How to drop a pin in Google Maps (Ultimate Guide)

Not every location can be accurately found on Google Maps, and this is where you can drop a pin to save an address or mark a location if it doesn’t have an address or if the address is incorrect.

Google Maps remains one of the best Google most used mobile apps. has always been a reliable maps app that, for the most part, gets you where you need to go. It’s definitely one of the best Android apps that even many iPhone users prefer over Apple Maps.

Both the desktop and mobile app versions of Google Map excellently meet the expectations of the user. And now, with Google My Maps, you can create custom maps for your next trip, or even build a shared map of your favorite spots with friends.

However, as good as Google Maps is, it doesn’t get every address right, and there are some locations you care about that may not have an address at all.

Thankfully, you can address these issues using Google Maps’s new dropped pin feature, rolled out by Google in late 2019.

Dropping a pin in Google Maps lets you mark a location so you can easily visibly see it on the map, or find it quickly in a search at any time. Your pins will help you navigate to these locations again, and you can also share them with your friends to indicate a meetup location.

If you’re new to Google Map or simply haven’t embraced some of its advanced features, pins are a great place to start. In this article, you will learn how to use pins in the Google Maps app and on your computer.

Dropping pins in Google Maps on mobile

Google has made it very easy to drop a pin for your favorite spot, a missing location, or an incorrect location on your mobile device. These steps outlined below will work for both iPhone and Android phones.

Step 1: Open the Google Maps app on your iPhone or Android phone.

Step 2: Search for an address using the search bar at the top of the screen or scroll around the map until you find the location where you want to drop a pin.

Step 3: Press and hold the screen to drop a pin. A light touch is all that’s needed.

Step 4: Tap the pin to get directions to that location and share or save them.

Step 5: To remove a pin, just pinch out, and a box at the top reading Dropped Pin or the Specific Location appears with an X on the right side. Tapping that X removes the pin.

Dropping pins in Google Maps on a computer ( Windows or Mac)

When it comes to dropping a pin on a desktop, all you need is a browser ( preferable Google Chrome). With a browser, the steps below work for both Windows and Mac PCs.

Step 1: Navigate to the Google Maps website.

Step 2: Search for an address using the search bar on the upper left side of the screen or scroll around the map until you find the location where you want to drop a pin. The search bar automatically drops a pin at the place you searched. You don’t have to do anything else.

Step 3: Left-click the spot you want to drop the pin. You may have to zoom in or click slightly to either side of the location you want to drop a pin if there is already a marker there. A small gray pin will appear, as well as an info box at the bottom right of the screen.

Step 4: You can press the navigation icon in the info box to get directions to the dropped pin or click anywhere else in the box to bring up more information about the location you’ve selected.

Step 5: From the additional information screen, you can click Save to save the pin to Your Favorites, Want to Go, Starred Places, or a New List. You can view saved pins under Your Places in the main menu.

Dropping multiple pins by creating a map on desktop

How to create a custom map on Google Maps

At this point, I believe you have mastered how to drop a pin to save your favorite spot, add a location that didn’t exist or correct a wrong location. There’s still so much you can do with Google Maps when it comes to customization; the next thing I will teach you is how to create your own map. This doesn’t create a new landscape; however, it allows you to add your own landmarks, routes, and directions. With custom maps, you are able to see each of your various pins simultaneously, and you can save each in the Your Places file as Google Maps only allows you to see one pin location per map.

Remember, this can only be down on your desktop PC as of the time of this writing.

Creating a map of your own allows you to see the various pins in a simplified way while also showing you how they are related geographically. This is especially helpful when you want to measure the distance and relationship between each of your favorite pinned places. I outlined some simple steps below to teach you how to create your own Google Map.

Step 1: Navigate to the Google Maps website.

Step 2: In order to save your pins, you are required to sign in to your Google Account ( which is signing into your Gmail account). You can do this without signing into your Google account, but that will mean your pins won’t be saved, or to create a custom Google map.

Step 3: Tap the menu icon at the top left side of your screen.

Step 4: After this, click Your Places, then Map, and lastly Create Map.

A new window will appear, which will show you your newly personalized Google map.

Step 5: Click Untitled Map to give your map a proper name and type in a brief description if you want. Don’t leave without clicking Save when you’re finished.

Step 6: You can record a precise location by tapping on the marker icon (this is located right beneath the search bar). You can tap a particular area to add a marker for this specific location, or you can easily use the search bar and type in your place of choice to find it.

Step 7: Click on the Add Directions icon in the icon bar beneath your first destination’s description. You may see it pop up at the top of the screen next to the first marker. Once you complete this step, you will notice an A field and a B field in the bottom left of the page. From here, you can quickly conduct a location search and use the side menu to keep adding additional destinations. You’ll see that your map will automatically link to the locations.

Step 8: If you’re a person who only plans to use this map for personal purposes, the last step was your final step. There’s no need to do anything else. On the other hand, if you want to share your map with another person, you’ll need to click on the icon in the top left corner. After doing this, you’ll be able to see a preview of your map before you share it.

Do more with Google Maps

While dropping a pin and creating custom maps may be our favorite Google Maps features, there’s so much more to learn.