Navigating the infinite canvasCopied!Link to this section

Whimsical boards have an infinite canvas, giving you the freedom to create without limits. You can move around, zoom in and out, align objects, and organize your work using sections.

This guide covers the basics of navigating and organizing content on the canvas.

Pan around the canvasCopied!Link to this section

To move around the canvas without editing or moving your content:

1. Hold down the Space bar.
2. Click and drag anywhere on the canvas.

The canvas will move with you while your content stays in place.

You can also pan around the canvas by swiping with two fingers on your trackpad.

Use persistent pan modeCopied!Link to this section

If you’re browsing a board or presenting it to someone, you can turn on persistent pan mode.

To enable it, click the pan mode button (the hand icon) in the bottom-right corner of the board.

This lets you move around the canvas without accidentally selecting, editing, or moving content.

Zoom in and outCopied!Link to this section

There are several ways to zoom on the canvas.

On a trackpad, pinch with two fingers to zoom in or out.

If your mouse has a scroll wheel:

1. Hold Command on Mac or Control on Windows.
2. Scroll up to zoom out.
3. Scroll down to zoom in.

Zooming with a mouse will zoom toward your cursor, making it easy to focus on a specific area of the board. This guide will also help you invert the zoom direction.

Fit all content on the screenCopied!Link to this section

To zoom out so all of your board content fits on the screen, press 1 on your keyboard.

This is useful when you want to quickly reorient yourself on a large board.

Zoom to selected objectsCopied!Link to this section

To zoom in on one or more selected objects:

1. Select the object or objects.
2. Press 2 on your keyboard.

Whimsical will zoom to the selected content.

You can also find these zoom options, along with their keyboard shortcuts, in the Zoom menu, by clicking the zoom percentage in the bottom-right corner of the board.

Align objects on the canvasCopied!Link to this section

When you move objects around the canvas, Whimsical will show guidelines to help you align them with nearby objects. Objects can also snap to the canvas grid.

To avoid auto-alignment with other objects, hold Command on Mac or Control on Windows while moving an object. The object will only snap to the grid.

For pixel-perfect placement, hold the backtick key while moving an object. This lets you avoid auto-alignment and take full control over placement.

Organize your canvas with sectionsCopied!Link to this section

The infinite canvas is great for letting ideas flow freely, but sometimes you may want to add structure or separate different areas of your board.

You can use sections to organize content on the canvas.

To add a section:

1. Select the Section option from the main toolbar,
2. Or hit the full stop key . as a shortcut.

You can also create a section around existing content:

1. Select the items you want to include
2. Click the three dots … in the context toolbar
3. Select the Wrap in section option in the dropdown menu

Sections also work like slides when you present your work in Whimsical, making them useful for walkthroughs, workshops, and presentations.