How to Create Custom Routes in Google Maps

To customize a driving route in Google Maps on a computer, get directions, then drag the route line toward the road you want to use. On a phone, choose an alternative route or add stops in the order you want. To keep a named route plan for later, create a directions layer in Google My Maps.

This covers Google Maps in a computer browser, the Google Maps app for iPhone, iPad and Android, and Google My Maps in a computer browser, with the labels Google uses in its help pages.

Which tool should you use?

Google offers three ways to shape a trip, and they do different jobs:

What you want	Use this	Works on
Pick different roads for one drive	Drag the route line in Google Maps	Computer browser, driving only
Visit several places in a set order	Add stops in Google Maps	Computer and phone app
Keep a named route to edit or share later	Directions layer in My Maps	Computer browser (view on phone)
Mark a trail, run or path with no road	Draw a line in My Maps	Computer browser

Use ordinary Google Maps to plan and navigate a trip. Use My Maps to save a named route you can edit later. Saving a place to a list does not save a driving route.

Sign In to a Google Account

• A Google Account. You can get directions without signing in, but My Maps and saved maps need an account. Use the same account on your computer and phone so your maps show up on both.
• The current Google Maps app. Google says turn-by-turn voice navigation needs the latest version of the app. If you don’t have it on your iPhone yet, learn how to get Google Maps on an iPhone.
• A computer for editing My Maps. Google’s My Maps instructions for creating maps, adding directions and drawing lines are written for a computer browser.

Change a driving route on a computer

1. Open Google Maps in your browser and select Directions.
2. Enter your starting point and destination, then select Driving. The map shows the suggested route in blue and any alternatives in gray.
3. Click an alternative route, or click and hold a point on the selected route line and drag it toward the road you prefer. Release it and review the new path, time and distance in the left panel.
4. For additional planned visits, choose Add destination. Drag destinations in the left-hand list to change their order.
5. Open Options and select the toll or highway avoidance choices you need. Review the resulting route before leaving.

On a computer, Google supports route dragging for driving. Its directions guide also lists a maximum of nine stops, including the final destination; multiple destinations are unavailable for public-transit and flight searches. The same page notes that changing the departure or arrival time works only for a route with one destination.

A stop is a place you plan to visit. Dragging the line only changes the roads you take. If you want to go inside a café, add it as a destination.

Drag in small moves. If you pull the line far away, Google Maps may route you through side streets to reach the point you dropped.

Add stops on an iPhone or Android phone

1. Open the Google Maps app, find your destination and tap Directions.
2. Choose your travel mode. If other routes are available, the best route shows in blue and the others in gray. Tap a gray route to switch to it.
3. At the top right, open More, then Edit stops. Add the places you want to visit.
4. Hold a stop’s reorder control and drag it to the desired position. Tap Done when the sequence is correct.

5. To avoid tolls or highways, tap More, then Options, and turn on the choices you want. The route updates.
6. Review the destinations and route. Use your current location as the starting point when you are ready for navigation, then tap Start.

These labels appear in Google’s current iPhone directions help and Android directions help. A manually entered starting point away from your current position produces a route preview rather than starting navigation there.

Order matters. Home, café, museum is a different trip from home, museum, café. Google Maps keeps the order you set and won’t reorder stops to find the shortest trip. If a stop sits off your preferred road, it can pull the whole route onto other roads, so check the map after each change.

Save a named route plan in My Maps

Use a computer browser and sign in to Google My Maps with the account where you want the plan stored.

1. Open My Maps and choose Create a new map. Click Untitled map at the top left and enter a name and description.
2. Click Add directions. Enter the starting and ending locations in the left panel; a route appears in a directions layer.
3. Add another leg with Add destination. Select Driving, Bicycling or Walking below the layer name to change the travel mode.

4. Point at the route and drag it to adjust the trip path. Open that layer’s More menu and choose Step-by-step directions to see the instructions.
5. Return to your My Maps list and reopen the named map to check that your plan is available.

Google’s map creation instructions and saved-directions guide describe this workflow. Each directions set occupies its own layer, and a map can hold up to 10 layers. For a multi-day trip, that means one layer per day works well, as long as you stay within that limit. For locations you want to keep as markers, you can add and save Google Maps pins.

My Maps saves changes to your account as you work, so there is no separate save button for the route.

Draw a route that does not follow roads

Directions layers only follow roads and paths that Google knows about. For a hiking trail, a running loop or a boat trip, draw the line yourself.

1. Open your map in My Maps and click the Draw a line tool below the search box.
2. Select Add line or shape.
3. Choose the layer you want, then click where the route starts.
4. Click at each bend or turn. To move the map while drawing, click and hold the mouse.
5. Double-click to finish the line, give it a name and click Save.

Google’s line and shape instructions list the limits: up to 2,000 lines, shapes or places per layer and 10,000 per map. A drawn line is a picture of your route. Google Maps won’t give turn-by-turn directions along it.

Open or share the plan

In Google Maps on a computer, use Saved > Maps, select the map, then choose Open in My Maps to edit. On the phone app, use You > Maps and select it. Google’s My Maps viewing instructions describe the phone view.

A My Maps route is a plan, not a navigation route. Opening it won’t start voice directions along the path you drew. To navigate, pick a place on the map and check the route Google Maps offers. Google’s navigation guide explains how to choose a destination, travel mode, and alternative route.

For ordinary directions on a computer, choose Share > Send a link > Copy link. The separate Send to phone feature requires the same account on both devices and does not support multiple destinations. See Google’s directions sharing help.

For a My Map, open Share in its left panel and choose who can access it. Allow link sharing lets people with the link open the map, and Make your map public lets anyone find it. Read the permission choices before making a map public, especially if it includes personal addresses. Google’s custom-map sharing guide covers those controls.

The same left-panel menu in My Maps also has Export to KML/KMZ, which saves the whole map or one layer as a file other mapping apps and GPS tools can open, and Print map for a paper copy.

Use your route without a signal

If you’ll drive through an area with poor coverage, download an offline map in the Google Maps app before you go. On Android, tap your profile picture or initial, then Offline maps and Select your own map, adjust the area and tap Download.

Google’s offline maps help notes the limits: offline driving directions work only when the whole route is inside the downloaded area, you won’t get traffic or alternate routes, and walking, cycling and transit directions are not available offline. Offline maps also expire, so update them before a trip.

If your route does not behave as expected

• The line will not drag: use the computer driving method above. Dragging doesn’t work for walking, cycling or transit in ordinary Maps. For a phone trip, specify actual stops or choose an available alternative instead.
• Your dragged route changed: adding or moving a stop makes Google Maps recalculate the trip, which can undo a drag. Add the stops first, then drag the line last.
• A stop is missing: check the destination list and the nine-stop limit in ordinary Maps. For a longer trip, plan separate legs.
• Add destination is not shown: switch the travel mode to driving, walking or cycling. Multiple stops are not offered for transit or flights.
• Your map is missing: check the Google account and reopen My Maps. A saved-place list and a named custom map are different items.
• You can view but cannot edit: open the map in My Maps with an account that has edit access. A shared viewer link does not itself grant editing permission.
• The phone route differs: compare the destination order, selected roads and travel mode before leaving. Keep the named plan for reference, since a shared link may not keep every adjustment.

Finish by reopening the plan and checking the stop order once more. Follow current road signs and access restrictions during the trip, even when a planned route suggests otherwise.

Custom Route Questions

If you mostly use an iPhone, it also helps to keep the scale bar visible in Google Maps while you compare routes.