Depending on your location, you can create personalized, annotated, customized maps using Google Maps. Your maps can contain the following: Placemarks Lines Shapes Once you have created a map, you can: Add descriptive text, including rich text and HTML Embed photos and videos in your map Share your maps with others Collaborate with others New! Import KML or GeoRSS to your map New! Open it in Google Earth To create or edit maps, you must be signed into your Google Account. You do not need to be signed in to view a map. You can also search for maps made by specific users. You can also use and add additional content in Google Maps. Learn more.

Creating and Editing a Map

To create or edit a map:

1. Go to Google Maps.
2. Click My Maps > Create new map. If you want to open an existing map, check it in the left panel and click Edit.
3. Add a title and description for your map. You can make your map public or unlisted. Learn more.
4. Use the icons in the the top right corner of the map. These include:
Selection tool. Use this to drag the map and select placemarks, lines, and shapes.
Placemark tool. Use this to add placemarks. Learn more.
Line tool. Use this to draw lines. Learn more.
Shape tool. Use this to draw shapes. Learn more.


Note that these tools do not appear until you create or edit a map (see step 2).

5. Once you are finished, click Done.

You can return to your map at any time. Just go to Google Maps and click My Maps. Sign into your Google Account and select the map from your list of maps.

Finding Your Maps

1. Go to Google Maps. Make sure you are signed in.
2. Click My Maps. A list of your maps appears. Click the appropriate map to view it.

Finding Maps Made by Others

Once you have found a map you like, you can view other maps made by the author by viewing this person's user profile. To do this:

1. Click the marker for the map you like. Click Created by.... Note that if you move the cursor over the link, an image appears for that person.
2. A user profile page appears. It displays all maps created by this person and some additional information about this person in the left panel.
3. Click the appropriate tab in the left panel to view all content created by this user, just reviews or just maps.

Deleting Your Maps

To delete your map:

1. Click My Maps. A list of your maps appears.
2. Click Delete beside the appropriate map.

You can only delete your maps, not others.

Adding and Editing Placemarks

To add a placemark to your map:

1. Create or open a map.
2. Click . Your cursor changes into a placemark icon with an "X" crosshairs. The crosshairs indicate where the placemark will fall.
   
   
   
3. Move the cursor to the appropriate location. If you want to dismiss this placemark, press the Escape key.
4. Click your mouse button to place your placemark. It should bounce into place.
5. Add a title and description.
6. You can also change the icon for your placemark by clicking the icon in the top right corner of the info window. You can also add your own icon.
7. Click OK to save your placemark.

To move or edit a placemark:

1. Click Edit in the left panel.
2. Drag and drop the appropriate placemark to the new location. Note that you can only edit or move placemarks on your maps, not others.
3. To edit a placemark's title or description, click on it to open the info window. Edit the title and description and click OK.
4. Click Done in the left panel when you are finished.

If you would like to suggest a business listing addition or correction for Google Maps, see these help center topics or just use this form.

Adding and Editing Lines

To add a line to your map:

1. Create or open a map.
2. Click . Your cursor appears like this:
   
   
   
3. Move the cursor to the appropriate location and click to start the line. If you want to dismiss this line, press the Escape key.
4. Click your mouse button at each point of your line.
5. To finish drawing your line, double click the last end point.
6. Add a title and description.
7. You can also change the color, opacity and width of your line by clicking the color swatch in the top right corner of the info window.
8. Click OK to save your line.

To edit a line:

1. Click Edit in the left panel.
2. To move a line on your map, mouse over the line to make the end points appear. Click and drag the points to move them.
3. To delete a point from your line, right-click on the point and choose Delete from the context menu.
4. To add a point to your line, you can either click on one of the semi-transparent points, or right-click on the line and choose Add a point from the context menu.
5. To edit a line's title or description, click on it to open the info window. Edit the title and description and click OK.
6. Click Done in the left panel when you are finished.

Adding and Editing Shapes

To add a shape to your map:

1. Create or open a map.
2. Click . Your cursor appears like this:
   
   
   
3. Move the cursor to the appropriate location and click to start the shape. If you want to dismiss this shape, press the Escape key.
4. Click your mouse button at each end point of your shape.
5. To finish drawing your shape, double click the last end point or click on the starting point to complete the shape.
6. Add a title and description.
7. You can also change the color and opacity of your shape by clicking the color swatch in the top right corner of the info window.
8. Click OK to save your shape.

To edit a shape:

1. Click Edit in the left panel.
2. To move a shape on your map, mouse over the shape to make the end points appear. Click and drag the points to move them.
3. To delete a point from your shape, right-click on the point and select Delete from the context menu.
4. To add a point to your shape, you can either click on one of the semi-transparent points, or right-click on the shape and choose Add a point from the context menu.
5. To edit a shape's title or description, click on it to open the info window. Edit the title and description and click OK.
6. Click Done in the left panel when you are finished.

Saving Search Results

You can search for addresses and businesses and save items from your search results to your map. To do this:

1. Create or open a map.
2. Search for the business or address that you want to add. The results appear in the Search Results tab.
3. Click on the item you want to save. Click Save to My Maps in the info window. This copies the result to your map as a placemark.
4. Edit the title or description, if you want.
5. Click OK to save your placemark.

Adding Rich Text or HTML Descriptions

By default the descriptions of your map items are in plain text. However, you can use rich text or HTML. To do this:

1. Create or open a map.
2. Click the appropriate placemark, line, shape. The info window appears.
3. Click Edit.
4. Choose Plain Text, Rich Text or Edit HTML.
5. To edit rich text descriptions, select the text and use the icons above the description field:
   
   
6. To use HTML descriptions, add HTML in the description field. Some HTML may be stripped from the description if it is considered unsafe or malicious.
7. Click OK to save your changes.

Adding Photos

You can add photos to your map, as long as they are hosted online. Please use a service such as Google PicasaWeb to put your photos online.

To add photos:

1. Create or open a map.
2. Click the appropriate placemark, line, shape. The info window appears.
3. Click Edit.
4. Choose Rich Text or Edit HTML.
5. If you chose Rich Text mode, click the photo icon above the description field (the last one in the toolbar). Enter the URL of the photo you would like to add.
6. If you chose Edit HTML mode, use the <img> tag to add photos. For example, <img src="http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/images/maps_results_logo.gif" width=150 height=55> adds the Google Maps logo to your map with a width of 150 pixels and a height of 55 pixels.
7. Click OK to save your changes.

Adding Videos

You can add Google Video and YouTube videos to your map. To do this:

1. Create or open a map.
2. Click the appropriate placemark, line, or shape. The info window appears.
3. Click Edit.
4. Choose Edit HTML.
5. Find the video you want on YouTube or Google Video. Copy the snippet of code that lets you embed the video into a website or blog.
   • On Google Video, the snippet looks like this:
     <embed style="width:400px; height:326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-274981837129821058&hl=en" flashvars=""> </embed>
   • On YouTube, the snippet looks like:
     <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hKoB0MHVBvM"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hKoB0MHVBvM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
6. Paste the snippet of code into the description field of your placemark, line or shape.
7. Click OK to save your changes.

Sorting Items in Your Map

Once you have added items such as placemarks or lines to your map, you can change the order in which they appear in the left panel. To do this, click and drag any item to the appropriate place in the list at the bottom of the left panel.

Importing KML or GeoRSS to Your Map

Once you have created a map, you can import KML, KMZ or GeoRSS data into your map. To do this, create or open a map and click Import.

Collaborating with Others

Once you have created a map, you can invite individuals or anyone to collaborate on editing your map. To do this:

1. Create or edit a map.
2. Click Collaborate in the left panel. A dialog box appears.
3. Enter or choose the following:
   • Invite persons as collaborators - Enter the email address(s) of anyone you want to collaborate on your map.
   • Message - Type the message you want to appear in the invitation to your collaborators
   • Collaborators may invite others - Check this to allow your collaborators to allow other collaborators
   • Allow anyone to edit this map - Check this to enable any Google Maps users to edit your map
   • Collaborators - You can remove any or all collaborators
4. Click OK. Google Maps sends an invitation to any collaborators you specified.

Sharing Maps

Once you have created a map, you can share it with others. To do this:

1. Open the map you want to share.
2. Click Link to this page in the top right corner of the orange title bar. This puts the map's URL in your browser navigation bar.
3. You can share this URL with your friends by sending it in an email or posting it on your blog or website.
4. You can also click Email in the top right corner of the orange title bar to open your default email software or service with the map URL in the email body.

Public and Unlisted Maps

You can choose to make your maps public or unlisted.

Public maps are maps that you want to publish and share with everyone. Public maps will be included in the search results on Google Maps and Earth. Public maps also appear in your user profile (if you have created one).

Unlisted maps are maps that you only want to share with a few select people. Unlisted maps will not be included in the search results, so they are accessible much like an unlisted phone number -- anyone who knows the specific URL of the map can view it, but there's no directory or search for finding unlisted maps.

You can change this setting at any time. However, please remember that all maps have a public URL. In general, we recommend that you don't create any maps that you prefer not to share with anyone.

To change your public or unlisted setting:

1. Click My Maps. A list of your maps appears. Click the appropriate map to view it.
2. Click Edit title/settings.
3. Choose Public to make this map available to anyone. Choose Unlisted to keep it private.
4. Click Save.

Creating and Editing Your User Profile

You can create a user profile which allows other Google Maps users to view your maps and reviews, plus additional information you want to display about yourself. To edit your profile:

1. At the top of the page, click My Profile.
2. Click Edit my profile under your name. A profile page appears showing your information, maps you have created and reviews of these maps.
3. Edit you profile as you want. Click Add Picture to include an image in your profile.
4. Click Save.

If you've found inappropriate content in the personal information section of a another user's profile, click Report this profile.

Viewing Your Maps in Google Earth

If you have Google Earth installed on your computer, you can view your maps in Google Earth. To do this:

1. Create or open a custom map.
2. Click the KML or in the orange title bar. Google Maps uploads a KML file to your computer that you can open in Google Earth.

You can use access this KML file using the Google Maps API. Learn more.

Using Additional Content Depending on your location, you can add content that's relevant to you on Google Maps: Overlay information such as photos, weather, and public transit maps Choose from tools created by Google and other developers, such as real estate search and hotel bookings You need to be signed in to your Google Account. If you don't have an account, create one now.

Finding and Adding Content

To find content that you can add to Google Maps:

1. Click on My Maps.
2. Click on Add content.
3. A directory appears that shows content created by Google and others:
• Click on the title or thumbnail to get more information
• When you find something that you're interested in, click on the Add it to Maps button.
4. When you're finished, click Back to Google Maps in the top left corner of the directory.

Displaying Content

1. Click on My Maps
2. Show or hide a content layer by checking it.
   • Information appears in the bottom pane of the left panel and/or on the map. In some cases, Google Maps asks you to enter additional information in the bottom pane.
   • You can display more than one layer at a time. Click on the title links in the top pane to switch between currently active layers.

For content that was not created by Google, preference settings and other information you enter will be available to the feature's provider.

Removing Content

1. Click on My Maps.
2. Click to the right of the title of the content you wish to remove.

Creating Content for the Directory

For more information on how third-party developers can create content for the directory, please see the Google Mapplets documentation (English only).

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