Google Earth Quickstart Guide

You can use Google Earth to find:

  • High-resolution aerial and satellite imagery, photos, and elevation terrain.
  • An image of your home, school, or any place on earth.
  • Routes when you drive from one place to another.

To learn more about Google Earth's existing features, use this document.

Search in Google Earth

  1. On your desktop web browser, open Google Earth.
  2. At the top left, click the search bar.
  3. Enter what you'd like to search for or click casino I'm feeling lucky.

Learn more about how to search for places.

Create a new project in Google Earth

  1. On your desktop web browser, open Google Earth.
  2. From the home screen, at the top left, click New  >  New Map.

Learn more about how to manage your projects.

Manage your layers in Google Earth

To switch between different map styles and turn on different extra layers:

  1. On your desktop web browser, open Google Earth.
  2. From the top right, click Explore Earth.
  3. At the bottom left, click Layers.

Learn more about layers and related features in Google Earth.

Interact with the globe in Google Earth

Create & manage placemarks in Google Earth

  1. On your desktop web browser, open Google Earth.
  2. From the top right, click Explore Earth.
  3. At the top, click Add placemark.

Learn more about how to manage placemarks.

Draw a path or polygon in Google Earth

  1. On your desktop web browser, open Google Earth.
  2. From the top right, click Explore Earth.
  3. At the top, click Path or polygon.
  4. Select a starting point.
  5. To draw a line or a polygon, click points on the map.

Learn more about how to create travel routes.

Measure distance & area in Google Earth

  1. On your desktop web browser, open Google Earth.
  2. From the top right, click Explore Earth.
  3. At the top, click Measure.

Learn more about how to measure distances.

Get started with the Google Earth menu bar

You can find most of Google Earth's existing features at the top menu bar. You can reach the Google Earth menu bar by clicking Explore Earth from the initial home screen.

File

  • View all projects: Opens the Earth home screen with a complete list of recent Drive and Local projects your account has access to.

  • Saved to Google Drive

    • New project: Create customized maps and stories about places around the world with text, photos, and videos. You can also share your maps and stories with others to collaborate.
    • Import file to project: Import a KML or KMZ file from your computer's local storage or an existing file from your Google Drive.
    • Open My Maps from Drive: Open your My Maps project directly from Google Drive on Earth.

  • Local KML files

    • New local KML file: Create a new KML file, which is saved in your computer's browser storage.
    • Open local KMZ file: Open a KML file from your computer's storage without importing it into Google Drive
    • Export as KML file: Download a project as a KML file on your computer's storage.

  • Delete: The project will be removed from Earth, moved to the trash in your Google Drive. After 30 days in Drive trash, the project will be deleted forever.

Edit

  • Copy: Duplicate placemarks, paths, and polygons to easily transfer or back up your geographic data.
  • Paste: Insert copied placemarks, paths, or polygons into your current view.

View

  • Start slideshow: Find a slideshow of your projects.
  • Show gridlines: To learn about geographic coordinates and get your approximate location on the Earth's surface, turn on gridlines.
  • Show historical imagery: Explore how locations have changed over time with a timeline of past imagery.
  • Show Street View: Get a ground-level perspective with 360-degree panoramic views of streets worldwide.
  • Layers: Switch between different map styles and turn on different extra layers
  • Hide menu bar: Get an uncluttered, full-screen view of Google Earth.

Add

  • Folder: To organize trips and other projects, use folders.
  • Placemark: Find your favorite locations around the globe and save them as placemarks.
  • Path or Polygon: Mark up your map with path lines and hand drawn polygons.
  • Slide: Add features such as Slide to your Drive projects or KML files.
  • Tile overlay: Show location-based data layers that cover a specific area on top of your map, using tiled overlays.

Tools

  • Measurement: Measure distances between locations and along paths. You can also measure the size of polygons that you draw in Google Earth.
  • Explore building and solar designs: Create a design study within your map project to determine the best building designs and solar options for urban areas on a community scale, like existing infrastructure and parking lots.

Help

  • Keyboard Shortcuts: See a complete list of the supported keyboard shortcut operations available in Google Earth
  • Videos: Watch curated videos from the Google Earth showcasing new features and common workflows
  • Community Forum: Connect with other Google Earth users, ask questions, and share tips.
  • Send feedback: Send us suggestions or feedback on what we can improve.
  • About Google Earth: Find out which versions of Google Earth are you using.