How to Drop Pin on Google Map: Android, iPhone & Desktop Guide

To learn how to drop pin on Google Map, open the Google Maps app and long-press any spot on the map. A red pin appears with the address or GPS coordinates. On desktop, click once on the map. From the location card, you can save, share, or get directions to that exact spot.

That’s the easy part. The trouble starts when a pin lands on the wrong building, disappears after you close the app, or sends a delivery driver to the wrong gate. This guide covers every device, plus saving, sharing, editing, and the business-listing mistakes that cost local visibility.

What Is a Dropped Pin on Google Maps?

A dropped pin is a temporary marker you place on any point in Google Maps. It shows that spot’s address, or its latitude and longitude if no address exists. You can use it to share a precise location, save it for later, or get directions to places without a street address.

Dropped pins solve a common problem. Many real destinations don’t match a clean address. Think of a trailhead, a warehouse loading bay, a stall inside a market, or a rural home with an unlisted address. A pin marks the exact spot instead of the nearest address Google can guess.

A dropped pin is not saved by default. It stays on the map until you tap elsewhere, search for something new, or close the app. To keep it, you need to save it or label it, which later sections cover.

How to Drop a Pin on Google Maps on Android

To drop a pin on Android, open the Google Maps app, zoom in on the spot you want, and tap and hold the screen for a second. A red pin appears, and a location card slides up from the bottom with the address or coordinates.

1. Open the Google Maps app on your Android phone.
2. Search for the area or pan the map to it.
3. Zoom in as far as you can for accuracy.
4. Press and hold the exact spot on an empty part of the map.
5. A red pin drops, and a location card appears at the bottom.
6. Swipe up on the card to see the full address, coordinates, and options.

Zoom level matters more than most guides admit. At a city-wide zoom, one fingertip covers a whole block. Zoom in until you can see individual buildings or paths before you long-press.

Long-press an empty area, not a labeled business or landmark. Pressing on a named place usually opens that place’s listing instead of dropping a new pin.

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

Dropping a pin on iPhone works the same way as Android. Open the Google Maps app on iOS, zoom in, and long-press the spot. A red pin appears with a location card at the bottom showing the address or GPS coordinates.

1. Open the Google Maps app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Find the area by searching or moving the map.
3. Zoom in on the exact location.
4. Touch and hold that spot until the pin drops.
5. Tap the location card at the bottom for more details and options.

The Google Maps app and Apple Maps use different gestures and menus. This guide covers the Google Maps app only. If you long-press in Apple Maps, you’ll get Apple’s own marker, not a Google Maps pin, and the share links won’t open in Google Maps by default.

How to Drop a Pin on Google Maps on Desktop/PC

To drop a pin on desktop, open Google Maps in your browser, zoom in, and click once on an empty spot. A small grey pin appears with a card at the bottom of the screen. Click the card to open full details, where the marker becomes a red pin.

1. Go to Google Maps in any browser.
2. Sign in to your Google account if you want to save the pin.
3. Zoom in using your scroll wheel or the zoom controls.
4. Click once on an empty spot on the map.
5. Click the small card that appears at the bottom.
6. A panel opens on the left with the address, coordinates, and options.

Right-clicking gives you more tools. The top line of the right-click menu shows the spot’s coordinates, and clicking them copies them to your clipboard. The same menu includes “What’s here?”, directions from or to that point, and measure distance. Menu labels can vary slightly between versions, so if you don’t see an option, try a left click first.

How to Pin Your Current Location

To pin your current location, tap the location button in Google Maps so the map centers on the blue dot. Then long-press the blue dot, or tap it and choose to save your parking or share your location. This marks where you are right now.

The blue dot shows where your phone thinks you are. Its accuracy depends on GPS signal, Wi-Fi, and phone settings. The lighter blue circle around the dot shows the margin of error. Indoors or between tall buildings, that circle can grow large.

For a precise mark, zoom in and long-press the exact spot rather than trusting the blue dot. This matters when you’re marking a parked car, a site entrance, or a meeting point.

Pinning your location is different from live location sharing. A pin is a single fixed point. Live sharing updates your position in real time for people you choose, and you can stop it anytime.

How to Share a Dropped Pin

To share a dropped pin, tap the location card, then tap Share. Google Maps creates a link you can send through WhatsApp, text messages, email, or any app on your phone. The person who opens it sees the exact pinned location in their own maps app.

1. Drop the pin and open its location card.
2. Tap Share, or Share location on some versions.
3. Choose an app, or copy the link.
4. Send it to the recipient.

You can also share GPS coordinates directly. Copy the numbers from the card or search bar and paste them into a message. Coordinates work in almost any mapping app, which helps when the other person doesn’t use Google Maps.

Google Maps also shows a Plus Code for many locations. A Plus Code is a short code like “7JWV+8F” plus a town name. It works as a simple address for places with no street address, and it’s easier to read over the phone than long coordinates.

One practical warning: check the pin before you send it. A pin shared from a zoomed-out view can be off by dozens of meters. For deliveries and site visits, open the link yourself first to confirm it lands where you expect.

How to Save and Label a Dropped Pin

To save a dropped pin, tap its location card and tap Save. Then choose a list such as Favorites, Want to Go, Starred Places, or a custom list. To label it, tap Label and type a private name. Saved and labeled places sync across devices through your Google account.

Save and label do different jobs:

You’ll find both in the Saved tab on mobile or under Saved in the menu on desktop. Saved places show as icons on your map, which is the easiest way to see many locations at once in the main app.

How to Get Directions to a Dropped Pin

To get directions to a dropped pin, tap the location card and tap Directions. Choose driving, walking, transit, or cycling, then tap Start. Google Maps routes you to the pin’s exact coordinates, not just the nearest street address.

This is the main reason to navigate to a pinned location instead of an address. Large sites like hospitals, campuses, and business parks often share one postal address across many entrances. A pin on the right entrance saves a lot of circling.

Keep in mind that routing follows known roads and paths. If your pin sits in a field or behind a gate, Google Maps will guide you to the nearest reachable point. The last stretch is up to you.

How to Edit or Delete a Dropped Pin

To delete a dropped pin, tap the X in the search bar or tap elsewhere on the map. To edit a saved pin, open it from your Saved lists and change the label, list, or note. You can’t drag a pin to a new spot in the main Google Maps app.

Remove a temporary pin:

Remove a saved pin:

1. Open the Saved tab, or Saved from the desktop menu.
2. Open the list or Labeled section that holds the pin.
3. Tap the three-dot menu next to the place.
4. Choose Remove from list, or delete the label.

Move a pin: Google Maps doesn’t let you drag a dropped or saved pin. Delete the old one and drop a new pin in the right place. If you need draggable markers, use Google My Maps.

How to Drop Multiple Pins with Google My Maps

Google My Maps lets you drop multiple pins on one custom map. Create a new map, use the Add marker tool to place pins, name and color each one, and group them into layers. You can share the finished map or open it in the Google Maps app.

The main Google Maps app shows only one active dropped pin at a time. Saving each pin to a list works for a handful of places. For anything bigger, My Maps is the better tool.

1. Open Google My Maps and sign in.
2. Click Create a new map.
3. Select the Add marker tool, which looks like a pin icon.
4. Click the map to place a pin, then add a name and description.
5. Repeat for each location, using layers to group them.
6. Share the map, or view it later in the Google Maps app under Saved.

My Maps also lets you drag markers, change pin colors and icons, draw lines, and measure routes. You can import locations in bulk from a CSV, spreadsheet, or KML file. This is useful for mapping client locations, event sites, or local citation audits. My Maps has limits on layers and items per map, so check Google’s current limits before building a large project.

Feature	Google Maps App	Google My Maps
Active pins at once	One dropped pin	Many markers
Move a pin	No, drop a new one	Yes, drag and drop
Custom colors and icons	No	Yes
Bulk import	No	CSV, spreadsheet, KML
Layers	No	Yes
Best for	Quick one-off locations	Trips, projects, multi-site maps

How to Drop a Pin on Google Earth

To drop a pin on Google Earth, use the placemark tool. In Google Earth on the web, create or open a project and add a placemark. In Google Earth Pro on desktop, click the Add Placemark pushpin icon, then drag it into position and name it.

Google Earth calls pins placemarks. They carry a name, description, and exact coordinates. You can save them to a project and export them as a KML file.

KML files move locations between tools. You can export placemarks from Google Earth and import them into Google My Maps, or the other way around. This makes Earth useful when you need 3D terrain or satellite detail to place a pin precisely, then want to share the result as a simple map.

Using Dropped Pins Offline

You can view and use saved pins offline if you download the area first. Offline maps in the Google Maps app let you see the map and navigate within the downloaded region without data. Sharing a pin and loading new place details still need a connection.

1. Before you travel, open the Google Maps app while online.
2. Tap your profile picture, then Offline maps.
3. Select your own map and adjust the box to cover your area.
4. Tap Download.

Save important pins to a list before you lose signal. Saved places stay available on your map. A GPS fix doesn’t need mobile data, so the blue dot still works offline. But features like live traffic, sharing links, and new searches outside the downloaded area won’t.

Offline maps expire after a period if they aren’t updated. Google Maps usually updates them automatically on Wi-Fi, but check them before a trip to remote areas.

How to Add a Business Location Pin on Google Maps

To add a business to Google Maps, create or claim a Google Business Profile. You’ll enter the address, adjust the map pin to the exact entrance, and verify the business. A dropped pin or saved place won’t create a public business listing.

This is where pin accuracy becomes a local SEO issue. Your Business Profile pin controls where customers land when they tap Directions. A pin on the wrong side of a building, or at the center of a large complex, sends people to the wrong door. That creates frustrated customers and bad reviews.

When you set up or edit your profile, use the option to adjust the pin placement. Drag it onto your actual entrance, not the roof center or the street. Service-area businesses that don’t serve customers at their address can hide it and list service areas instead.

Keep the address on your profile identical to your website and citations. NAP consistency helps Google trust your location data. For more on getting found in local results, see our guide to ranking higher on Google Maps.

If you just want to add a missing public place, like a park or landmark, use the Add a missing place option under Contribute in Google Maps. Google reviews these edits before they go live, and approval time varies.

Key Benefits of Dropping a Pin on Google Maps

Dropping a pin gives you precision that addresses can’t. It marks unlisted addresses and exact entrances, shares clean GPS coordinates, and guides navigation to the right spot. It also helps you measure distance and save places for later.

Dropped Pin vs. Saved Place vs. Business Listing

A dropped pin is a temporary marker only you see. A saved place is a pin or listing you keep in your lists. A business listing is a public profile anyone can find on Google Maps. Each has a different purpose, lifespan, and visibility.

Feature	Dropped Pin	Saved Place	Business Listing
Who sees it	Only you, unless shared	Only you, unless the list is shared	Everyone on Google
How long it lasts	Until you clear it	Until you remove it	Until closed or removed
Where it’s stored	Not stored	Your Google account	Google Business Profile
Needs verification	No	No	Yes
Shows reviews and hours	No	Only if it’s a listed place	Yes
Best for	Quick sharing and directions	Personal trips and lists	Getting customers

The most common confusion is thinking a saved pin makes a place appear on Google Maps for others. It doesn’t. Only a verified Business Profile or an approved public place edit creates a listing others can see.

Conclusion

Now you know how to drop pin on Google Map on any device: long-press on mobile, click on desktop, then save, share, or navigate from the location card. For one-off locations, the main app is enough. For multi-site projects, switch to Google My Maps. If you run a local business, open your Business Profile today and check that your pin sits on your real entrance.