/ How to

How to Save and Bookmark Routes For Navigation in Google Maps

Google Maps is the most popular navigation app, providing directions for driving, public transport, walking, and cycling. It has helpful features like real-time traffic information, location sharing, and integration with other Google services.

One useful but underutilized feature is the ability to save and bookmark routes for quick access later. Here are some tips on how to best utilize this functionality.

Save Driving or Public Transit Routes

To save a route on Google Maps mobile app:

  1. Tap the Directions icon and enter your starting point and destination
  2. Select driving or public transit directions
  3. Review the route options and select your preferred one
  4. Tap the Pin icon at the bottom of the screen

The route will be bookmarked for quick access in the future.

Note:

  • You can only directly save driving and public transit routes, not walking or cycling routes
  • For driving, the start point will always revert to your current location
  • For public transit, you can customize both start and end points

Find and Navigate Saved Routes

To find and navigate a saved route:

  1. Open Google Maps app
  2. Tap the Go tab at the bottom
  3. Your pinned routes will appear at the top under “Your places”
  4. Tap the route to open driving or transit directions

While online, alternate routes may be shown greyed out. Offline, only the originally pinned route will be available.

Download Offline Maps With Routes

Saving a route does not automatically make it accessible offline.

To use saved routes offline:

  1. Tap your profile picture
  2. Select Offline maps > Select your own map
  3. Zoom into the area with your saved routes and download the map

The routes will now be accessible even without an internet connection.

Add Routes to Android Home Screen

For quick one-tap access, pinned routes can be added directly to your Android home screen:

  1. Tap the 3-dot menu on saved route preview
  2. Select Add route to Home screen
  3. Place the shortcut widget onto your home screen

Customize Route Names and Lists

To better organize saved routes:

  1. Tap your profile picture
  2. Select Saved
  3. Tap the 3-dot menu next to any list
  4. Choose Edit list to rename or remove routes

This helps to customize route names and group multiple routes into lists.

Share Directions Link to Contacts

To share a Google Maps directions link:

  1. Tap the 3-dot menu on a route preview
  2. Choose Share directions
  3. Select the sharing method – email, messaging apps, etc

Useful for sending the exact route to friends and family.

Create Custom Maps With Saved Routes

For advanced trip planning, routes can be integrated into custom Google Maps:

  1. Go to Google My Maps
  2. Create a new map
  3. Click Add directions and fill in route details
  4. Adjust waypoints by dragging markers
  5. Share the entire map with others

This allows combining multiple routes and destinations into one sharable map.

Conclusion

Saving routes on Google Maps provides quick access for repeated trips, ability to navigate offline areas, and better trip organization.

Key things to remember are:

  • Use pinning to bookmark driving/transit routes
  • Download offline maps to access saved routes without internet
  • Customize route names and group into lists
  • Share directions link or integrate routes into custom maps

So next time you are planning a trip, be sure to take advantage of these Google Maps features to save yourself time and hassle!

Related Posts