How to export a Google Maps list someone shared with you

Paste the link they sent. Get a file your GPS app can open.

Sample Exports

Free up to 25 waypoints per list. No account needed.

Paste the share link into the converter above, pick a format, and download the file. You don't sign in to Google, install an extension, or export anything from your own account.

Steps

  1. Copy the link the person sent you.
  2. Paste it into the box at the top of this page.
  3. Pick a format. GPX suits GPS apps and devices. KML opens in Google Earth. CSV opens in a spreadsheet.
  4. Download the file. The free tier converts up to 25 places per list.

The GPX page covers which apps read it, and the KML page covers Google Earth.

On a phone

It runs in a mobile browser, so you can do all of this from the message the link arrived in. Copy the link, open the converter, paste, and download. Then open the file in your GPS or hiking app. There's nothing to install.

If the link doesn't work

The person who made the list controls who can open it. A Google Maps list is either Private or Shared, and a Shared list is one that anyone with the link can find. If the link won't open, ask the owner to check the list's sharing setting and send a fresh link to view.

If someone says they shared their Starred places, they didn't. Google doesn't let you share Starred places. Ask them to add the places to a list and share that. The saved places vs shared lists page has the steps.

What you get, and what it won't do

The file is a snapshot of the list at the moment you converted it. If the owner adds or removes places later, your file doesn't change. Convert the link again to get the update.

You also skip Google Takeout. Takeout only exports your own account's data, and it returns names and addresses without coordinates. The Takeout page explains why.

Some tools work as a browser extension. Those need a desktop browser and a Google account that can open the list. This one doesn't. The ExportMyMap comparison has the rest.

Common questions

Can I export a Google Maps list that someone else made?

Yes, if they've shared it. Paste the share link into the converter and it reads the places straight from the list.

Do I need to sign in to Google?

No. MapsLinkQuest reads the shared link directly, so you don't need to be signed in to a Google account. The free tier needs no MapsLinkQuest account either.

What if the owner changes the list later?

Your file is a snapshot from the moment you converted it. Convert the link again to pick up changes.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. It runs in a mobile browser. Convert the link, download the file, and open it in your GPS or hiking app.

Questions? Comments? Love this?

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