How to Drop a Pin on Google Maps: Save and Share an Exact Location

Start with the right control for your device

On iPhone or iPad, use Google Maps rather than Apple Maps for these steps.¹²

Android: touch and hold the spot

1. Open Google Maps and search for the surrounding area, or move the map to it.
2. Zoom in enough to distinguish the point you want from nearby buildings and roads.
3. Touch and hold an unlabeled spot. Google Maps drops a red pin.
4. Tap the name or address at the bottom to open the location card, then choose Save or Share.¹³⁴

If you only tap a named place, you may be selecting that place rather than your intended meeting point. Check the marker before continuing.

iPhone or iPad: use the Google Maps app

1. Open Google Maps and find the area.
2. Zoom in, then touch and hold an unlabeled spot to drop the pin.
3. Tap the place name or address at the bottom.
4. Use Save to keep the point or Share to send it.¹³⁴

You do not need to rename the point before sharing it. Put the useful description in your message.

Computer: click, then expand the point

1. Open Google Maps in your browser.
2. Find the area and zoom in.
3. Click the location you want.
4. In the information box at the bottom, click the coordinates to open the location details.²

To copy a numeric reference, right-click a place or area, then click the displayed latitude and longitude. Use our Google Maps coordinates guide if you need the numbers, their order or a Plus Code rather than just a link.⁵

For latitude and longitude in Google Earth, use the separate Earth guide.

Check the entrance, not just the place name

Before saving or sharing, compare the selected point with the surrounding map. Does it mark the public entrance, a parking entrance or a meeting spot outside the building? Those can be different destinations even when they share an address.

For example, a museum search result may be useful for its opening hours, while your meeting point is a particular gate. Zoom in and select the gate you actually mean. Google’s Plus Code guidance explicitly recognizes different entrances to the same building as separate locations.²

A point on a map does not establish that an entrance is open or accessible. Confirm that detail with the venue when it matters. Add a short landmark description to the message rather than expecting a nearby address to explain the last part of the trip.

When checking a photographed entrance, use the Street View dates guide.

Save the pin so you can find it again

To keep the selected location, sign in to the Google Account you intend to use. On a phone, open the bottom location card, tap Save, and choose a list. On a computer, open the selected place or coordinates, click Save, and select a list.⁴

Then reopen that list and check the entry. Google’s current phone instructions use You → Your lists; on a computer, use Saved.⁴

Saving and sharing are separate. Saved places are visible to you unless you create and share a list; saving a place also does not download an offline map.⁴ For list permissions, private labels and several saved points, use our saved places, labels and lists guide.

Send the pin to someone else

From Android, iPhone or iPad

Open the selected point’s name or address at the bottom, tap Share, and choose the messaging or email app you want to use. Complete the send inside that app.³

Include a plain description such as “Meet at the public east gate beside the ticket office.” A private label is for your own map; repeat the meeting instructions in the message rather than relying on someone else seeing your label.⁶

From a computer

With the intended point selected, use Google’s documented desktop map-sharing path: Menu → Share or embed map → Send a link → Copy link. Paste the link into your message.⁷

Reopen the copied link before relying on it. Google’s desktop sharing instructions warn that this tool does not share a map containing your saved locations, a distance measurement or an image of the map itself.⁷ Send the selected point, not the assumption that the recipient will see your personal collection.

Ask the recipient to check what opens

The handoff is complete when the other person can recognize the intended point. Use this short check:

1. Open the actual link in the message.
2. Compare the marker with the named gate, street or landmark.
3. Confirm the meeting description matches the point.
4. If using directions, inspect the destination and final approach.
5. If it is wrong or unclear, request a corrected pin before setting off.

A pin link stays about one place. To let someone follow your changing position or a journey, use the separate Google Maps Location Sharing guide, including its recipient and stop controls.⁸

A fictional entrance example

Imagine a fictional public River Museum with a main entrance on Market Street and an east gate beside the ticket office. You agree to meet at the east gate.

Find the museum’s area, zoom in and select the gate rather than accepting the building’s general result. Open the point, save it if you will need it again, and share its link with this message:

Meet at River Museum’s public east gate beside the ticket office. Please open the pin and confirm you see that gate.

The recipient checks the marker and replies with the same entrance. If the venue says the gate is closed, choose a suitable alternative and send a new point. The pin supports the agreement; it does not verify access.

If the pin or link is wrong

Start with the selected point rather than changing account data.

• The marker is in the wrong spot: zoom in and select the intended point again. On a phone, use an unlabeled area for the touch-and-hold gesture.¹
• You cannot see Save or Share: open the point’s full name/address card; for saving, check that you are signed in.³⁴
• The recipient sees another location: reopen the exact sent link, compare the point and send a corrected link with the entrance description.
• The saved entry seems missing: open the intended account’s containing list. Follow the fuller checks in our saved-places guide before deleting anything.⁴
• Google’s public address or pin is wrong: that is a separate map-correction task. Saving your preferred point does not submit a public correction.⁹

If you want to remove a saved entry, Google’s current instructions use the containing list’s More → Edit list → Remove control on phone and computer.⁴ Check the entry before removing it. To keep a different point, select and save that point separately.

If the public address sends visitors to the wrong building or street, follow the wrong-address reporting guide. Sharing a preferred pin is separate from correcting shared map data.