Interactive tool · runs in your browser
96-Well Plate Designer & Plate Map Maker
Lay out samples, controls and replicates on a virtual microplate, color-code your groups, and export a plate map in seconds. Supports 6, 12, 24, 48, 96 and 384-well formats. It is free, private, and needs no sign-up.
Sample groups
Click or drag across wells to assign the active group. Click a row letter or column number to fill it. Toggle Well IDs to label each well, then export a PNG plate map or a CSV for your LIMS / notebook.
Build a plate map without spreadsheets
A plate map is the record of what goes in every well: which sample, standard, control or replicate sits at A1 through H12. Getting it right prevents pipetting errors, keeps your ELISA or qPCR data traceable, and makes analysis reproducible. This designer replaces hand-drawn grids and fiddly Excel templates with a point-and-click layout you can export and share.
How to make a plate map
- Choose a plate format. Select 6, 12, 24, 48, 96 or 384 wells at the top of the designer.
- Create sample groups. Name each group (e.g. Sample, Control, Standard) and pick a color.
- Assign wells. Click or drag across wells to paint them, or click a row letter or column number to fill an entire row or column.
- Export. Download a PNG plate map for your notebook or a CSV of well assignments for your LIMS.
Hold and drag to paint a block of replicates in one motion, or click a column number to dispense a standard curve down a whole column. Switch to the Eraser to correct a well without clearing the plate.
Prefer a printable file?
If you need a blank grid to fill in by hand or drop into a report, use the downloadable 96-well plate templates in Word, Excel, PDF, PowerPoint, PNG and SVG, or browse every format on the 96-well plate map page.
What each control does
Everything in the designer is one click or one drag. These are the controls worth knowing before you lay out a full plate:
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| Click a well | Assigns the active group, or clears the well when the eraser is active. |
| Drag across wells | Paints a block in one motion. Mouse and pen only, so touch screens keep normal scrolling. |
| Click a row letter | Fills that whole row with the active group. |
| Click a column number | Fills that whole column, which is how a standard curve goes down column 1. |
| Add group | Creates a named, colour-coded group. Rename it and change its colour at any time. |
| Switch format | Changes between 6, 12, 24, 48, 96 and 384 wells. The plate clears, because coordinates differ between formats. |
| Export PNG | Downloads a high-resolution image of the map with its legend, sized for a notebook or protocol. |
| Export CSV | Downloads one row per assigned well for a spreadsheet, LIMS or analysis script. |
What the CSV export contains
The CSV is the half that matters after the run. It lists only the wells you assigned, one row each, with four columns:
| Column | Example | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Well | C7 | Joins to the well ID in your reader export |
| Row | C | Filtering and pivoting by row |
| Column | 7 | Filtering by column, for example a dilution step |
| Group | Standard 4 | The sample, control or standard name you typed |
Most plate readers export a grid of values rather than a list, so flatten that grid to one row per well and join the two files on the well ID. Keep the same padding style on both sides, since A1 and A01 will not match. The full workflow is in managing 96-well plate data.
Designer, template file or finished plate map?
Three things get called a plate map. This is which to reach for:
| You want | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A colour-coded layout on screen, exported as PNG and CSV | This designer | Fastest to build and the only option that produces machine-readable output |
| A blank grid to print or type into | Template files | PDF for the bench, Excel and Word for typed layouts |
| A reference grid of coordinates only | 96-well plate map | For reading positions and checking orientation |
Frequently asked questions
Is the plate designer free to use?
Yes. The plate map maker is completely free, runs entirely in your browser, and needs no account or sign-up. Nothing you enter is uploaded, and your layout stays on your device.
Which plate formats are supported?
6, 12, 24, 48, 96 and 384-well formats, all using standard row-letter and column-number coordinates (A1, B2, and so on).
Can I export my plate map?
Yes. You can download a high-resolution PNG image of the plate map for your notebook or protocol, and a CSV file listing each well and its assigned group for import into a LIMS or spreadsheet.
Does my data stay private?
Completely. The tool is client-side only, so sample names and layouts never leave your browser and are not stored on any server.
Can I save a layout and open it again later?
Not inside the designer. There is no account and nothing is stored on a server, so a layout lives only in the open tab. Export the PNG and CSV before you close it, and keep both with the run they belong to. Reloading the page starts a fresh plate.
Can I import a CSV or an existing plate map?
No. The designer builds a layout from scratch and exports it, but it does not read a file back in. If you already keep layouts in a spreadsheet, use the Excel template instead, where the grid and a matching well list live in one workbook.
Does the plate designer work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. On a touch screen you tap wells to assign them, and the grid still scrolls normally, which is why dragging to paint is reserved for a mouse or pen. A 384-well plate is usable on a tablet but cramped on a phone.
What do the row and column buttons do?
Clicking a row letter fills that entire row with the active group, and clicking a column number fills the column. It is the fastest way to lay out a standard curve down column 1 or a treatment across a row, and the eraser reverses it the same way.