How to Find North on Google Maps on PC or Mac

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: August 29, 2023 Fact Checked

Are you trying to find out which way is north on Google Maps? If you're using a PC or Mac to view a map, the north side of the map will always be upwards, or at the top of the map. But if you're using Street View in Google Maps to browse a location close-up, you can always identify which direction is north using the compass. We'll show you how to use the compass in Google Maps on your computer to find north, south, east, and west.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using Street View

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Go to https://maps.google.com in your web browser. You can use any web browser on your computer, including Safari, Edge, and Chrome, to access Google Maps.^{[1]
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2
Find a location on the map. You can search a location in the Search bar on the top-left, or click the "+" and "-" icon on the bottom-right to zoom in and zoom out.^{[2]
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- To go to your current location, click the icon that looks like a gray target at the bottom-right corner of the map. If you haven't given Maps permission to use your location, you may be prompted to do so now.
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Drag and drop the orange human icon to the map. Find the small orange person icon in the lower-right corner of the map, and then drop it on the location you want to explore on the map. This will switch to the Street View mode.^{[3]
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- Street View is not available for all locations. To figure out where you can use Street View, click and hold the orange person anywhere over the map—you can drop the person on any of the highlighted blue roads. If dropping the orange person icon doesn't bring you to a street-level view of the area, you'll know you can't see street view at that location.
You can orient your view however you'd like.^{[4]
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Find the compass icon in the lower-right corner of your street view, and check which direction the red point is facing.^{[5]
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Research source} No matter which direction you face in Street View, the red point automatically moves so that it always points north.^{[6]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using the Regular Map View

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Go to https://maps.google.com in your web browser. You can use any web browser on your computer, including Safari, Edge, and Chrome, to access Google Maps.^{[7]
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You can search a location in the Search bar on the top-left, or click the "+" and "-" icon on the bottom-right to zoom in and zoom out.^{[8]
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3
Locate the north. The orientation of Google Maps is always the same when you're browsing on a computer. North is on the top of the map, and south is on the bottom. The left will always be west, and the right is always east. Anything directly above the location you're browsing is always to the location's north.^{[9]
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- It was once possible to reorient/rotate the map in your web browser, but that feature is now only available in the mobile version of Google Maps.

Community Q&A

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Question

I read the answer about getting true North on my Google Maps on my PC. But I want to know an exact bearing with a compass reading, not an approximation. Can Google Maps do that?

Rudy Toth

Community Answer

Google Photos uses longitude and latitude measure of the location your camera is in while taking pictures.

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Question

Is Google North true North or magnetic North?

پارسا سلیمانی

Community Answer

It is true North. And you can also see the magnetic North on your screen.

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Question

Which is North, red needle or white needle?

Jacob Carney

Community Answer

The most important part on the compass is the magnetic needle. It swings around the compass as you move, but the white (or sometimes black) end will always point in the direction of North and the red end will always point in the direction of South.

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