How to Measure Distances While the Crow Flies With Google Maps
Google Maps makes it easy to see how far your office is from your favorite restaurant or how long it will take to get from Los Angeles to New York. However, estimating the distance between two points without relying on winding roads that can ruin your estimate is a little more difficult. You can of course try to measure it using the distance scale in the bottom corner of the screen, but the Maps feature (which we originally learned about on Reddit ) allows you to estimate distances from point to point (or “in a straight line”). pretty simple no matter if you are using your desktop or Android or iOS device.
How to measure distances on the desktop
- On your computer, open Google Maps .
- Right-click the start point.
- Select Measure Distance.
- Click anywhere on the map to create a measurement path. To add another point, click anywhere on the map.
- Optional: drag a point or path to move, or click a point to delete.
- At the bottom, you will see the total distance in miles (miles) and kilometers (km).
- When done: on the card below, press x.
How to measure distance on Android
- Open the Google Maps app.
- Tap and hold anywhere on the map. You will see a red pin.
- At the bottom, tap the name of the place.
- On the object page, scroll down and select Measure Distance.
- Move the map so that the black circle or crosshair is on the next point you want to add.
- In the lower right corner, click “Add”.
- Add points until you’re done.
- At the bottom, you will see the total distance in miles (miles) or kilometers (km).
How to measure distance on iOS
- Open the Google Maps app.
- Tap and hold anywhere on the map. A red “pin dropped” appears.
- At the bottom, tap the name of the place.
- On the location page, scroll down and select Measure Distance.
- Move the map so that the black circle or crosshair is on the next point you want to add.
- In the lower right corner, click on the plus sign to add a dot.
- Add points until you’re done.
- Below you will see the total distance in miles (mi).
This post was originally published on September 6, 2017 by Patrick Lucas Austin. It was updated in July 2020 by Joel Cunningham. Updates included updating the language to reflect changes in Google Maps, adding a screenshot and a new header image, and adding instructions for measuring distance on iOS.