diff --git a/apps/client/src/widgets/note_map.ts b/apps/client/src/widgets/note_map.ts
index 8eb187837..1dec31d44 100644
--- a/apps/client/src/widgets/note_map.ts
+++ b/apps/client/src/widgets/note_map.ts
@@ -10,19 +10,6 @@ import type ForceGraph from "force-graph";
 import type { GraphData, LinkObject, NodeObject } from "force-graph";
 import type FNote from "../entities/fnote.js";
 
-const esc = utils.escapeHtml;
-
-const TPL = /*html*/`<div class="note-map-widget">
-    <!-- UI for dragging Notes and link force -->
-
-      <button type="button" data-toggle="button" class="btn  tn-tool-button" title="${}" data-type="moveable"></button>
-      <input type="range" class="slider" min="1" title="${t("note_map.link-distance")}" max="100" value="40" >
-    </div>
-
-
-    <div class="note-map-container"></div>
-</div>`;
-
 type WidgetMode = "type" | "ribbon";
 type Data = GraphData<NodeObject, LinkObject<NodeObject>>;
 
@@ -41,7 +28,6 @@ export default class NoteMapWidget extends NoteContextAwareWidget {
 
     constructor(widgetMode: WidgetMode) {
         super();
-        this.fixNodes = false; // needed to save the status of the UI element. Is set later in the code
         this.widgetMode = widgetMode; // 'type' or 'ribbon'
     }
 
@@ -55,25 +41,6 @@ export default class NoteMapWidget extends NoteContextAwareWidget {
         new ResizeObserver(() => this.setDimensions()).observe(this.$container[0]);
     }
 
-    async refreshWithNote(note: FNote) {
-        this.$widget.show();
-
-        const ForceGraph = (await import("force-graph")).default;
-        this.graph = new ForceGraph(this.$container[0])
-            // Rendering code was here
-
-        let distancevalue = 40; // default value for the link force of the nodes
-
-        this.$widget.find(".fixnodes-type-switcher input").on("change", async (e) => {
-            distancevalue = parseInt(e.target.closest("input")?.value ?? "0");
-            this.graph.d3Force("link")?.distance(distancevalue);
-
-            this.renderData(data);
-        });
-
-        this.renderData(data);
-    }
-
     cleanup() {
         this.$container.html("");
     }
diff --git a/apps/client/src/widgets/note_map/NoteMap.tsx b/apps/client/src/widgets/note_map/NoteMap.tsx
index 182ff1010..5365c22a7 100644
--- a/apps/client/src/widgets/note_map/NoteMap.tsx
+++ b/apps/client/src/widgets/note_map/NoteMap.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import ActionButton from "../react/ActionButton";
 import { t } from "../../services/i18n";
 import link_context_menu from "../../menus/link_context_menu";
 import appContext from "../../components/app_context";
+import Slider from "../react/Slider";
 
 interface NoteMapProps {
     note: FNote;
@@ -27,6 +28,8 @@ export default function NoteMap({ note, widgetMode, parentRef }: NoteMapProps) {
     const graphRef = useRef<ForceGraph<NodeObject, LinkObject<NodeObject>>>();
     const containerSize = useElementSize(parentRef);
     const [ fixNodes, setFixNodes ] = useState(false);
+    const [ linkDistance, setLinkDistance ] = useState(40);
+    const notesAndRelationsRef = useRef<NotesAndRelationsData>();
 
     // Build the note graph instance.
     useEffect(() => {
@@ -71,11 +74,18 @@ export default function NoteMap({ note, widgetMode, parentRef }: NoteMapProps) {
 
             // Set data
             graph.graphData(notesAndRelations);
+            notesAndRelationsRef.current = notesAndRelations;
         });
 
         return () => container.replaceChildren();
     }, [ note, mapType ]);
 
+    useEffect(() => {
+        if (!graphRef.current || !notesAndRelationsRef.current) return;
+        graphRef.current.d3Force("link")?.distance(linkDistance);
+        graphRef.current.graphData(notesAndRelationsRef.current);
+    }, [ linkDistance ]);
+
     // React to container size
     useEffect(() => {
         if (!containerSize || !graphRef.current) return;
@@ -110,6 +120,12 @@ export default function NoteMap({ note, widgetMode, parentRef }: NoteMapProps) {
                     onClick={() => setFixNodes(!fixNodes)}
                     frame
                 />
+
+                <Slider
+                    min={1} max={100}
+                    value={linkDistance} onChange={setLinkDistance}
+                    title={t("note_map.link-distance")}
+                />
             </div>
 
             <div ref={styleResolverRef} class="style-resolver" />
diff --git a/apps/client/src/widgets/react/Slider.tsx b/apps/client/src/widgets/react/Slider.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..515362ea4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/client/src/widgets/react/Slider.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+interface SliderProps {
+    value: number;
+    onChange(newValue: number);
+    min?: number;
+    max?: number;
+    title?: string;
+}
+
+export default function Slider({ onChange, ...restProps }: SliderProps) {
+    return (
+        <input
+            type="range"
+            className="slider"
+            onChange={(e) => {
+                onChange(e.currentTarget.valueAsNumber);
+            }}
+            {...restProps}
+        />
+    );
+}