Google Earth Web vs Mobile vs Earth Pro: Which Version Should You Use?

Choose the task first, then decide where the work should live. Opening a KML file locally is not the same as adding it to a shared project.

Two dates to act on

Download legacy browser-stored KML or add it to a map project by January 14, 2027. Google’s project and local-file instructions explain the change. Current local KML saves to your device; the deadline is not an expiry date for all KML files.

New Earth Pro desktop downloads end June 25, 2027. The installer notice gives a download cutoff, not a shutdown date for existing installations. If a new computer needs Pro’s desktop-only tools, arrange installation before then.

Make a small project, then open it somewhere else

Try a small project called River landscape. Choose three public locations in an area you know: an upstream bend, a bridge and a valley viewpoint. Use each view to explain how the river and surrounding land fit together.

1. Open Earth on the web on a computer and sign in to the account that should own the project. Choose New → New map and name it River landscape.
2. Search for each actual location and choose Save to project. Alternatively, use Add → Placemark to position a point yourself. Name the features Upstream bend, Bridge and Valley viewpoint. For a supplied coordinate pair, use the Earth coordinates guide rather than guessing its order.
3. Add short descriptions explaining what to notice and where supporting information came from. When replacing a searched place’s information, choosing Update removes Google’s supplied details; check the resulting title and description.
4. Use Add path or polygon to draw a line across the valley. Finish with Done, choose Save to project and name it Valley cross-section. Draw it across the terrain you want to compare; it does not need to follow a road or walking route.
5. Return to Map projects and reopen River landscape. Check the three named places, the line and their descriptions. Then use More → Share, add the intended recipients and choose viewing or editing access. Projects start private; ask a recipient to open the link with the account you invited.
6. For a portable copy, use the project’s More menu → Export as KML file. Open the download through Local KML editor → Open KML from device and inspect that copy while keeping the Drive original.

Google’s feature instructions cover the placemarks and line. The KML/KMZ creation guide adds export-scope and media checks.

On Android or iPhone/iPad, open the shared Drive project rather than expecting the downloaded file to appear automatically. The mobile version supports map creation, placemarks and annotation, but not every computer control. Use the web for detailed setup and permission changes. If someone can view but cannot edit, check access before changing apps; owners can also restrict downloading, copying and printing.

Know where your work is saved

Earth’s data types behave differently even when they look similar on the globe.

Map features belong to a Drive project and can be edited individually. They suit the River landscape example because you want to change each description, point and line. Simple KML/KMZ imports support roughly 10,000 features or 250,000 vertices. Above those limits, Earth automatically attempts a data-layer import; read the result before assuming individual features remain editable.

Experimental data layers sit inside Drive projects but contain source features you cannot directly edit. They suit large datasets you need to display and style. KML, KMZ, GeoJSON and zipped shapefiles are supported, with CSV and Sheets handled through the Experimental spreadsheet workflow. Imported layers consume Earth-plan storage quota; copying one into another project consumes additional quota.

Local KML is separate from Drive. On the web, use Save or Download to write edits back to the computer. Autosave is supported only in Chromium-based desktop browsers. Mobile local files use app storage. Reopen the saved copy before closing or moving devices, and keep a backup outside the working session.

Local storage does not make referenced web resources local. Photos, overlays and network links can still contact external servers. Use trusted sources, and do not expect a KML/KMZ export to include the underlying Earth imagery as an offline map.

Choose the import by how you need to edit it

For a file you already have, the Earth import guide covers the full choice between project features, data layers, local KML and Pro. Google’s import documentation supplies the format requirements.

For a spreadsheet on the web, use the computer workflow. CSV and Google Sheets become Experimental data layers, not individually editable project features. For coordinates, use separate numeric latitude and longitude columns in signed decimal degrees; a pair bundled into one cell is not automatically detected. CSV needs UTF-8 encoding and comma separation. Invalid rows can be skipped while others import, so compare the result with the source rather than judging success from the presence of a few points.

Pro’s CSV importer creates editable placemarks. Export a Google Sheet to CSV first. Its address importer is limited to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy, Germany and Spain, and excludes P.O. boxes. Coordinate data is a different import choice. Move imported work out of Temporary Places and save My Places before exiting.

A My Map opens in Earth view-only. On the web, Copy to Map Project creates a separate editable project without changing the original. The My Maps-to-Earth guide distinguishes that copy from the refreshable view-only connection, which does not work in Present mode. Keep editing in My Maps if you want that linked view to remain the reference.

If Earth opens but the view stays blurry, black or blank, follow the Earth loading and display checks for the version you use.

Compare imagery and terrain without switching unnecessarily

Historical imagery is available in current web and mobile Earth as well as Pro. In current Earth, select the Satellite basemap before opening Historical imagery; it is unavailable with the Map basemap. Available dates change by location, and 3D buildings turn off in historical view. Google’s imagery controls and the historical-imagery guide explain the timeline and Timelapse choices. For a freshness question instead, use the imagery-date and update-request guide.

For the River landscape cross-section, web Earth’s inspector shows an elevation profile after you place at least two points in a Measure line or project path. Finish drawing before recording the refined values. Pro instead uses Edit → Show Elevation Profile for a path, with the chart below the globe. Its measurement instructions are separate from the web controls; the elevation-profile guide covers both. Do not assume the same chart interface on mobile.

Earth’s current measurements are estimates, not survey results. In Earth on the web and mobile, length and area measurements do not account for elevation changes. Earth Pro also offers separate 3D path and 3D polygon measurement tools. Use the measurement guide when choosing between route distance, a drawn line, perimeter or area.

Keep Pro for the desktop work you actually need

Earth Pro is free and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. It remains useful for local My Places, complex legacy KML, supported GPS imports and GIS files such as shapefiles, GeoJSON and GeoTIFF imagery. Check projection and companion-file requirements before importing GIS data.

For a finished illustration, Pro’s Save Image controls let you choose resolution and annotations. Pro also has printing and Movie Maker tools; its release notes describe those desktop capabilities. These are different outputs from sharing an interactive Drive project.

Flight is another version-specific choice. The web simulator is Experimental, uses simplified flight physics and requires a computer; neither mobile browsers nor the mobile app support it. The Pro simulator offers SR22 or F-16 aircraft, airport or current-view starts, a HUD and keyboard, mouse or joystick controls. Follow the flight-simulator guide for the version you chose.

Move a Pro collection without replacing your only copy

For a Pro version of River landscape, keep its related items in one folder. To move it:

1. Right-click the intended folder in Places and choose Save Place As. Save a KML or KMZ backup; do not export unrelated My Places content by accident.
2. Import that file on the web as project features if individual editing matters, or as a data layer if it is large and viewing is enough. Local KML is the option for keeping it outside Drive.
3. Inspect the imported places, folders, descriptions, styles, overlays, links and tours. Complex KML can behave differently in the new representation.
4. Retain the Pro collection and original export until the destination contains what you need.

Later edits to My Places do not automatically update the Drive project. An exported file is a copy, not synchronization.

Check a plan only when the feature calls for one

Professional and Professional Advanced are paid cloud plans, not Earth Pro upgrades. Google’s plan comparison lists data-import allowances of 1 GB for Standard, 10 GB for Professional and 20 GB for Professional Advanced. These are not universal per-file limits. Upgrading requires a Google Cloud project and billing account.

Check a feature’s plan label before relying on it. After cancellation or a downgrade, layers requiring the former plan stop displaying, including in shared projects. Buying a plan does not add those cloud features to the Pro desktop app. Earth Engine and Earth Studio are separate products, not alternative names for these versions.

For school work, check the intended account before assigning the project, and ask the administrator to confirm that the required parent or guardian consent is in place for under-18 use of Additional Services. Administrators control access, and under-18 school accounts cannot use paid Maps/Earth features. Keep personal locations out of shared work and offer still views with a location table alongside a moving presentation. The student map projects guide covers research and presentation choices.

If the result you need is directions or a reusable 2D custom map rather than an Earth project, return to the Maps, My Maps and Earth comparison.