Sticky notes & text
Capture ideas fast with notes and rich text — colors, lists, and formatting.
How: Click the toolbar's note or text tool, then double-click to type.
Help & guide
How to use BoardOS
A data-driven whiteboard: sketch visually, then export real data. Here’s how to get going and what each part does.
Getting started
- From your dashboard, start a Blank board, pick a built-in template, or use a community template.
- Switch to Advanced. The toolbar opens in Basic (notes, text, shapes, tables, images). Click Advancedat the top of the toolbar to reveal everything else — diagrams, charts, Gantt, Kanban, the Hub, embeds, present mode and structured export. If a component seems missing, you’re probably still in Basic.
- Add objects from the toolbar, then arrange them on the canvas. Use Select (V) to move things, Pan (H) to move the canvas, the Pen (D) to draw freehand, and Connect (C) to link objects.
- Double-click most objects to edit their text; select one to see its options in the right panel. Data-heavy objects (Hub, charts, Gantt, Kanban) have an ⤢ Expand editor for a roomy grid.
- Everything saves automaticallyto the cloud (there’s no Save button), and edits made offline sync when you reconnect. Share or Presentwhen you’re ready, and Export any component as real data.
Feature guide
What each feature does and how to use it. Items marked Pro are part of the Pro plan.
Flowcharts & connectors
18 flowchart shapes with smart connectors, swimlanes, and crow's-foot ER ends.
How: Add shapes, then drag from a shape's edge to connect them; import Mermaid or CSV.
Tables & database entities
Structured grids and ERD tables whose contents export cleanly to data.
How: Insert a table or entity and fill cells inline; export to CSV/JSON anytime.
AI that builds real objectsPro
Describe a board or Hub and AI builds it from real, editable objects — not a flat image. Refine any selection with a prompt.
How: Open the AI assistant, describe what you want, then edit the objects it creates.
SmartArt, trees & fishbonePro
Org charts, mind maps, pyramids, and Ishikawa diagrams that lay themselves out.
How: Pick a diagram from the Hierarchy menu and edit nodes right on the canvas.
Charts & graphsPro
Bar, stacked, line, area, and pie charts driven by real data.
How: Add a chart, type values in the grid, or import a CSV in the expand editor.
Gantt schedulesPro
Dependency-driven timelines with real dates, assignees, and an auto WBS.
How: Add tasks, set dependencies, and the waterfall schedule builds itself.
Interactive KanbanPro
Columns and cards with assignee, due date, tags, and notes — exportable.
How: Drag cards between columns; open the expand editor for details and CSV/JSON export.
Present mode & teaching toolsPro
Frames become slides, with a laser pointer, spotlight, pen, and step-by-step reveal.
How: Add frames or steps, hit Present, and use the on-screen teaching palette.
Wireframe → HTML/CSSPro
Mock a UI from real widgets and export it as working HTML and CSS.
How: Drop a wireframe, arrange widgets, then export an HTML file or live embed.
EmbedsPro
Drop in videos, live web pages, or sandboxed HTML/CSS blocks.
How: Use the Embeds menu; HTML embeds open a code editor with a live preview.
Export as real data
The whole point: every component comes back out as CSV, JSON, HTML, or Mermaid.
How: Use a component's export button, or the Structure drawer for the whole board.
Real-time collaborationPro
Share boards with roles and co-edit live with conflict-free sync.
How: Open Share, invite by email or link, and edits merge live across everyone.
Object reference
Every object you can add, grouped the way the toolbar is. Most professional components live under Advanced — click Advanced at the top of the toolbar to reveal them. Items marked Pro are part of the Pro plan.
Everyday basics
Available in Basic mode — no account or Pro needed.Sticky notes & text
Notes in any color plus rich-text boxes with headings, lists and formatting. Double-click to type.
Markdown & word art
Write a note in Markdown and render it formatted, or drop stylized word-art text for titles.
Shapes & connectors
A large shape library (basic, flowchart and industry sets) with smart connectors — drag from a shape's edge to link two shapes.
Frames & swimlanes
A frame is a titled region that groups objects (and becomes a slide in Present); swimlanes split a process into lanes.
Tables
Structured grids you fill inline; export to CSV/JSON anytime.
Images, GIFs & stickers
Upload or paste images, search GIFs, and add emoji or animated stickers.
Diagrams
Switch the toolbar to Advanced to reach these.SmartArtPro
Pre-built layouts — pyramids, cycles, process bars — that arrange themselves.
Hierarchy & treesPro
Org charts and mind maps that auto-lay-out; edit nodes on the canvas.
Fishbone (Ishikawa)Pro
Cause-and-effect diagrams for root-cause analysis.
Entity (ERD)Pro
Database tables with typed columns and crow's-foot relationships — exportable to data.
Process chartPro
A data-driven flowchart whose steps, flows and swimlanes are edited as structured data; import from Mermaid/JSON and export a real process model.
Flow & sequence (from text)Pro
Author a Mermaid flow diagram or a UML sequence diagram as text and render it on the board.
Matrix presetsPro
Ready-made grids — 2x2, SWOT, risk matrix — to sort ideas.
Planning & data
Advanced mode — the objects that make BoardOS data-driven.ChartsPro
Bar, stacked, line, area and pie charts driven by a data grid or an imported CSV.
GanttPro
Dependency-driven timelines with real dates, assignees and an auto work-breakdown.
KanbanPro
Draggable columns and cards with assignee, due date, tags and notes; export to CSV/JSON.
CalendarPro
Year/quarter/month/week/day views with recurring events and categories; export events as .ics.
SpreadsheetPro
A light spreadsheet with formulas (=A1+B2, SUM, AVERAGE) for when you need calculation, not just a grid.
Equation & graphingPro
Write math to get a computed value, or plot a function as a graph.
HubPro
A flexible relational database object — track items, people and money with typed fields and relations, and view the same records as Table, Timeline, Board or Calendar. Open it fullscreen to manage records; export tables to CSV/JSON/Excel.
Poll, Quiz & Word cloudPro
Live audience tools for workshops and classes — a running poll, a scored quiz, and a word cloud (weighted or generated from pasted text).
Code & filesPro
Run sandboxed JavaScript or Python (Pyodide) inside the board; the Files dialog holds CSV/JSON your code can read. (A plain Code snippet is display-only.)
Media, embeds & wireframes
Advanced mode.EmbedsPro
Videos and live web pages, sandboxed HTML/CSS, PDFs, and your existing tools — Power BI, Tableau, Figma, Airtable, Looker Studio, Google Docs/Sheets/Slides and Notion (some secured with tokens).
MapPro
An interactive map with pins, regions and time zones.
WireframePro
Mock a UI from real widgets and export it as working HTML and CSS.
Animated objectsPro
Live motion accents for a board or presentation.
Present & facilitate
Present mode & teaching toolsPro
Frames become slides; present with a laser pointer, spotlight, pen and step-by-step reveal. Use Edit slides to set order and transitions.
Timer, focus & confidentialPro
A board-wide activity timer, focus spaces to spotlight an area, and marking objects confidential for client sessions.
Collaborate & share
Sharing & rolesPro
Invite by email or link with viewer / editor / admin roles. Turn on link sharing so guests can join without an account (capped at contributor).
Real-time collaborationPro
Co-edit live with conflict-free sync, live cursors and presence; follow the presenter and manage participants.
CommentsPro
Pin comment threads to any object or spot; collaborators are notified and can resolve them.
Version historyPro
Browse and restore earlier snapshots of a board.
Sub-boardsPro
A board can contain linked sub-boards — drill into detail while keeping the top level clean.
Teams & community
Create a team workspace so its boards are shared with members automatically, and publish or reuse community templates and objects.
Export & connect
The exports-as-real-data promise.Export formats
Components export as CSV, JSON, Mermaid and HTML; the whole board exports to PNG, PDF, Excel (.xlsx), PowerPoint and Word.
Export modes
Export the whole board, by grouping (one page/slide/image per frame or group), or by object type (a zip with each object in its best format, incl. .ics calendars).
Structure drawer
Edit a chart or the whole board as a table or JSON, and import structures back in.
Data API & tokensPro
Generate a Personal Access Token in Settings and pull board, Hub and table data from the read-only /api/v1 REST API.
Frequently asked
Is BoardOS free?
Yes — everyday whiteboarding (notes, text, shapes, connectors, frames, tables, image/GIF, CSV/JSON export and basic present mode) is free forever, no card required. Pro ($12/month) unlocks the professional components (diagrams, charts, Gantt, Kanban, the Hub, wireframes, embeds and teaching tools), the AI assistant, and real-time team collaboration. Clicking a Pro tool just shows an upgrade prompt — you're never charged by accident.
Is my work saved? Do I need to save?
There's no Save button — everything saves automatically to the cloud as you work, and your boards are listed on your dashboard. You can also export a full copy at any time.
Does BoardOS work offline?
Yes. You can keep editing while offline; your changes sync automatically when you reconnect.
How do I upgrade, cancel, or change my plan?
Go to Settings → Billing to upgrade to Pro. Once you're Pro, Manage subscription opens the secure Stripe portal where you can change your payment method, download invoices, or cancel. If you cancel, you keep Pro until the end of the period you've paid for, then the account returns to free — your boards and data stay.
How do I share a board?
Open a board and use Share. Invite people by email with viewer, editor, or admin roles, or turn on link sharing. People you invite collaborate for free — only the host needs Pro.
Can people join without an account?
Yes. With link sharing on, guests can open and contribute to a board without signing up. Guests are capped at the contributor role and can't create their own boards.
How does export work?
Most components export as real data — tables and charts to CSV, the whole board to JSON, flowcharts to Mermaid, wireframes to HTML/CSS — and the board also exports to PNG, PDF, Excel, PowerPoint and Word. You can export the whole board, one page per frame or group, or a zip with each object in its best format. Look for a component's export button or the Structure drawer.
Can I connect BoardOS to other tools?
Two ways: embed your existing tools (Power BI, Tableau, Figma, Airtable, Google, Notion and more) directly on a board, and pull your board, Hub and table data from the read-only /api/v1 REST API using a Personal Access Token you create in Settings.
Does BoardOS have AI?
Yes — Pro members can describe the board or Hub they want and the AI assistant builds it from real, editable components (not a flat image). You can also refine a selection with AI.
What are teams / workspaces?
In Settings → Teams you can create a team and invite members by email. Any board you create inside that team workspace is automatically shared with every member at their role. Use the workspace switcher on your dashboard to move between Personal and team boards.
Are there keyboard shortcuts?
Yes — for example V to select, H to pan, D to draw, C to connect, and Ctrl/Cmd+Z to undo. You can view and customize every shortcut in Settings.
Is my data private and secure?
Your boards are private to you and the people you share them with, protected by per-user access rules and encryption in transit. You can mark objects confidential and control collaborators' roles. Community templates are the exception — they're public copies you deliberately publish, so only publish content with no sensitive information.
What are community templates?
From your dashboard you can publish a board as a public community template — a neutral copy others can use and upvote. Browse and 'Use template' to start from someone else's work. Only publish content with no sensitive or proprietary information.
I deleted a board by mistake — can I get it back?
Yes. Deleted boards go to the Recently deleted section on your dashboard for 7 days; click Restore to bring one back. You can also use a board's Version history to roll back to an earlier snapshot.
What happens to my data if I downgrade from Pro?
Nothing is deleted — your boards and their contents are kept and remain exportable. Pro-only editing features become unavailable until you upgrade again.
How do I get help or report a bug?
Open a ticket on the Support page, or use the contact form at the bottom of this page. We read everything.
Contact us
Get in touch
Questions, bugs, or ideas — we read everything.