Most people don’t worry about latitude and longitude to determine a location. However, it’s still a surefire way to mark the exact position of a location when accuracy is important.
Google Maps allows you to find a location and then show its latitude and longitude. You can also enter the coordinates directly to find a place. Whether you’re using a popular web mapping service or a mobile device, here’s how to use latitude and longitude in Google Maps.
About latitude and longitude in Google Maps
Here are a few things to keep in mind when using GPS coordinates for latitude and longitude in Google Maps:
- Enter the latitude coordinate before the longitude coordinate.
- The first number in latitude should be between -90 and 90.
- The first number in longitude should be between -180 and 180.
- Format the coordinates using decimal degrees (for example, 36.284065) instead of commas (for example, 36.284065).
Find the latitude and longitude of a location
You can quickly find out the latitude and longitude of anywhere on Google Maps on the web or your mobile device.
Get coordinates on the Internet
There are several ways to get coordinates on the Google Maps website.
Click a location once to display a pop-up window at the bottom that displays basic information as well as latitude and longitude. Select any information in the window to open the sidebar on the left, where you can get more information, directions or add your business.
Right-click a location to display another pop-up window. It also shows you the coordinates, but gives you the ability to perform a quick action, such as plotting a route, searching nearby, or measuring distance. You can also copy the coordinates to the clipboard by selecting them from the pop-up menu.
Get coordinates in the mobile app
To see the latitude and longitude of a location in the Google Maps mobile app, simply insert a pin. Open Google Maps and tap or tap and hold to place the pin.
On Android, you’ll see the coordinates in the search box at the top. You can swipe up from the bottom to get more details and view the latitude and longitude there.
On your iPhone, swipe up to show the details below and you’ll see the coordinates.
On any device, select latitude and longitude in the location information below to put the coordinates on the clipboard.
Find a location by latitude and longitude
If you get the latitude and longitude of a location, you can find it on Google Maps. Then use the built-in functions to plot a route or get more information.
Find a location on the web
Enter the coordinates (latitude first) in the search bar in the upper-left corner of Google Maps and click the Search button. You’ll then see the location plotted on the map on the right as a red pin with additional location information in the sidebar on the left.
Find a location in the mobile app
Searching for location by latitude and longitude in the Google Maps app works the same way on Android and iOS.
Enter coordinates in the search box, or click and select Paste to paste the ones you’ve copied to the clipboard. Then click the “Search” button on your keyboard to find the location. You’ll see that a fallen pin marks this spot.
If you want an accurate location, just use latitude and longitude in Google Maps.