Windows workflow · Presentation Builder

Turn a mind map into a PowerPoint presentation

Organize your ideas in one map, then guide your audience through each branch. Follow this product launch example to build a presentation and export a six-slide PowerPoint deck.

Download the example files Follow the steps

Includes the editable Smart MindMap XML project, exported PPTX and a short readme. AI is optional; this example uses no AI model.

Watch the workflow in 84 seconds

English narration and on-screen captions. Recorded in Smart MindMap 1.0.219.0 for Windows; the exported deck is shown in PowerPoint.

Read the video transcript

Take your product launch from a mind map to a PowerPoint presentation. Start with one main topic and four clear branches. This example covers audience, message, deliverables, and next actions.

Open Presentation, then Presentation Builder. Under Create slides from, choose Diagram branches. Smart MindMap creates an overview and a separate view for each branch. Choose Present to preview the sequence. Use the arrow keys to move forward, and press Escape to return.

When you're ready, open Presentation and choose Export to PowerPoint. Save the file, then open it in PowerPoint. This deck has six slides: an editable outline, followed by five diagram views.

You can edit the outline text and table, the summary chart, and each diagram slide's title. The diagram itself is a picture. To change individual topics or connectors, update the original map and export again.

Get the example project and deck from the guide, or start with your own map in Smart MindMap.

One map. A clear presentation sequence.


  1. Organize

    Use a central topic and a few focused branches.


  2. Present

    Start Pitch Mode with F5. Press T to see the slide thumbnails.


  3. Export if needed

    Create a PPTX when you want to share or edit the deck in PowerPoint.

Step 1

Start with a focused map

Download and extract the example ZIP. In Smart MindMap, choose File → Open and select Product launch.xml. Work on a copy if you want to keep the original.

The central topic is Product launch. Four branches cover Audience, Message, Deliverables and Next actions, each with two supporting points. You can replace the text with your own project details.

Keep one idea per topic and use short phrases. The overview should explain how the plan fits together; each branch should support one part of the discussion.

The fictional product launch map open in the Smart MindMap Windows editor.
Keep the source XML project so you can revise the map and export an updated deck later. View full size →

Step 2

Build the slides and present your story

You can present your map directly in Smart MindMap, without exporting a file or opening PowerPoint. Let the app create slides from the diagram branches, or select the items you want to show on each slide.

Present without exporting

  1. Open Presentation → Presentation Builder. Under Create slides from, choose Diagram branches.
  2. Choose Present or press F5 to start Pitch Mode. With no custom slides added, this example automatically creates an overview and four branch views.
  3. Press T to show the slide thumbnails. Click a thumbnail to jump to that slide; press T again to hide the panel.
  4. Use the arrow keys to move through the slides. Press Esc to return to the editor.

Use this for a live walkthrough of your map. A PowerPoint export is optional.

Create your own slides with Add Selection

  1. Keep Presentation Builder open and select one or more items in the diagram that you want to show together.
  2. Click Add Selection to create a slide from those items. Select a different group and repeat for each slide you need.
  3. Select a slide in the builder and use Move selected slide up or Move selected slide down to arrange the sequence.
  4. Press F5 to present your slides, then T to see their thumbnails. Press Esc when you are finished.

Once you add custom slides, the presentation uses the slides in the builder. This lets you choose the focus and order of your story.

The downloadable example follows the automatic branch workflow. If you build your own sequence with Add Selection, the slide order and total can differ from the supplied PowerPoint deck.

Product launch mind map with Audience, Message, Deliverables and Next actions branches, exported to a PowerPoint slide.
The overview in the supplied PowerPoint deck keeps the whole launch plan in view. Separate branch slides let you focus the discussion. View full size →

Step 3

Export and review the PowerPoint deck

If you need a PPTX file to share or continue editing in PowerPoint, choose Presentation → Export to PowerPoint (PPTX)…, select a destination and save. Open the file in PowerPoint to check the result.

The supplied example contains six slides: an outline with a summary chart, followed by the five diagram views. The outline lists those views from 1 to 5.

Exported PowerPoint outline with an editable five-row table, slide numbers 1 to 5 and a summary chart.
The outline: an editable table and chart summarize the deck. View full size →
The Deliverables branch exported to a PowerPoint slide, showing a landing page and guide plus a short product demo.
A branch view: focus on one part of the plan. View full size →

What stays editable in PowerPoint?

The export combines editable presentation elements with images of your diagram. Here is what you can change after opening the PPTX.

Editing the exported presentation
Part of the export What you can change
Outline text and table Edit the text and table cells directly in PowerPoint.
Summary chart A native PowerPoint chart that you can edit.
Diagram slide title A separate text shape that you can edit.
Diagram One picture per slide. Individual topics and connectors are not separate PowerPoint shapes.

To change a topic, connector or layout, edit the original XML project in Smart MindMap and export again. Keep the XML and PPTX together so the next update starts from your source map.

New to the editor? Follow the quick start. For more ideas, explore the mind map and diagram gallery.