How to Add GPS Coordinates to Photos from Google Maps

Quick answer: Copy the place's latitude and longitude from Google Maps, check their order and signs, write them into a copy of the correct photo, then reopen that copy in an EXIF viewer. A map pin supplies coordinates; it does not prove where or when the photo was taken.

To add GPS coordinates to a photo using Google Maps, find the actual place, copy its latitude and longitude, and write them into a copy of the image with a geotagging tool. Then inspect the downloaded file to confirm the coordinates were saved. Google Maps helps you identify a point; it does not automatically embed that point in your photo.

1. Find the correct point in Google Maps

Search for the address or landmark, switch to a detailed map view, and zoom in until you can distinguish the entrance or capture area. On desktop, right-click the exact point; Maps displays coordinates that can be selected and copied. On mobile, press and hold the map to drop a pin, then open the pin details and copy its coordinates. Google may change interface labels, so if those controls move, use the current Google Maps coordinates help.

Prefer a known entrance, viewpoint, or documented capture position over the center of a large property. A result for a business name may land on the building centroid rather than where a particular photo was made.

2. Check coordinate order and signs

Coordinates normally appear as latitude first, then longitude. For example, the illustrative pair 40.7128, -74.0060 is in New York City: positive latitude is north, negative longitude is west. Do not remove a minus sign or reverse the values. Latitude ranges from −90 to 90; longitude ranges from −180 to 180. A pair outside those ranges is invalid, while a valid pair can still point to the wrong place.

If your source uses degrees-minutes-seconds (DMS), convert it carefully rather than pasting it into a decimal-only field. The coordinate converter can translate formats; conversion changes notation, not the accuracy of the underlying location.

3. Write the location into a photo copy

1. Keep the original image unchanged and work on a duplicate.
2. Open the photo geotagging tool and select the file.
3. Enter the copied latitude and longitude or place the pin at the verified point.
4. Download the tagged copy with a distinct filename.

Only tag a photo with a location you have a reasonable basis to assign. If it is an old image or a scan, record the location as an estimate in your own archive notes instead of presenting it as camera-recorded GPS.

4. Verify the exported image

Open the new file—not the original—in the GPS Finder or another EXIF reader. Compare its coordinates with the point you copied and check the map marker. A messaging app or photo service can make another copy and strip metadata, so verify the version you intend to send. The EXIF GPS guide explains where these fields live.

Accuracy, privacy, and what a tag means

A manually added coordinate records an editor's assignment; it is not a device measurement, timestamp, proof of presence, or survey result. Avoid false precision: a pin selected at street level may not justify six decimal places. Public GPS can reveal a home, school, workplace, or sensitive site. Keep a tagged archive copy and make a separate sharing copy if exact location is not needed.

For another language, the same free workflow is available in English and Spanish.

When to use a different workflow

If GPS was already recorded but is wrong, use the wrong-location correction guide. For dozens of files from multiple locations, use the small-batch CSV workflow and test a few files before processing the archive.