How to Drop a Pin in Google Maps on Mobile and Desktop

In Summary

One of Google Maps’ underrated features is the ability to pin a location.
Pinning a location in Google Maps essentially allows you to bookmark it, so you can revisit it later or find directions to it next time without having to find it on the map again.
Google lets you drop a location in Google Maps on both desktop and mobile, as we’ll demonstrate in the guide below.

Over the years, Google Maps has evolved into an indispensable service for navigating and discovering places. Part of the credit for this goes to its extensive feature set and intuitive interface.

While most of Maps’ features are well known among its users, the ability to drop a pin is an underrated one. Simply put, the feature lets you bookmark a location, so you can quickly get directions to it from anywhere or view it on the map in case Maps can’t recognize it by street or location name.

Here’s how to drop a pin in Google Maps on your mobile phone or desktop.

Table of Contents

How to Drop a Pin in Google Maps on iPhone or Android

It’s easy to drop a pin in Google Maps on your smartphone. No matter whether you use an Android or iOS device, the steps to do it are the same on both.

Open the Google Maps app on your Android device or iPhone.
Search for the address you want to pin in the search bar. Or scroll around the map until you find it.
Long press on the location to drop a pin.

Google Maps will indicate the pinned location with a red pin icon.

Tap on it, and you’ll see an information card with more details about the location. If Maps recognizes the location, it’ll show its name. Else, you’ll see its coordinates.

On this card, you’ll also find buttons like Directions, Save, and Share. In addition, if it’s a business, you’ll see a Contact button, too, along with a few other options, such as reviews, photos, updates, and more.

How to Drop a Pin in Google Maps on Desktop

Although we generally use Google Maps on our smartphones, there are times when you may prefer a desktop, perhaps when you’re planning a trip or preparing an itinerary for one. Just like on smartphones, dropping a pin in Google Maps on the desktop is pretty straightforward too.

Here’s how you do it:

Open a web browser and go to the Google Maps homepage.
Find the location where you want to drop a pin. You can do this using the search field or by scrolling through the map.
Click on the location to drop a pin.

Google Maps will show you relevant information about the pinned location on a card with a bunch of buttons for different actions. You can save a location, share it, or find directions to it. Additionally, there’s also an option to send the pinned location to your mobile device, which we’ll discuss in the following section.

What Can You Do With the Dropped Pin in Google Maps?

Once you pin a location in Google Maps, you can do a few things with it.

Save a Pinned Location

When you drop a pin at a location, Google Maps shows it as long as you don’t remove it or close the app. But if you want to save it for later, perhaps to get directions to it from anywhere, you need to save it manually.

To do this, tap on the dropped pin. When Maps shows the information card, hit Save, and on the following screen, select the list to which you want to save the pin and tap Finished. You can also label your pins with a custom name.

Share a Pinned Location With Someone

If you want to share a pinned location with friends or family, it’s easy to do so on both mobile and desktop.

Hit the Share button on the information card. When this opens the share menu, select the app through which you want to share the pin and the contact to send it across.

Share a Pin From Your Desktop to Your Phone

Google Maps doesn’t sync your pinned locations across all your devices. But thankfully, it lets you send the pin to your phone, so you can open and access it from anywhere.

Go to Google Maps on the desktop and tap on the pin to see all the available options. Click on the Send to phone button, and on the following screen, select the device to which you want to send the pinned location. Alternatively, you can also email or text the location to your email address or phone number, respectively.

Now, open that device and tap on the Google Maps notification to view the pin. If notifications aren’t enabled, open Maps, go to the Updates tab, and you’ll find the shared pin under Notifications.

How to Remove a Dropped Pin in Google Maps

Just like dropping a pin, removing it is also easy. In the Google Maps mobile app or desktop version, tap on the X button in the search box that appears as soon as you drop a pin. Or tap/click anywhere on the screen, and the location will be unpinned.

Save Your Frequently-Visited Places in Google Maps

Using the pinning feature, you can now easily save your frequently-visited places in Google Maps and revisit them without hassle. In fact, not just your frequently-visited places, but you can also use this feature to drop a pin where you parked your car, for instance, or to a location Maps can’t identify but need to visit later.