What Is the Best Way to Drop a Pin on Google Maps on Mobile and Desktop?

Google Maps is so much more than just a way to get from A to B. It can tell you the routes and times of public transportation and let you customize your trip based on how you plan to get there. You can also put a pin in a place and save it to your profile or show it to your friends.

Dropping a pin can help you find a place that doesn’t have an address or isn’t near any roads. It’s also helpful when Google sometimes gets the location wrong. Here’s how to drop a pin on Android, iOS, and desktop versions of Google Maps.

How to Drop a Pin on the Google Maps Android App

To drop a pin on Google Maps when using an Android device:

Open the Google Maps app.
Either search for an address or scroll around the map until you find the location you want.
Long-press on the screen to drop a pin.
The address or location will pop up at the bottom of the screen.
Tap on the location to share it, save it, add a label to it, or get directions.

These pins are a great way to remember where you are on the app. There are also a lot of other tricks for Google Maps on Android that will change the way you get around.

How to Drop a Pin on the Google Maps iOS App

The process for how to drop a pin in Google Maps on iOS is broadly the same as the process for Android.

Open the Google Maps app.
Search for an address or scroll around the map until you find the ideal pin location.
To drop the pin, long-press on the screen in the desired location.
The address or coordinates will pop up at the bottom of the screen.
Tap on the location to see more details, get directions, add labels, etc.

How to Drop a Pin on Google Maps on Desktop

Many people don’t realize that it’s also possible to drop a pin on Google Maps from any desktop operating system.

The process is straightforward:

Head to the Google Maps homepage.
Find the location where you want to place the dropped pin, then left-click on the exact spot.
A small grey pin icon will appear on the map, and you’ll see an information box pop up at the bottom of the screen.
If you click on the information box, a new panel will appear on the left-hand side of the screen, containing more information and providing you with some additional options.

How to Make the Most of a Dropped Pin

Now, let’s look at what you can do after you’ve dropped the pin and are happy with where it is.

Whether you’re using a mobile or desktop operating system, the exact options are a little bit different. We’ll go through each one in turn.

Use a Dropped Pin for Directions

As we said at the beginning, the most useful thing about Google Maps is probably that it can give directions. If you don’t know the address of a certain place, dropped pins are an important part of the process.

You can use the dropped pin as either a starting point or an ending point. There’s no way to put down two dropped pins and then figure out which way to go between them. Instead, you’ll have to drop one pin, write down the address or coordinates, and then drop a second pin as your starting point or final destination.

The map will show how to get from one place to another by air, on foot, by bike, and even by plane (with prices!).

Save a Pin Location

The location of a pin can be saved in a list that is linked to your Google account. Then you can use it on all of your devices.

By default, you can choose from three lists: Favorites, Want to go, and Starred. By going to Your Places in the app’s main menu, you can add more lists and delete the ones that are already there. Each list can be shared with specific other users or made public. You can also make group lists so anyone can add pins to. These are useful for vacations and day trips.

One way that Google Maps can work with some of Google’s other products and services is through these lists.

Send a Desktop Pin to Your Phone

If you use the desktop version of Google Maps to drop a pin, you can share it with your Google Maps mobile app, email it to the Gmail address connected to your account, or text it to the phone number connected to your Google account.

To start, just click on Send to your phone.

How to Remove Dropped Pins

You now know how to put a pin in a hole. But how do you delete a pin that you dropped? How do you take it off the map?

On Android and iOS, tap the X in the text box at the top of the page to remove a pin. If you want to get rid of a pin you dropped on your desktop, you can either click somewhere else on the map or press the X icon at the bottom of the screen.

Make Use of Pins

When you think about what a dropped pin on Google Maps is used for, the answer may not be clear at first. But we hope that the tips in this article will help you find a new way to use Google Maps, which will make it easier for you to get around.