Overlays are objects on the map that are tied to
latitude/longitude coordinates, so they move when you drag or
zoom the map. If you want to place an image on a map, you can use a
GroundOverlay object.
The constructor for a
GroundOverlay specifies a URL of an image
and the LatLngBounds of the image as parameters. The image will
be rendered on the map, constrained to the given bounds, and conformed
using the map's projection.
TypeScript
// This example uses a GroundOverlay to place an image on the map// showing an antique map of Newark, NJ.lethistoricalOverlay;functioninitMap():void{constmap=newgoogle.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map")asHTMLElement,{zoom:13,center:{lat:40.74,lng:-74.18},});constimageBounds={north:40.773941,south:40.712216,east:-74.12544,west:-74.22655,};historicalOverlay=newgoogle.maps.GroundOverlay("https://storage.googleapis.com/geo-devrel-public-buckets/newark_nj_1922-661x516.jpeg",imageBounds);historicalOverlay.setMap(map);}declareglobal{interfaceWindow{initMap:()=>void;}}window.initMap=initMap;
// This example uses a GroundOverlay to place an image on the map// showing an antique map of Newark, NJ.lethistoricalOverlay;functioninitMap(){constmap=newgoogle.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map"),{zoom:13,center:{lat:40.74,lng:-74.18},});constimageBounds={north:40.773941,south:40.712216,east:-74.12544,west:-74.22655,};historicalOverlay=newgoogle.maps.GroundOverlay("https://storage.googleapis.com/geo-devrel-public-buckets/newark_nj_1922-661x516.jpeg",imageBounds,);historicalOverlay.setMap(map);}window.initMap=initMap;
To remove an overlay from a map, call the overlay's
setMap() method, passing null. Note that
calling this method does not delete the overlay. It removes
the overlay from the map. If instead you wish to delete the overlay,
you should remove it from the map, and then set the
overlay itself to null.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-20 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eGround overlays let you place images on a map tied to latitude/longitude coordinates.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eYou can add a ground overlay using the \u003ccode\u003eGroundOverlay\u003c/code\u003e object, specifying the image URL and boundaries.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eTo remove a ground overlay from the map, call \u003ccode\u003esetMap(null)\u003c/code\u003e on the overlay object.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eRemoving an overlay from the map doesn't delete it; to delete it, set the overlay object to \u003ccode\u003enull\u003c/code\u003e after removing it from the map.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["Ground overlays, images tied to latitude/longitude coordinates, are added to a map using the `GroundOverlay` constructor, specifying an image URL and `LatLngBounds`. The `setMap()` method then renders the image. Removing an overlay involves calling `setMap(null)` on the overlay object, which detaches it from the map but doesn't delete it. To delete the overlay it needs to be set to null. Example code is provided in TypeScript and JavaScript.\n"],null,["Select platform: [Android](/maps/documentation/android-sdk/groundoverlay \"View this page for the Android platform docs.\") [iOS](/maps/documentation/ios-sdk/overlays \"View this page for the iOS platform docs.\") [JavaScript](/maps/documentation/javascript/groundoverlays \"View this page for the JavaScript platform docs.\")\n\n1. [Introduction](#introduction)\n2. [Add a ground overlay](#add)\n3. [Remove a ground overlay](#remove)\n\nIntroduction\n\nOverlays are objects on the map that are tied to\nlatitude/longitude coordinates, so they move when you drag or\nzoom the map. If you want to place an image on a map, you can use a\n`GroundOverlay` object.\n\nFor information on other types of overlay, see\n[Drawing on the map](/maps/documentation/javascript/overlays).\n\nAdd a ground overlay\n\nThe constructor for a\n[`GroundOverlay`](/maps/documentation/javascript/reference#GroundOverlay) specifies a URL of an image\nand the `LatLngBounds` of the image as parameters. The image will\nbe rendered on the map, constrained to the given bounds, and conformed\nusing the map's projection. \n\nTypeScript \n\n```typescript\n// This example uses a GroundOverlay to place an image on the map\n// showing an antique map of Newark, NJ.\n\nlet historicalOverlay;\n\nfunction initMap(): void {\n const map = new google.maps.Map(\n document.getElementById(\"map\") as HTMLElement,\n {\n zoom: 13,\n center: { lat: 40.74, lng: -74.18 },\n }\n );\n\n const imageBounds = {\n north: 40.773941,\n south: 40.712216,\n east: -74.12544,\n west: -74.22655,\n };\n\n historicalOverlay = new google.maps.GroundOverlay(\n \"https://storage.googleapis.com/geo-devrel-public-buckets/newark_nj_1922-661x516.jpeg\",\n imageBounds\n );\n historicalOverlay.setMap(map);\n}\n\ndeclare global {\n interface Window {\n initMap: () =\u003e void;\n }\n}\nwindow.initMap = initMap;https://github.com/googlemaps/js-samples/blob/2683f7366fb27829401945d2a7e27d77ed2df8e5/samples/groundoverlay-simple/index.ts#L8-L41\n```\n| **Note:** Read the [guide](/maps/documentation/javascript/using-typescript) on using TypeScript and Google Maps.\n\nJavaScript \n\n```javascript\n// This example uses a GroundOverlay to place an image on the map\n// showing an antique map of Newark, NJ.\nlet historicalOverlay;\n\nfunction initMap() {\n const map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById(\"map\"), {\n zoom: 13,\n center: { lat: 40.74, lng: -74.18 },\n });\n const imageBounds = {\n north: 40.773941,\n south: 40.712216,\n east: -74.12544,\n west: -74.22655,\n };\n\n historicalOverlay = new google.maps.GroundOverlay(\n \"https://storage.googleapis.com/geo-devrel-public-buckets/newark_nj_1922-661x516.jpeg\",\n imageBounds,\n );\n historicalOverlay.setMap(map);\n}\n\nwindow.initMap = initMap;https://github.com/googlemaps/js-samples/blob/2683f7366fb27829401945d2a7e27d77ed2df8e5/dist/samples/groundoverlay-simple/docs/index.js#L7-L30\n```\n| **Note:** The JavaScript is compiled from the TypeScript snippet.\n[View example](/maps/documentation/javascript/examples/groundoverlay-simple)\n\nTry Sample \n[JSFiddle.net](https://jsfiddle.net/gh/get/library/pure/googlemaps/js-samples/tree/master/dist/samples/groundoverlay-simple/jsfiddle) [Google Cloud Shell](https://ssh.cloud.google.com/cloudshell/editor?cloudshell_git_repo=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fgooglemaps%2Fjs-samples&cloudshell_git_branch=sample-groundoverlay-simple&cloudshell_tutorial=cloud_shell_instructions.md&cloudshell_workspace=.)\n\nRemove a ground overlay\n\nTo remove an overlay from a map, call the overlay's\n`setMap()` method, passing `null`. Note that\ncalling this method does not delete the overlay. It removes\nthe overlay from the map. If instead you wish to delete the overlay,\nyou should remove it from the map, and then set the\noverlay itself to `null`. \n\n```javascript\nfunction removeOverlay() {\n historicalOverlay.setMap(null);\n}\n```\n\n[View example](/maps/documentation/javascript/examples/overlay-remove)"]]