Panning and Zooming with Google Maps

Panning

To move the map click and hold the left mouse button and drag the map to a new place. Google Maps panning arrows

You can also move the map North, South, East or West using the pan arrows. These can be found on the top left hand corner of the map. The central pan button resets or re-centres the map, returning to the last result.

The map cannot be moved if the compass is showing. In this case, click the 'Hide Compass' button, move the map to the required position, then click 'Show Compass' which will return the compass to its last position.

Zooming in and out - changing the scale

Google Maps zoom slider tool

Google Maps has 17 different zoom levels. Each zoom level is made of a different style map shown at different scales, each one showing more or less detail. Some maps will be of the same style, but at a smaller or larger scale.

To see a map with more detail you need to zoom in. You can do this using the zoom bar on the left hand side of the map. Click the + sign on the top of the zoom bar. To centre and zoom in on a location, double click the location. To see a map with less detail you need to zoom out. To do this, click the - sign on the bottom of the zoom bar. As the scale changes the map will also change to show a different Google map, one which is more appropriate for the scale.

The key to the Google Maps pan and zoom tools is shown below:

Key to the Google Maps pan and zoom slider tools

Centreing the map

Double click on a location to centre and zoom in.

Tip

Once the compass is opened the map scale cannot be adjusted without restarting the application. To restart, select the 'New Routes' option from the left side menu.