Follow a deep branch without losing sight of its parent.
When a nested list becomes hard to follow, switch the same document to Tree view. Each level moves into the next column, so parent and child stay side by side.
Free for 14 days · one-time licence · macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Live in your browser — click an item, fold a branch.
The window demo needs a wider screen. Open this page on a Mac to try Tree Outliner right here.
See the same outline down or across
Use List view for a compact outline. Switch to Tree view to follow a deep branch across the screen while its parent stays in sight: every level continues in the next column. It is the same document, and ⌘1 / ⌘2 move between the views — nothing to convert, no second copy to keep.
Copy or drag an item with its whole branch, inside a document or between documents.
What Tree Outliner does
Two views of one document
List view keeps the outline compact. Tree view gives every level its own column, so a long branch reads across the screen. The same document, one keystroke apart.
Everything an item can hold
A checkbox, a colour label and a note of its own under the title. Collapse any branch when you want less on screen.
Keyboard first
Create, move, indent and fold items without touching the mouse, or open the command palette and type the name of what you want.
Move whole branches
Copy, cut, paste and drag items together with their branches — inside a document and between documents.
Documents side by side
Open documents in tabs or in separate windows, and drag items from one into the other.
Takes OPML in and out
Import and export OPML to move the outline structure between Tree Outliner and other OPML apps.
Keyboard first
You can create, move, indent and fold items from the keyboard. These are the keys of version 1.0.2 with the default settings; the command palette finds them by name.
New items
| ⌘↩ | New item below |
|---|---|
| ⇧⌘↩ | New item above |
| ⌘K | Add a child |
| ⇧⌘K | Add a child and expand the branch |
| ⇧⌘A | New item next to the parent |
Editing
| ↩ or F2 | Edit the selected item |
|---|---|
| ↩ or Esc | Finish editing |
| ⌥↩ | Insert a line break |
| ⌃⌘↩ | Split the item at the cursor |
| ⌘' | Edit the note |
| ⌥⌘' | Show all notes |
| Space | Toggle the checkbox |
| ⌘D | Duplicate |
| ⌫ | Delete |
| ⌘Z / ⇧⌘Z | Undo / Redo |
| ⌘X / ⌘C / ⌘V | Cut / Copy / Paste (items with their branches) |
Moving items
| ⇥ or ⌘] | Indent |
|---|---|
| ⇧⇥ or ⌘[ | Outdent |
| ⌃⌘↑ / ⌃⌘↓ | Move up / down |
| ⌃⌘← / ⌃⌘→ | Move left / right |
Moving around
| ← / → | Parent / first child (Tree view) |
|---|---|
| ↑ / ↓ | Previous / next item |
| Esc | Clear the selection |
| ⌘J | Scroll to the selection |
Branches
| ⌘→ / ⌘← | Expand / Collapse |
|---|---|
| ⌥⌘→ / ⌥⌘← | Expand / Collapse the whole branch |
| ⌥⇧⌘→ / ⌥⇧⌘← | Expand / Collapse the document |
| ⇧⌘O | Hoist the branch |
Colour labels
| ⌃⌘1 … ⌃⌘7 | Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Gray |
|---|---|
| ⌃⌘0 | Remove the label |
View and panels
| ⌘1 / ⌘2 | List view / Tree view |
|---|---|
| ⌃⌘S | Show or hide the library |
| ⌥⌘0 | Show or hide the inspector |
| ⌥⌘1 / ⌥⌘2 | Properties / Help in the inspector |
| ⌘+ / ⌘− / ⌘0 | Zoom in / Zoom out / Actual size |
| ⌥⌘T | Hide the toolbar |
| ⌃⌘F | Full screen |
Documents and app
| ⌘N | New document |
|---|---|
| ⌘T | New document in a tab |
| ⌘O | Open |
| ⌘S | Save |
| ⌘W | Close |
| ⇧⌘E | Export a Tree Outliner backup |
| ⇧⌘I | Import a Tree Outliner backup |
| ⇧⌘P | Command palette |
| ? | Help |
| ⇧⌘/ | Search in Help |
| ⌘, | Settings |
Settings that change the keys
- Return on a selected item — edits it (default) or adds a new item below.
- Return while typing — finishes editing (default) or finishes and adds the next item.
- Tab — indents and outdents the item (default) or moves between items.
OPML import and export are in the File menu and have no shortcut.
Open the command palette with ⇧⌘P
Press ⇧⌘P when you do not remember a shortcut, and start typing: new item, child, note, checkbox, colour label, fold, move, import. The palette lists the shortcut beside the command.
Type in it — the list filters as you go.
The palette needs a wider screen. Open this page on a Mac to try it.
Pick the paper
Nine patterns for the canvas under the outline — dots, fine dots, crosses, ruled, ruled with a margin, graph, stripes, columns and level borders — on four paper colours: white, warm, yellow and blueprint. The margin line has its own width slider.
In the app
Try the paper on this page
Questions about Tree Outliner
What is Tree Outliner?
Tree Outliner is an outliner for Mac that shows the same document two ways: as an outline list and as a tree that grows sideways, so you can follow a branch without losing the structure around it.
How is the tree view different from an outline list?
In the list, children sit under their parent with an indent. In the tree, children stand to the right of their parent in their own column, connected by a line, so a long branch reads across the screen instead of scrolling down it.
Can an item hold more than a line of text?
Yes. Every item can have a note under the title, a checkbox and a colour label, and any branch folds away when you do not need it.
Can I move items between documents?
Yes. Copy, cut, paste and drag items with their whole branch, inside one document and between two open documents.
Does it import OPML?
Yes. Tree Outliner imports and exports OPML, so outlines move in from another app and out again.
What languages does it speak?
Ten: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Dutch, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian.
Is Tree Outliner a subscription?
No. Standard is $14.99 and Lifetime is $29.99, both one-time.
What do I need to run it?
macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Try Tree Outliner — free for 14 days
One document, two ways to read it. OPML goes in and out, so the outline structure moves between Tree Outliner and other OPML apps. Documents open in tabs or in windows of their own.
Free for 14 days · one-time licence · macOS 14 Sonoma or later