Get started with Google Earth in your web browser

You can use Google Earth to find:

  • High-resolution aerial and satellite imagery, photos, and elevation terrain.
  • An image of your home, school, or any place on earth.
  • Routes when you drive from one place to another.

To learn more about Google Earth’s existing features, use this article.

Search in Google Earth

  1. On your desktop web browser, open Google Earth.
  2. At the top left, click the search bar.
  3. Enter what you’d like to search for or click I’m feeling lucky.

Learn more about how to search for places.

Create a new project in Google Earth

  1. On your desktop web browser, open Google Earth.
  2. At the top menu bar, click File and then New Drive project.

Learn more about how to manage your projects

Manage your layers in Google Earth

To switch between different map styles and turn on different extra layers:

  1. On your desktop web browser, open Google Earth.
  2. At the bottom left, click Layers Map Style .

Learn more about layers and related features in Google Earth.

Interact with the globe in Google Earth

Create & manage placemarks in Google Earth
  1. On your desktop web browser, open Google Earth.
  2. At the top, click Add placemark .

Learn more about how to manage placemarks.

Draw a path or polygon in Google Earth
  1. On your desktop web browser, open Google Earth.
  2. At the top, click Path or polygon .
  3. Select a starting point.
  4. To draw a line or a polygon, click points on the map.

Learn more about how to create travel routes.

Measure distance & area in Google Earth
  1. On your desktop web browser, open Google Earth.
  2. At the top, click Measure

Learn more about how to measure distances.

Get started with the Google Earth menu bar

You can find most of Google Earth’s existing features at the top menu bar.

 

File
  • New Drive project: Create customized maps and stories about places around the world with text, photos, and videos. You can also share your maps and stories with others to collaborate.
  • Open from Drive: Open your project directly from Google Drive.
  • New local KML file: Create a new KML file, which is saved in your computer's browser storage.
  • Import KML or KMZ file: Import a KML file from your computer’s storage.
  • Export as KML file: Download a project as a KML file on your computer’s storage.
View
  • Start slideshow: Find a slideshow of your projects.
  • Show gridlines: To learn about geographic coordinates and get your approximate location on the Earth’s surface, turn on gridlines.
  • Layers: Switch between different map styles and turn on different extra layers
Add
  • Folder: To organize trips and other projects, use folders.
  • Placemark: Find your favorite locations around the globe and save them as placemarks.
  • Polygon: Mark up your map with lines and polygons to plan.
  • Slide: Add features such as Slide to your Drive projects or KML files.
  • Tile overlay: Show location-based data layers that cover a specific area on top of your map, use tiled overlays.
Tools
  • Measurement: Measure distances between locations and along paths. You can also measure the size of polygons that you draw in Google Earth.
  • Settings: Control your animations, display settings, and choose the metric units you prefer.
Help
  • Help: Troubleshoot your issues or go to the Google Earth Help Center.
  • About Google Earth: Find out which versions of Google Earth are you using
  • Send feedback: Send us suggestions or feedback on what we can improve.
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