Mastering GPS Coordinates in Google Maps
You’re standing at a trailhead, staring at a cryptic string of numbers your friend texted you: 40.7484° N, 73.9857° W. Or perhaps you’re trying to find a remote campsite, a hidden waterfall, or a specific archaeological dig site that doesn’t have a street address. In these moments, knowing how to use GPS coordinates with Google Maps transforms from a niche skill into an essential superpower.
While Google Maps excels at finding “coffee shops near me” or navigating to “123 Main Street,” the real world isn’t always so neatly labeled. GPS coordinates provide a universal, precise language for location, cutting through the ambiguity of place names and incomplete addresses. This guide will walk you through everything from entering basic coordinates to leveraging them for advanced planning and sharing.
Understanding the Language of Location
Before you start typing numbers into the search bar, it helps to know what you’re working with. GPS coordinates are essentially a global grid system. The two numbers represent latitude and longitude.
Latitude lines run horizontally around the globe. They measure how far north or south you are from the Equator, which is 0 degrees. The North Pole is 90 degrees north, and the South Pole is 90 degrees south.
Longitude lines run vertically from pole to pole. They measure how far east or west you are from the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England, which is 0 degrees. Values go up to 180 degrees east and 180 degrees west.
You’ll encounter coordinates in a few common formats. Google Maps is quite flexible, but knowing the differences helps avoid confusion.
The Most Common Coordinate Formats
The Degrees, Minutes, Seconds format looks like this: 40° 44′ 54.2″ N, 73° 59′ 8.5″ W. It’s very precise and traditional, often used on paper maps and in surveying.
The Decimal Degrees format is simpler and what computers love: 40.7484, -73.9857. Notice the negative sign for west longitude. This is often the easiest format to copy, paste, and share digitally.
You might also see the Degrees and Decimal Minutes format: 40° 44.904′ N, 73° 59.142′ W. It’s a hybrid of the two, common in marine and aviation GPS units.
The key takeaway is that Google Maps can understand most of these if you type them correctly. For the rest of this guide, we’ll focus on the Decimal Degrees format, as it’s the most straightforward for digital use.
Entering Coordinates on Your Phone
Using coordinates in the Google Maps mobile app is your most likely scenario when you’re out in the field. The process is intuitive once you know where to look.
First, open the Google Maps app on your iPhone or Android device. Tap on the search bar at the top of the screen. Here, you can directly type or paste the coordinates.
For Decimal Degrees, you can enter them in a few ways. The most reliable method is to type the latitude and longitude separated by a comma. For example: 40.7484, -73.9857. You can include the degree symbol, but it’s not necessary. You can also use the plus/minus signs instead of N/S or E/W. A negative latitude is south, and a negative longitude is west.
If you have coordinates in Degrees, Minutes, Seconds, you can type them out. For instance: 40 degrees 44 minutes 54.2 seconds north, 73 degrees 59 minutes 8.5 seconds west. Google will usually parse this correctly.
After you type the coordinates, tap the search button or select the result that appears. The map will instantly zoom and drop a pin on the exact location. From there, you can tap the directions button to start navigation, just as you would with any address.
Pro Tips for Mobile Entry
Always double-check the comma. The format is almost always “latitude, longitude”. Swapping them will send you to a completely different part of the world.
Be mindful of spaces. “40.7484, -73.9857” works. “40.7484,-73.9857” also works. But adding strange spaces in the middle of the numbers can cause a failed search.
If you’re copying coordinates from a website or message, be aware that sometimes extra characters or line breaks get copied. It’s good practice to paste them into a notes app first to clean them up, then copy again for Maps.
What if the coordinates don’t work? First, ensure you’re using a decimal point, not a comma for the decimal separator. In some regions, the format is written as 40,7484 which will confuse Google Maps. Replace that comma with a period. Also, verify that the longitude has the correct sign for east/west.
Using Coordinates on the Desktop Website
The Google Maps website on your computer is a powerful tool for planning trips using coordinates. It offers a larger screen for analysis and easier copying and pasting.
Navigate to maps.google.com in your web browser. Click on the search box in the top-left corner. Enter your coordinates in the same formats described for mobile. Press Enter, and the map will center on the point.
Once the pin is dropped, you can right-click on any other location on the map to bring up a context menu. Select “What’s here?” A small card will appear at the bottom of the screen showing the coordinates of that right-clicked spot. This is an excellent way to find the coordinates of a place you can see on the map but may not have an address for, like the center of a lake or a mountain peak.
You can also click on an existing pin or a location from the search results. The information panel on the left will show details. Often, you’ll see the coordinates listed in small text at the bottom of that panel. You can click on them to copy the Decimal Degrees format to your clipboard.
Advanced Desktop Techniques
For hiking, biking, or off-road planning, you can use coordinates to create custom maps. While in Google Maps on the desktop, click the menu button (three lines) and select “Saved”. Go to the “Maps” tab and click “Create Map”. This opens Google My Maps, a separate but integrated tool.
In My Maps, you can use the search bar to find locations by coordinate and add them as individual points to your custom map. You can then draw lines or shapes between these points to plan a route. This map can be saved, shared with others, or even viewed later on your mobile device if you are logged into the same Google account.
Another useful trick is to use multiple coordinates to check a route. You can search for one set of coordinates, get directions, then add a destination by searching for another set of coordinates. This lets you build a turn-by-turn navigation route between precise, non-address points.
Sharing a Location Using Its Coordinates
Sometimes, the goal isn’t to find a place, but to tell someone else exactly where you are or where something is located. Google Maps makes this easy.
On mobile, find the location on the map. You can drop a pin by pressing and holding on the screen until a grey pin appears. Alternatively, search for an address or coordinate to place a pin. Once the pin is on the screen, tap on its label at the bottom to open the location’s details sheet.
Look for the “Share” button. Tapping it will bring up your device’s standard sharing menu. Among the options, you will often see the coordinates listed in Decimal Degrees format. You can copy this text directly and paste it into a text message, email, or note. Some sharing options may generate a Google Maps link, which is also useful, but the raw coordinates are the universal fallback that works in any mapping app.
On the desktop website, the process is similar. Click on a location to bring up its information panel. At the bottom of this panel, you will see the coordinates. Click on them, and they will be highlighted and copied to your clipboard automatically in most browsers. You can then paste them anywhere.
Troubleshooting Common Coordinate Problems
Even with a perfect guide, things can go wrong. Here are solutions to the most frequent issues people encounter.
Google Maps says “Can’t find the location”. This is almost always a formatting error. Re-check the order: latitude first, then longitude. Ensure you are using a period for the decimal. Check for negative signs on longitudes west of the Prime Meridian and latitudes south of the Equator. Try removing any extra symbols like the degree or minute marks and just using the plain numbers with a comma.
The pin is in the wrong place, like the middle of an ocean. You’ve likely swapped latitude and longitude, or used the wrong sign. For example, 100.000, 50.000 is invalid because latitude cannot be greater than 90. The system might place it in a default “null” location, often in the ocean near Africa (0,0) or in the middle of the Pacific.
My navigation route doesn’t go to the exact coordinate. This is normal. Google Maps navigation is designed for roads. If your coordinate is in the middle of a forest, a field, or on a private road, the app will give you directions to the nearest accessible point by road, such as a parking lot or trailhead. The final part of the journey will be off-road, and you’ll need to navigate on foot using the map’s satellite view and your own sense of direction.
Coordinates from my hiking GPS don’t work. Different systems sometimes use different map datums, like WGS84 versus NAD83. For most civilian use, including Google Maps, the WGS84 datum is the global standard. Ensure your GPS device is set to output coordinates in WGS84 and in Decimal Degrees format for the smoothest experience.
When to Use Coordinates Over an Address
Understanding when coordinates are the superior tool will save you frustration.
Use coordinates for any natural or remote feature: mountain summits, caves, backcountry campsites, fishing spots, rock climbing routes, and archaeological sites.
Use them for precise meeting points in large, vague areas. “Meet me at the northwest corner of Central Park” is ambiguous. “Meet me at 40.7829, -73.9654” is exact.
Use them for sharing locations across different mapping platforms. An Apple Maps user, a Garmin GPS owner, and a Google Maps user can all use the same set of decimal coordinates.
Use them for documenting locations for future reference, like the exact tree where you found morel mushrooms or the perfect sunset photography vantage point.
Taking Your Skills to the Next Level
Once you’re comfortable with basic entry, you can explore more powerful applications. Combine Google Maps with other apps that utilize coordinates. Many hiking apps like AllTrails or Gaia GPS allow you to import or export coordinate files in KML or GPX format. You can often find a place in Google Maps, copy its coordinates, and paste them into these specialized apps for better topographic maps and trail data.
Learn to read coordinates on the map grid. In Google Maps on desktop, if you zoom in closely, you can see the latitude and longitude values on the edges of the map. You can estimate coordinates by looking at a point’s position relative to these grid lines, a useful skill for quick, rough location checks.
For the truly adventurous, you can use coordinates for geocaching, the global treasure-hunting game. Geocaching listings provide the coordinates of a hidden container. You enter them into your phone, and the hunt begins. It’s the perfect practical way to hone your coordinate navigation skills.
The world is full of incredible places that don’t have a mailing address. By mastering the simple act of entering a few numbers into Google Maps, you unlock the ability to find them, share them, and return to them with perfect precision. It turns your smartphone from a city navigation tool into a true global positioning device, ready for whatever adventure you have planned.
