Do we want to use Google Maps on PC as an installed app? Let’s see how to do it with Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge
Google Maps it can be used as a website from any browser but, using the functions integrated in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, can be installed like a real PC appthus displaying the map in the window without any browser graphic elements (address bar, bookmark bar or superfluous icons).
Even if only via browser, it is still possible install Google Maps on PC as an app or download the maps and use them offline (for traditionalists).
READ ALSO -> Install websites as applications on PC with Edge
1) Install Google Maps on PC with Chrome
To transform Google Maps in a convenient PC app we open the site with Google Chrome, press on the icon with the three dots at the top right, press on the menu Other tools and click on Create shortcut.
In the small window that appears we select the item Open as windowconfirm the name chosen for the new app and press on Crea to create the new app immediately.
After creation, the app should be ready to use on your desktop, as well as being accessible from the Start menu (just search for its name Maps). If we don’t find the app installed, let’s go to the page chrome://apps/ To view all the apps installed with Chrome, right-click on the app Google Maps (or any other name you choose) and press on Create shortcut to add the app to the operating system.
2) Install Google Maps on PC with Edge
Microsoft Edge it works much better for apps to be installed on Windows, as it is already integrated into the system and optimized to offer maximum execution speed in all conditions.
To proceed, let’s open Microsoft Edge on Windows 11 or Windows 10, let’s go to the website Google Mapspress on the icon at the top App available. Install Google Maps (in the shape of a puzzle, on the address bar) and select the button Install.
The app will be directly converted into an app, showing a configuration window; in the new window we press on Add to Start come on Create desktop shortcutleaving the other items to our discretion (we can also turn them off and leave only those we have indicated).
From now on we will be able to use Google Maps directly within Windows 11 or Windows 10 using the shortcut created on the desktop or by searching for the app in the Start menu Maps.
3) Print the maps as PDF files
The Google Maps site allows you to easily print the framed area and this means that it is also possible to save it in a PDF file. By pressing the menu button with the three lines at the top left you can then press the button Press and print what appears in the selected window.
The print preview shows the area of the map framed and it is therefore possible to change the page orientation in the options Press, using a more suitable horizontal layout. In the destination menu (I’m using Chrome right now, but the options are the same in Firefox and other browsers), you can change the printer by choosing a virtual one, i.e. one that saves the printout as a PDF file.
In Windows 10 and Windows 11 the PDF printer is included in the system, but we can always use others programs to install a PDF printer.
4) Download offline maps
Per download maps and map pieces as image files in Google Maps you can download the small program Google Map Saver. This tool, of amateur programming and certainly very basic and imperfect, connects to Google Maps and allows you to save maps as JPEG image files.
To proceed, simply enter the name of the city and the name of the country whose map you want to save at the top left (for example Milan, Italy), change the resolution if you want, i.e. the size of the map to download, decide the zoom and the map size, whether road or satellite. When the right map appears on the screen, you can press the Save button at the top to save the image to a folder of your choice.
Gmap Catcher it is a more structured and certainly better open source program for download maps from the internetwhich supports virtually all major map services in the world, including Google Maps.
From the main program window, at the top left, you can press the settings button which allows, in the “Change Theme“, to choose the map service between Google Maps, Nokia, Openstreet and various others. Just search for the street or area directly from Gmap Catcher which connects to Google Maps and press the button Download (found by pressing the settings button) to download the map to your PC.
If an area has already been seen, you can activate the “Offline” function to browse the map without connecting to the internet.
Conclusions
With the Google Maps app installed on your phone we can Instantly access your favorite maps and routes without taking up a browser window or tabusing the navigation and point-of-interest search functions as if the app were really installed on Windows (in reality it is a web app, but it works so well that it is impossible to notice the difference).
To learn more we can read our guides on how to calibrate Google Maps and improve location accuracy and on most useful and hidden Google Maps features.