How to Drop a Pin on Google Maps (Mobile and Desktop)

Learn how to drop a pin in Google Maps and save your frequently visited places on Android, iPhone, and web.

The functionality of Google Maps goes far beyond A to B. It can provide you with public transportation routes and time, and customize your journey according to your travel style. It also allows you to place pushpins in a certain location and save them to your profile or share with friends.

If the place you are looking for does not have an address or is not in the road network, it is useful to place a pushpin. It is also useful in the rare cases where Google gets the wrong location. Here is how to pin Google Maps on Android, iOS, and desktop devices.

How to Drop a Pin on Google Maps Mobile (Android)

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.

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How to Drop a Pin on Google Maps Mobile (iOS)

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 some things you can do after the pin is placed and you are satisfied with the position of the pin.

The exact options are slightly different, depending on whether you are using a mobile operating system or a desktop operating system. We will look at each feature in turn.

Use a Dropped Pin for Directions

Available on: Mobile and Desktop

As we said at the beginning, the most useful feature of Google Maps may be its ability to provide directions. If you are unsure of the direction of a particular location, the fallen pin will become an important part of the process.

You can choose to use the placed pin as the start or end point. Unfortunately, it was not possible to place the two fallen pins and find the direction between them. Instead, you need to place a pin, write down the address or coordinates, and then place a second pin to use as the starting/destination point.

Save a Pin Location

Available on: Mobile and Desktop

You can save the pin location in the list associated with your Google account. Then you can access it on all devices.

By default, you can use three predefined lists: favorites, places you want to go, and starred places. You can add more lists (and remove the default values) by going to “Your locations” in the main menu of the application. Each list can be public or private, or it can be shared with other specific users. You can also make a list of groups where anyone can add pins; they are useful for holidays and day trips.

Send a Desktop Pin to Your Phone

Available on: Desktop

If you place a pushpin on Google Maps through the desktop version of the application, you can share it with your Google Maps mobile application, send it via email to the Gmail address associated with your account, or via SMS and phone number . Information that you have associated with your Google account.

Just click on Send to your phone to get started.

Available on: Mobile and Desktop

The Google Maps desktop application provides four ways to share the placed pushpins with other users (not including the list function discussed above).

On the desktop, you can either:

Copy and paste the automatically generated short link to share it with other people.
Click on the Facebook icon to share a location directly with the network.
Post your link on Twitter by selecting the Twitter icon.
Grab the HTML code to embed the map into a webpage.

If you want to share the position of the pin placed from an Android or iOS device, you must use the native sharing menu of the operating system. The insert option will not be available.

Add a Label to a Dropped Pin

Available on: Mobile and Desktop

You can use a custom word or phrase to mark the pin you were shot down. Labels will be synced across your entire Google account and will appear on all versions of Google Maps.

However, this feature requires a trade-off. According to Google’s own message:

personal location will be used for all Google products for personalized recommendations and more useful advertisements.

Only you can decide whether you are satisfied with this situation from the perspective of privacy.

How to Remove Dropped Pins

Now you know how to put down the pin. But how to remove the dropped pins? How to delete one from the map?

To delete the pin location on Android and iOS, click the X icon in the text box at the top of the page. If you want to delete a pushpin placed on the desktop, click any other location on the map or press the X icon in the information box at the bottom of the screen.