How to Drop a Pin on Google Maps

Despite the proliferation of mapping and navigation tools available today, some places may still be hard to find. To help a friend meet you easily at one of these spots, create a map pin and share it with your friend.

How to Drop a Pin on Your PC

A Google Maps pin is a marker you can use to identify a location within Google Maps. It allows others to locate the place using GPS coordinates rather than a street address. You can use pins to assist with driving directions to off-street sites.

Open a web browser and navigate to Google Maps.
In the Search Google Maps field, enter an address or area to narrow your location.
Using your mouse, drag or zoom to view an even narrower area.
Right-click on the spot where you want to drop the pin, and select Directions to here from the menu.
In the Choose a starting point field, enter a starting address. Driving (or walking) directions will appear as usual in Google Maps.
To share the directions, select the three-bar icon in the left menu screen to open the Google Maps menu, then choose Share or embed map.
Use the social media links to share the pin or select copy link and paste it into an email.
To remove the pin, right-click on it, and choose Remove this destination from the menu.

How to Drop a Pin on Your Phone

Follow the instructions below to create a Google Maps pin using your phone.

Open Google Maps.
Type an address in the search field, or scroll to find the area you want.
Press and hold in the exact location to create the map pin.
To create directions, tap Directions. Then, in the Your location field, type in the starting location. Driving directions will appear as usual.
Select the three-dot menu icon and choose Share Directions to share with a contact.
To remove the pin, click the X in the search field.