quick Export, set Export to: Microsoft Word, choose a filename and location, and click Save.
  5. Open the exported document in Word and check that Aims, Budget, and Timeline appear as headings with your two sentences beneath Aims.

Official MatchWare MindView help links

Need more detailed guidance?

This quick guide covers the basics. Get hands-on training to use MindView for visual planning, report writing, and Word exports.

View Mind Mapping training →

Using this as part of a dyslexia or ADHD toolkit? See our dyslexia & ADHD training.

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