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July 13, 2026
Known issue: Surface water data layer
The surface water data layer is temporarily unavailable.
June 25, 2026
Access data layers from home screen
You can now access Google Earth data layers directly from the home screen.
June 22, 2026
Region filter chips for data layers
You can now filter available data layers by global coverage or by country, making it easier to find relevant data for your region.
June 17, 2026
User-Imported Layers (GA)
User-imported layers are now generally available (GA). You can now import and visualize large KML, KMZ, GeoJSON, and Shapefile (SHP) datasets.
June 15, 2026
Classify tool
Google Earth now provides a tool to help you classify land within a defined area of interest. This tool allows you to generate a custom classified map layer by turning your labeled examples into a wall-to-wall classification map.
For more information, see Classify (Experimental).
June 11, 2026
Flight Simulator (Experimental)
The fan-favorite Flight Simulator is landing on the web! Desktop users can now open Google Earth 10 to pilot a virtual plane over high-fidelity 3D environments with realistic, responsive flight controls.
May 28, 2026
Request Imagery Update (Experimental)
You asked, and we listened! Thousands of users have been using the existing "Send feedback" feature to report outdated imagery all over the world. We've created a dedicated feature for requesting imagery updates, allowing you to define regions and report the type of imagery needed, based on your current view, that will be used to prioritize new imagery acquisition.
May 26, 2026
Detect change tool (Experimental - Web only)
The detect change tool helps you quickly identify and visualize changes on the Earth's surface over time. Detect change automatically analyzes satellite and geospatial data across two selected years to generate a heatmap showing you exactly where changes have occurred.
For more information, see Detect change (Experimental).
Share data layers with a direct link
You can now access a shareable link for each data layer for ease of sharing. From the list of layers in your project, click into any data layer to see a "Share layer" link that copies the layer URL to your clipboard.
May 21, 2026
Vision Context in Ask Google Earth
You can now use your current map view as context for queries. By sharing your viewport, the agent can interpret the visible geospatial data, allowing you to ask natural questions about "this area" or "here" without requiring precise coordinates.
New infrastructure data layers available
Google Earth now includes several new data layers to help with site assessment and infrastructure planning: Building footprints, Land parcels, Fire hydrants, Maintenance covers, Storm drains, Speed limit signs, Stop signs, Traffic lights, Street lights.
May 01, 2026
My Maps conversion to map project
Easily convert legacy My Maps projects into modern Google Earth map projects, by clicking "Copy to Map Project" in the top bar.
April 30, 2026
Elevation Profile
Google Earth now provides an Elevation Profile tool to help you visualize terrain changes along any path. When you draw a line or path using the Measure or Drawing tools, an interactive elevation profile chart automatically appears in the inspector panel. This chart displays elevation info, utilizing terrain data to provide a detailed view of the topography along your selected route.
Initial elevation data resolution might depend on your zoom level. The most accurate data is loaded when the drawing is finished.
April 20, 2026
Cut and Fill tools (Experimental)
Google Earth now provides tools to calculate cut and fill volumes. Designate a site, enter your parameters, and visualize the excavation or fill required to reshape the terrain.
Polygon Selection for Analysis Tools
You can now select existing polygons from your project to define the area of interest for analysis tools (like contours), offering an alternative to drawing boundaries from scratch.
April 16, 2026
3D model import for GLB files (Experimental)
You can now upload and visualize custom GLB files directly within Google Earth, enabling seamless integration of 3D assets into the map. Select Import file to get started.
For more information, see Import 3D models (Experimental).
Find relevant data layers
You can now search for available data layers within the catalog. Ask Google Earth can also find data layers relevant to your prompts.
New layers available: Slope and Aspect (Professional and Professional Advanced)
Two new data layers have been added to Google Earth:
- Slope (10m resolution): Visualize how steep the terrain is at 10-meter resolution.
- Aspect (10m resolution): Visualize the direction a slope faces (north, south, east, west) at 10-meter resolution.
These layers are available as part of the Professional and Professional Advanced plans.
Slope and Aspect tools added (Experimental)
Google Earth now provides several tools to help you analyze terrain within a defined area of interest. These tools allow you to generate layers crucial for site assessment and planning, including visualizing contours, slope, and aspect of a selected site.
For more information, see Analyze terrain (Experimental).
Known issue: Cloud coverage imagery
Animated clouds and live cloud imagery updates are temporarily unavailable. Restoration is underway, and full functionality will be back shortly. Thank you for your patience.
March 27, 2026
KML descriptions on mobile
We resolved an issue affecting feature descriptions that had HTML content on mobile devices. If you were previously unable to view the content of your placemarks (such as text, tables, or images) in the inspector panel on iOS or Android, these should now load as expected. This was a server-side fix, so no app update is required to see the changes.
March 02, 2026
Data layer coverage expansion
The following data layers have global coverage in Google Earth:
- Cycling trip percentage
- Driveway counts (by postal code)
- Elevation contours (20-meter intervals)
- Elevation contours (40-meter intervals)
- EV charging station counts (by postal code)
- Population (Global Human Settlement Layer, by postal code)
- Population (WorldPop, by postal code)
Traffic signal level of service coverage is available across the United States and Italy.
February 25, 2026
Import data layers on mobile (Experimental)
You can import large-scale vector datasets on mobile. You can also add and visualize large KML, KMZ, and GeoJSON files as data layers directly from your phone or tablet.
For more information, see Import data into Google Earth.
New workflow for managing local KML files
A new local KML editor button is available on the Google Earth home screen. Use this button to create a new KML file or to open an existing KML file from your computer. To create a new KML file or open an existing KML file from your computer, toggle your project list to Local and use the New + button.
For more information, see Create or edit local KML files.
February 02, 2026
Data layer maintenance
From February 2, 2026 through February 11, 2026, the Google Earth team will be conducting maintenance on the data catalog. Users may experience issues with data layers in their Google Earth projects at this time. Data layers with a warning warning icon will need to be deleted from the project and re-added from the data catalog.
January 26, 2026
Request access to shared projects
You can now request access to Google Earth projects that you don't have permission to view. This simplifies the process of sharing work and ensures you can get into the projects you need without delay.
High Fidelity Elevation Contours (Experimental - Web only)
Conduct better site suitability assessments with as granular as 1-meter contour intervals. Learn more about elevation contours.
December 01, 2025
Import your own data layers (Experimental)
User-imported layers are now supported in Experimental. You can import your own large-scale KML and GeoJSON datasets directly into your Google Earth projects as data layers.
For more information, see Import data into Google Earth.
Note: Data layers you upload into Google Earth count against your Google Earth storage, which is determined by your Google Earth plan. For more information, see Manage imported data layers and storage.
Imagery search (Experimental)
Imagery search leverages a new, experimental multimodal (vision-language) model to search across satellite and aerial basemap imagery in Google Earth, find visual characteristics and patterns, and localize them on the map instantly. You can try prompts like "Find algae blooms in rivers in the US" or "Locate the points where roads intersect with creeks in Franklin County, Missouri."
Imagery search is available to users on Google Earth Professional and Professional Advanced plans in the US. For more information, see Imagery search.
November 20, 2025
Feature auto-styling and copy/paste styles
Creating and styling projects in Google Earth is now faster and more intuitive. We've introduced new tools to help you maintain visual consistency across your map data without having to manually format every new item you draw.
- Auto-styling: As you map, Google Earth now automatically remembers the style of the last point, line, or polygon selected. When you create a new feature of that same type, it defaults to the most recent style. Each shape type has its own independent "style memory," which will reset to the default settings whenever you reload Google Earth or switch to a different project.
- Copy, paste, and reset styles: You can now duplicate styles across your project by copying the style from any existing point, line, or polygon and pasting it directly onto another feature of the same type. Copy, paste, and reset options are located in the left-hand panel, the on-map menu, and within the property editor.
For more information, see Style your places.
October 17, 2025
Sharing link behavior
The default sharing link behavior now opens projects in Edit mode instead of Presentation mode. This affects project links from the Share button, which can generate emails or allow users to copy a sharing link.
Enhanced styling for data layers
The styling interface for data layers has been upgraded with new options:
- Uniform styling: Apply the same style to all features in a data layer.
- Categorical styling: Style features based on text or numerical attributes.
- Numerical styling: Apply color ramps to layers based on numerical attributes to visualize data distributions.
To see available styling options, select a layer in your project and open the Style tab in the inspector panel. For more information, see Style data layers.
October 13, 2025
Data tables
You can now visualize vector data layers as tabular data directly in Google Earth. The new data tables feature lets you see vector data features listed in a table, select a feature to identify it on the map, and view additional data about the selected feature.
Select and edit multiple features at once
Save time and work more efficiently with our new bulk editing tools. You can now select and modify multiple placemarks, lines, and polygons simultaneously in the Map contents panel, making it easier than ever to manage large projects.
For more information, see Style your places.
October 01, 2025
Introducing data layers in Google Earth
We're excited to announce that you can now discover and add a rich library of professional-grade data layers directly to your Google Earth projects. This new capability makes it easier than ever to find and visualize a wide array of datasets on the globe, enriching your site analysis and providing deeper context for your work.
Google Earth Generally Available (GA)
Google Earth is now generally available (GA). As part of this change, Google Maps Platform charges for Professional and Professional Advanced usage and the Google Maps Platform Generally Available Terms of Service governs Professional and Professional Advanced. For more information about pricing and billing charges, see Learn about Google Earth plans.
September 30, 2025
Ask Google Earth (Experimental - US / Web / English only)
With Ask Google Earth, you can create and analyze new and existing geospatial datasets. You can ask questions in your own words based on spatial relationships and criteria, or within the context of your Google Earth project features or viewport. For example, you can use the following prompts:
- "Plot all parcels larger than 5 acres in my selected polygon."
- "Count all fire hydrants within 300 ft of my selected placemark."
- "Create a map with the five most recently built skyscrapers in NYC, including completion year, height, and estimated cost."
For more information, see Gemini capabilities in Google Earth.
September 22, 2025
Ask Google Earth: Infrastructure data expansion
You can now access datasets derived from Google Street View to quickly identify and locate specific types of infrastructure within defined areas in the US. You can map out assets like fire hydrants, street lights, traffic signals, and storm drains to streamline your workflows for urban planning, maintenance, and spatial analysis.
Learn more about infrastructure assets using Ask Google Earth.
September 01, 2025
[Billing Notice] Google Earth Professional & Professional Advanced generally available on October 1, 2025
Starting October 1, 2025, Professional and Professional Advanced will be added to the Google Maps Platform Core Services. As part of this change, Google Maps Platform will begin to charge for Professional and Professional Advanced usage and the Google Maps Platform Generally Available Terms of Service will govern Professional and Professional Advanced. For more information about pricing and billing charges, see Learn about Google Earth plans.