How to Create a Route in Google Maps (Step-by-Step Guide)
Google Maps is one of the most capable navigation tools available — and while most people use it to get from Point A to Point B, it can do considerably more than that. Creating a custom route, adding multiple stops, and planning ahead are features built directly into the app and desktop version. How you access and use those features depends on your device, your version of the app, and what you're actually trying to accomplish.
What "Creating a Route" Actually Means in Google Maps
There's an important distinction worth making upfront. In Google Maps, creating a route can mean two different things:
- Getting directions — a standard navigation path from one location to another
- Building a multi-stop route — adding waypoints between your origin and destination
Google Maps doesn't currently support fully custom drawn routes the way dedicated mapping tools like Komoot or Ride with GPS do. What it does support is adding up to 9 stops on a single route, reordering them, and choosing between travel modes (driving, walking, cycling, or transit).
Understanding this distinction matters before you start, because if your goal is something like a custom hiking trail or a specific scenic loop, the native route-building tools in Google Maps have real limits.
How to Create a Route in Google Maps on Mobile 📱
The mobile app (available on both Android and iOS) handles multi-stop routing through the directions interface.
Step 1: Open Directions
Tap the Directions button (the arrow icon) at the bottom of the screen, or search for your destination and select Directions from the location card.
Step 2: Set Your Starting Point
By default, Google Maps uses Your location as the starting point. You can change this by tapping the origin field and entering a different address or place name.
Step 3: Add Stops
Once you have a destination entered:
- Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the directions screen
- Select Add stop
- Enter the address or place name for your waypoint
- Repeat for additional stops (up to 9 total)
You can drag and reorder stops by pressing and holding the grid icon next to each stop and sliding it up or down.
Step 4: Choose Your Travel Mode
Along the top of the screen, select between driving, walking, cycling, or transit. The available options may vary by region, and cycling and transit routing is not available in all areas.
Step 5: Start Navigation
Tap Start to begin turn-by-turn navigation, or review the route overview before committing.
How to Create a Route in Google Maps on Desktop 🖥️
The desktop version at maps.google.com offers the same core functionality with a slightly different layout.
Step 1: Click the Directions Icon
In the left sidebar, click the arrow/directions icon (or search for a location and click Directions).
Step 2: Enter Your Origin and Destination
Fill in the Starting point and Destination fields. You can use addresses, place names, or coordinates.
Step 3: Add Intermediate Stops
Click Add destination below your current destination field. A new input box will appear. Repeat to add more stops. As with mobile, stops can be reordered by clicking and dragging.
Step 4: Review and Share the Route
On desktop, you can copy the link to your route and share it, or send the directions to your phone using the Send to your phone option (requires signing in with a Google account).
Key Variables That Affect Your Route Options
Not every user gets the same experience, and several factors shape what's available to you:
| Variable | How It Affects Your Route |
|---|---|
| App version | Older versions may lack current UI features or stop-ordering tools |
| Region/country | Transit, cycling, and ride-share options vary significantly by location |
| Travel mode | Cycling and walking routes often differ substantially from driving routes |
| Account sign-in | Signed-in users can save routes, access timeline history, and sync across devices |
| Platform (mobile vs desktop) | Desktop allows easier link sharing; mobile supports live navigation |
Saving and Sharing Routes
If you're signed into a Google account, you can star locations and build loosely organized trips using Google Maps Lists. For more structured multi-day trip planning, Google offers a separate tool called Google Maps Trip Planner — though its availability and features have shifted over time and vary by region.
The share function (available on both mobile and desktop) generates a link that preserves your stops and routing preferences, which is useful for sending a planned route to someone else.
What Google Maps Can't Do With Routes
It's worth being direct about the limitations:
- No custom path drawing — you can't drag a route to follow a specific road the way some tools allow (outside of small manual adjustments during navigation)
- No route saving as a standalone file (no GPX export natively)
- No more than 9 stops on a single route
- Limited off-road routing — walking and cycling routes may still prioritize roads over trails
For specialized use cases — long-distance cycling, hiking, or complex logistics — dedicated routing apps handle these scenarios differently, and often more effectively.
The Factors That Matter for Your Situation
How useful Google Maps' route-building tools are depends heavily on what you're trying to do. A driver planning a road trip with a handful of stops will find the built-in tools more than sufficient. Someone planning a walking tour through a city may find the stop-ordering feature genuinely useful. A cyclist trying to plan a specific trail loop may hit the walls of what native Google Maps routing supports fairly quickly.
The right approach — and whether Google Maps alone covers your needs — comes down to your travel mode, how many stops you're managing, whether you need to share the route, and how closely you need to control the specific path taken. 🗺️