Map guides, step by step
Short, checked answers to what people search for most: how to get coordinates from Google Maps, measure a lot in acres, find the halfway point between two cities, check a time zone or turn a spreadsheet into a map. Every guide takes you to the tool already set up for your case.
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Google Maps and coordinates
Coordinates, UTM, State Plane, measuring and radius circles: what Google Maps does, what it doesn’t, and how to fill the gap.
- How to get coordinates from Google Maps How to find and copy the latitude and longitude of any spot in Google Maps on a computer, Android or iPhone, and how to search for a place by its coordinates.
- How to measure distance and area on Google Maps How to measure distance on Google Maps step by step, on a computer and on your phone, and how to get the area of a lot or a field in acres and square feet.
- UTM coordinates and Google Maps, both ways Google Maps doesn’t read UTM coordinates. How to convert UTM to latitude and longitude to find it on the map, and how to get the UTM of any point you see.
- State Plane coordinates, explained What State Plane coordinates are, how to read an easting and northing in feet, how to find your zone and how to convert them to latitude and longitude.
- How to draw a radius on Google Maps Google Maps can’t draw circles. How to draw a 5, 10 or 50-mile radius around a point, see which ZIP codes and towns fall inside, and open it in Google Earth.
Distance and travel
Straight-line vs. driving distance, the halfway point between two cities and how far you can drive in 30 minutes.
- Straight-line vs. driving distance: how to get both How to find the distance between two places as the crow flies and by road, in Google Maps or in one step, and how much longer the drive is between US cities.
- Halfway point between two cities: three ways to find it How to find the halfway point between two cities: on a straight line, halfway along the drive or where you both drive the same time, with New York and Boston.
- Drive time map: how far can you go in 30 minutes? How to see everywhere you can reach in 15, 30 or 45 minutes by car, bike or on foot, why it beats a radius circle and what Google Maps can and can’t show you.
Places, elevation and time
How high a place is, which county, city and ZIP code it falls in, and what time zone it’s on.
- How to find the elevation of any place How to find the elevation of your home, a town or a summit: with Google Maps, Google Earth or USGS terrain data, and why your phone’s GPS gets it wrong.
- What county am I in? Three quick ways to find out How to find what county, state and ZIP code you’re in, or an address is in: with your location, with Google Maps coordinates or with the Census geocoder.
- What time zone am I in? How to check any place How to find the time zone of where you are or of any US place, why Arizona, El Paso or Gary don’t match their neighbors, and when the clocks change next.
Maps from your data
From a spreadsheet to a map by state, county or address, and how to open KML and KMZ files.
- How to make a map from Excel data by state or county How to turn a spreadsheet with a value for each state or county into a colored US map: the columns you need, how to paste them and how to pick colors.
- How to map addresses from an Excel spreadsheet How to turn a spreadsheet of addresses or coordinates into a map with a pin per row: the columns you need, Google My Maps’ limits and a no-upload option.
- How to open a KML or KMZ file without Google Earth How to open a KML or KMZ file without installing Google Earth: in your browser, in Google My Maps or on All Map Tools, and how to convert it to GPX or GeoJSON.
Maps for the classroom
Printable blank maps and how to get the most out of them in class.
How we write these guides
We check every step in Google Maps, Google Earth, Excel and other sites against their official help on the day we publish or update a guide, and we show that date. When a menu changes, the guide gets updated.
Examples use real numbers, worked out with the same math as the All Map Tools tools and with official data (USGS, Census, IGN).