What it does#
NotebookLM Mindmap Controls is a Chrome extension that augments Google's NotebookLM mindmap view with the controls it should have shipped with: keyboard navigation, predictable zoom, and smooth panning.
NotebookLM auto-generates a mindmap from your sources, but the default UI is mouse-drag only — clumsy on a trackpad, unusable from the keyboard, and the zoom step is too coarse for dense graphs. This extension layers on:
- Keyboard shortcuts for zoom in/out, fit-to-screen, recenter
- Smoother zoom with finer increments
- Pan with arrow keys instead of drag-only
- Recenter on selected node
The result: you can actually explore a NotebookLM-generated mindmap as a knowledge graph, not as a static diagram you have to wrestle with.
How to use#
- Install from the Chrome Web Store (button below).
- Open any NotebookLM notebook and switch to the Mindmap view.
- The new controls activate automatically — try
+/-for zoom, arrow keys for pan,Ffor fit-to-screen.
Why NotebookLM's own controls fall short#
NotebookLM generates the mindmap for you, which is the good part. What it does not do is treat the result as something you will navigate for more than a minute.
The default view is drag-only. On a mouse that is merely tedious; on a trackpad it is a two-finger fight with momentum scrolling, and from the keyboard it is impossible. The zoom step is tuned for a graph of a dozen nodes, so on a notebook with thirty sources you either see the whole tree as unreadable specks or three nodes at a time with no sense of where you are.
None of that is a bug. It is a view built to demonstrate that the mindmap exists, not to be worked in. This extension is the difference between the two.
| Default NotebookLM | With this extension | |
|---|---|---|
| Pan | Mouse drag only | Arrow keys or drag |
| Zoom | Coarse fixed steps | Fine increments, + / - |
| Fit whole graph | Manual zoom out | F |
| Recenter on a node | Manual drag | One key on the selection |
| Trackpad behaviour | Fights momentum scroll | Predictable |
| Keyboard-only use | Not possible | Full navigation |
Keyboard reference#
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
+ / = |
Zoom in |
- |
Zoom out |
F |
Fit the whole graph to the screen |
Arrow keys |
Pan |
0 |
Reset zoom to 100% |
Shortcuts are only active while the mindmap view has focus, so they never interfere with typing in the chat panel or editing a source.
What it does not do#
It does not read, upload, or transmit your notebook contents. The extension operates on the mindmap canvas that NotebookLM has already rendered in your tab — it adds event handlers and adjusts the view transform, nothing more. There is no server, no account, and no analytics.
It also does not change how the mindmap is generated. Node grouping, labels and hierarchy are entirely NotebookLM's; if the generated graph is wrong, this extension will help you look at a wrong graph more comfortably.
Privacy#
No data is collected. The extension runs on notebooklm.google.com only, holds
no host permissions beyond that origin, and stores nothing. The same principles
apply as in the AEO Checker privacy policy — local processing,
no telemetry, no remote endpoint.
FAQ#
Does this work in Edge or Brave?#
Yes. Both are Chromium browsers and install directly from the Chrome Web Store link on this page. Firefox is not supported — it uses a different extension packaging format, and porting has not been worth it for the demand so far.
Does the extension read my notebook contents?#
No. It attaches to the mindmap canvas NotebookLM has already drawn in your tab and changes how you move around it. It does not read your sources, your chat, or your notes, and it has no network code — there is nowhere for data to go.
Will it break when Google changes NotebookLM?#
Sometimes, and that is the honest answer for any extension layered on a product someone else ships. The release history on this page is the real record: version 4.0.1 exists because a NotebookLM change stopped the widget from initialising in tabs that were already open. Breakage gets fixed, usually within days.
Why do I need it if I can just drag the map?#
You do not, for a ten-node graph. It earns its place once a notebook has enough sources that the mindmap no longer fits on screen — that is the point where drag-only navigation stops being a minor annoyance and starts being the reason you close the view.
Is it free?#
Yes, free on the Chrome Web Store with no paid tier and no in-app purchase. See the other Chrome extensions and the browser-only tools for the rest of what is here.