Exporting content from Whimsical

You'll find all of Whimsical's export options under the plane icon in the top right. Read about them below 👇

Image export

For boards, wireframes and projects you can choose to Export (download) or Copy Image (to clipboard) as a PNG. With either option, there are a few settings to choose from:

• Background: Include the background or exclude it for a transparent PNG.

• Size: Choose from 1x or 2x.

• Selection: Choose to export only the currently selected content on the board.

• Whole Board or Separate Frames (wireframes only): In wireframe mode, you can download the entire board as one image or you can export frames as individual images. Exporting as individual images is the best option if you intend to upload to other apps like InVision or Marvel.

Copy board content as image

To copy content on your board as an image, select the content you want to copy, right-click on it and select "Copy as Image". You can also use the keyboard shortcut Command (Mac) or Ctrl (PC) + Shift + C.

Export and copy limits

On our free Starter plan, the following limitations apply for exporting your content and copying it as an image:

• 1x size only
• Whole board only (no selection, no frames)
• Include background only, no transparency
• "Made with Whimsical" watermark added

You will need to upgrade to Pro to remove any of these limitations. 

PDF export or Print

To export a Doc, or canvas file as a PDF select "Print", then save as a PDF from there:

Shapes and text will be in vector format when you save files as a PDF.

Quick export using Copy and Paste

Select whatever you want from a file and copy it to your clipboard with Command (Mac) or Ctrl (PC) + C. Then paste directly as an image into another app (some native apps like Slack, unfortunately, don't support this).

Text export for mind maps

Alongside the options mentioned above, mind maps can also be exported as text.

To export a mind map as text, select the main node (or any other node if you want to export only part of the mind map), copy it, and then paste it as plain text (sometimes called paste special) with command (or ctrl) + shift + V.

What to do if my export fails?

If you try to export or copy a file, and see one of the following errors:

“Something went wrong and we couldn't export your board.”

There are a few alternative export methods and workarounds you can try:

• Try another browser, for example, Chrome or Firefox.
• Append /svg to the end of your file's URL. This will generate an SVG version of the file you can download. If you need a PNG specifically, you can convert the downloaded SVG to a PNG with a tool like this one.
• Export your file as a PDF instead. These files can also be converted online with a similar tool if needed.
• If you’re still unable to export your entire file, select smaller portions of the file and attempt to export them separately.

What to do if my export file is blurry?

If you are experiencing blurry exports, here are some steps you can take to try and improve their quality: 

• Append /svg to the end of your file's URL. This will generate an SVG version of the file you can download. SVG files are vector graphics, meaning they will look sharp at any size. 
• Export your file as a PDF. PDF files are also vector graphics, so they should maintain their sharpness at any size. Choose a bigger page size in your PDF export settings, such as A1 or A0 for better results. If you're using Mac and need a PNG specifically, you can convert the downloaded PDF to a PNG with the Preview app.
• Make the content on the canvas bigger. Try zooming out and increasing the size of the items to make the export sharper.

Experimenting with different settings and formats can help you to find the best balance between file size and image quality, but if none of these methods work for you, please do contact us and we’ll do whatever we can to help.