Learn How to Save Addresses in Google Maps

Understanding Google Maps and Its Address-Saving Features

Google Maps is a navigation and mapping service that helps people find locations, get directions, and discover businesses and landmarks around the world. The app and website both include tools for saving addresses, which means you can store locations you visit frequently or plan to visit in the future. When you save an address in Google Maps, you create a personal record that you can access whenever you open the app or website, without having to search for the location again.

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The address-saving feature works across multiple devices. If you save an address on your phone, you can access that same saved address when you use Google Maps on your computer or tablet, as long as you're signed into the same Google account. This synchronization happens automatically, so your saved locations follow you wherever you use Google Maps.

Google Maps organizes saved addresses into different categories, which the platform calls "lists." These lists help you keep your saved locations organized by purpose. For example, you might have a list for restaurants you want to try, another for grocery stores, and another for places your family enjoys visiting. Understanding how these lists work is the foundation for effectively saving and managing addresses.

The saved address feature is different from setting a destination for navigation. When you save an address, you're creating a permanent record in your account. When you set a destination, you're telling Google Maps where you want to go right now. You can save an address without immediately navigating to it, and you can navigate to a saved address without saving it again.

Practical Takeaway: Before you start saving addresses, understand that this feature creates a personal library of locations tied to your Google account. These saved addresses appear across all your devices and help you quickly access places you've identified as important or interesting.

How to Save an Address Using Your Mobile Device

Saving addresses on a mobile device—whether an iPhone or Android phone—follows a straightforward process. First, open the Google Maps app on your phone. If you don't have the app, you can download it from your device's app store. Once the app is open, search for the address or location you want to save. You can type the address directly into the search bar, search by business name, or search by category (like "coffee shops near me").

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After you've found the location, tap on the location card that appears at the bottom of your screen. This opens the detailed information page for that location. On this page, you'll see several options including the address, phone number, website, and ratings. Look for a star icon—this is the save button. The star icon is usually hollow or unfilled before you tap it. Tap the star icon, and it will fill in or change appearance, indicating that the address has been saved.

When you tap the star, Google Maps may ask you which list you want to save the address to. Your default list is usually called "Saved" but you may have created other lists for different purposes. You can save the same address to multiple lists if it fits into several categories. For example, you might save a restaurant to both a "Favorite Restaurants" list and a "Places to Visit Downtown" list.

If you want to organize your saved addresses before or after saving them, you can access your saved locations by tapping the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the bottom right corner of the app, then selecting "Saved." This shows all your saved addresses organized by list. From this screen, you can create new lists, add addresses to lists, or remove addresses from lists.

Practical Takeaway: On your phone, saving an address takes just two steps: find the location in Google Maps and tap the star icon. The star icon is your quickest way to build a personal collection of addresses you can access anytime.

Saving Addresses Using a Computer or Web Browser

The process for saving addresses using Google Maps on a computer is similar to the mobile process, with slight differences in how the interface appears. Begin by visiting Google Maps in your web browser. You can type "google maps" into your search engine or go directly to maps.google.com. Make sure you're signed into your Google account—you'll see your profile icon in the top right corner if you're logged in.

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Search for the address or location you want to save using the search box at the top left of the screen. Type the address, business name, or location type and press Enter. Google Maps will display the results, and you can click on the location you want from the search results or the map itself. This opens a details panel on the left side of the screen or a popup on the map showing information about the location.

In the details panel or popup, look for the star icon. On a computer, this star is typically located near the top of the information panel. Click the star, and it will change appearance to show that you've saved the address. Just like on mobile devices, you may be prompted to choose which list you want to save the address to, or you can save it to your default "Saved" list.

One advantage of using Google Maps on a computer is that you can see more detail and have an easier time managing multiple addresses at once. You can open multiple search results side by side, compare locations, and save several addresses in succession. To view all your saved addresses on your computer, click the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top left, select "Saved," and you'll see all your lists and the addresses within them.

Practical Takeaway: Saving addresses on a computer works the same way as on mobile—find the location and click the star—but a computer screen gives you more space to view and manage multiple saved addresses at once.

Creating and Managing Lists to Organize Saved Addresses

Google Maps allows you to organize your saved addresses into different lists, which helps you keep related locations together. When you first start saving addresses, Google Maps creates a default list called "Saved." However, you can create as many additional lists as you need to organize your addresses by category, purpose, or any other system that makes sense for you.

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To create a new list, open Google Maps and access your saved locations. On mobile, tap the menu (three lines) and select "Saved." On a computer, click the menu icon and select "Saved." Look for an option to create a new list—this is usually labeled "Create List" or shown with a plus icon. Tap or click this option, and you'll be prompted to name your list and optionally add a description. Give your list a clear name that describes what it contains, such as "Weekend Restaurants," "Doctor Offices," "Shopping Destinations," or "Home Improvement Stores."

Once you've created a list, you can add addresses to it. When you save an address, you'll be asked which list to save it to. You can also move addresses between lists after saving them. To move an address, open your saved locations, find the address, and look for options to edit it or move it to a different list. Most versions of Google Maps allow you to drag and drop addresses between lists, or you can use a menu option to change which list an address belongs to.

You can delete lists if you no longer need them, but this usually requires you to move or delete the addresses in that list first. You can also rename lists or change their descriptions at any time. Some people create lists for specific projects or time periods—for example, a "Vacation Planning" list that they eventually remove once the vacation is over. Others keep permanent lists organized by category, like "Grocery Stores," "Gas Stations," or "Parks."

Practical Takeaway: Lists are your primary tool for organization. Create lists that match how you think about locations—whether by category, geography, purpose, or project—and your saved addresses become a genuinely useful reference tool rather than just a random collection.

Advanced Features for Saved Addresses

Beyond the basic save and organize features, Google Maps offers several additional tools that make saved addresses more useful. One important feature is the ability to add personal notes to a saved address. When you view a saved location, you can often add a note describing why you saved it, what you liked about it, or practical information like "good for families" or "free parking available." These notes help you remember details about a place without having to do another search.

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You can also set home and work addresses as special saved locations. Many people save their home address and work address in Google Maps because these locations are used so frequently. Setting these specific addresses can actually speed up navigation—when you ask Google Maps for directions, it may default to starting from your home address if you're at home,