How to Save Routes in Google Maps: Your Definitive Guide

Saving routes in Google Maps? A seemingly simple question that unravels a world of navigational efficiency! While Google Maps doesn’t offer a direct “save” button for routes as you might expect, fear not. Clever workarounds and the inherent power of the platform provide numerous methods to preserve your favorite journeys. The key is understanding the tools at your disposal and leveraging them to suit your specific needs. Let’s dive in!

The Short Answer: Multiple Methods to Remember Your Way

While a single “Save Route” button is absent, here’s how to effectively save routes in Google Maps:

• Share and Bookmark: Share your route to yourself (via email or another messaging app) and then bookmark the link.
• Create a Custom Map: Pin your route’s start, end, and significant waypoints on a custom map in Google My Maps.
• Use Location History: Google Maps tracks your travels. Revisit your Timeline to find previously traveled routes.
• Take Screenshots: A low-tech but effective solution for simple routes.
• Save Places Along the Route: Save important locations along your intended route.
• Use Third-Party Apps (with Caution): Some apps offer route-saving functionality, but vet them carefully for privacy and security.

Diving Deeper: A Practical Walkthrough of Each Method

Let’s explore each of these methods in more detail, equipping you with the knowledge to choose the best approach for your situation.

Method 1: Share, Bookmark, and Conquer

This is often the quickest and easiest way to “save” a route for later.

1. Plan Your Route: Open Google Maps and enter your starting point and destination.
2. Tap Directions: Select your desired route from the options provided.
3. Share the Route: Look for the “Share” icon (usually an arrow pointing upwards). Tap it.
4. Send to Yourself: Choose a method to send the link to yourself – email, messaging app, or even copy the link to your clipboard.
5. Bookmark the Link: Open the link you sent in your browser and bookmark the page. This is your “saved” route!

Pros: Fast, simple, cross-platform. Cons: Relies on a link; route may change if Google Maps updates.

Method 2: Unleash the Power of Google My Maps

Google My Maps is a powerful tool for creating and saving custom maps, including your meticulously planned routes.

1. Open Google My Maps: Go to mymaps.google.com and sign in with your Google account.
2. Create a New Map: Click the “+ Create a new map” button.
3. Add Layers: Think of layers as different “levels” of information on your map. You can add layers for different segments of your route or different types of points of interest.
4. Pin Your Start and End Points: Use the “Add marker” tool (looks like a teardrop pin) to mark your starting point and destination. Give them descriptive names.
5. Draw Your Route (Manually): This is where it gets a little more involved. Use the “Draw a line” tool to manually trace your desired route between your start and end points. You can add waypoints along the way.
6. Customize Your Route: Change the color, thickness, and style of your route line.
7. Add Descriptions and Photos: Include relevant information about each point along your route, such as addresses, phone numbers, or photos.
8. Save Your Map: Give your map a descriptive name (e.g., “Weekend Road Trip to the Coast”).
9. Access Your Saved Map: Your map will be saved to your Google Drive and accessible from Google My Maps. You can even open it in the Google Maps app on your phone.

Pros: Highly customizable, permanently saved, allows for detailed route planning. Cons: More time-consuming to set up initially, requires manual route creation.

Method 3: Embrace Your Location History

Google Maps automatically tracks your location history (if you’ve enabled it), creating a detailed record of your travels.

1. Access Your Timeline: Open Google Maps and tap your profile picture in the upper right corner. Select “Your Timeline.”
2. Choose a Date: Select the date on which you traveled the route you want to revisit.
3. Review Your Day: Google Maps will display a timeline of your movements on that day. Look for the route you’re interested in.
4. Start Navigation: If you find the route, you can tap on it to start navigation again.

Pros: Automatic, requires no pre-planning, good for retracing previous journeys. Cons: Relies on having Location History enabled, only works for previously traveled routes, can be a privacy concern.

Method 4: The Reliable Screenshot

Sometimes, the simplest solution is the best.

1. Plan Your Route: Open Google Maps and enter your starting point and destination.
2. Take Screenshots: Take screenshots of each step of the route, paying attention to turns and landmarks.
3. Save the Screenshots: Create a folder on your phone or computer to store the screenshots in order.

Pros: Very simple, requires no internet connection after the initial route planning. Cons: Basic, not interactive, can be cumbersome for long or complex routes.

Method 5: Save Locations as Waypoints

This method focuses on saving the key locations along the route, rather than the route itself.

1. Plan Your Route: Open Google Maps and enter your starting point and destination.
2. Search for Key Locations: Identify important landmarks, rest stops, or points of interest along your route.
3. Save Each Location: Tap on each location and then tap the “Save” button. Choose a list to save it to (e.g., “Favorites,” “Want to go,” or a custom list).
4. Reconstruct the Route: When you’re ready to travel the route again, you can open each saved location and navigate to it sequentially.

Pros: Easy to implement, focuses on important locations, allows for flexibility in choosing the exact route. Cons: Doesn’t save the precise route, requires some memory of the order of locations.

Method 6: Proceed with Caution – Third-Party Apps

While some third-party apps claim to offer route-saving functionality for Google Maps, exercise caution. Many of these apps are unreliable, contain malware, or compromise your privacy.

Before installing any third-party app, carefully review its permissions, ratings, and reviews. Only use apps from reputable developers that you trust.

Pros: Potentially more advanced features (if the app is legitimate). Cons: High risk of malware, privacy concerns, unreliable functionality.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can I save routes for offline use?

Google Maps allows you to download offline maps for specific areas, but not complete routes. To use offline maps, download the area encompassing your route before losing internet connectivity. While navigating offline, Google Maps will provide turn-by-turn directions based on the downloaded map data.

2. How do I share a saved route with someone else?

If you’ve saved your route as a bookmarked link or in Google My Maps, simply share the link to the bookmark or the link to your My Map with the other person.

3. Can I edit a saved route in Google Maps?

You can’t directly edit a “saved” route created by sharing and bookmarking. However, if you’ve created a route in Google My Maps, you can edit it at any time by opening the map in Google My Maps.

4. Is it possible to import routes from other apps or devices into Google Maps?

Yes, Google Maps supports importing routes in the KML or KMZ file format. Many GPS devices and route planning apps allow you to export routes in these formats. To import a KML/KMZ file, open Google My Maps, create a new map, and then click “Import” to upload the file.

5. How do I delete a saved route?

If you’ve saved a route as a bookmark, simply delete the bookmark from your browser. If you’ve created a map in Google My Maps, you can delete the entire map or individual layers within the map.

6. Does Google Maps automatically save my most frequent routes?

No, Google Maps doesn’t automatically save your most frequent routes in a dedicated “saved routes” section. However, your Location History provides a record of your travels, allowing you to easily retrace previously traveled routes.

7. Can I save a route with multiple stops in Google Maps?

Yes, you can add multiple stops to your route in Google Maps before sharing it. This will ensure that all the stops are included when you share and bookmark the link. In Google My Maps, you can create a route with multiple stops and save it as a custom map.

8. How accurate is Location History for saving routes?

The accuracy of Location History depends on the strength of your GPS signal and the settings on your device. In areas with poor GPS coverage, the accuracy may be lower.

9. Is there a limit to the number of routes I can save in Google My Maps?

Google My Maps has some limitations regarding the number of features (e.g., points, lines, polygons) you can add to a single map. However, for most users, these limits are unlikely to be a problem.

10. Can I use Google Maps to save routes for walking or cycling?

Yes, all the methods described above work for walking, cycling, and public transportation routes, as well as driving routes.

11. What is the difference between “saving” a place and “saving” a route?

Saving a place in Google Maps means adding a specific location (e.g., a restaurant, a landmark) to one of your saved lists (e.g., “Favorites,” “Want to go”). Saving a route, on the other hand, means preserving the specific path you intend to take to get from one point to another.

12. Are there any privacy implications to consider when saving routes in Google Maps?

Using Location History can raise privacy concerns, as it tracks your movements over time. Review your Google account settings and ensure that you are comfortable with the level of location tracking enabled. Consider periodically reviewing and deleting your Location History data.

By understanding these methods and FAQs, you’re now well-equipped to effectively save and manage your routes in Google Maps, transforming the platform from a simple navigation tool into a powerful route-planning companion. Happy travels!