Add map styles and photos

Change how much information Google Earth shows

Google Earth is much more than satellite and aerial photos, it also shows a wealth of other information.

You can select what information appears by clicking the Layers button in the bottom left of the screen. You can also access the Layers feature by clicking on the View option in the top menu, and selecting Layers from the drop-down list.

Choose what you can see

When you click the Layers button, a pop-up menu appears. By default, Google Earth uses Exploration view, with place names, major roads and international and state borders added, but you can fine-tune this.

Everything adds features, such as public transit and landmarks, while Clean view removes all information.

Customise the view

The Custom option in Layers shows a list of things you can turn on and off. This includes Transit (public transport), traffic route numbers, Landmarks, Places of worship, parks and schools. If you click on the arrow next to each option, a list of more detailed options opens up for you to choose from.

All this information can clutter up your maps. If it gets too confusing, just switch back to the default Exploration view.

See other people's travel photos

You can see photos that people have uploaded to Google Earth, including amazing 360-degree panoramas, by scrolling down in the Layers menu until you see Additional layers. Under this you’ll find Photos (you might have to scroll a little more) and a switch next to it. Click the switch to enable Photos.

Photos appear as circles on the map, with a tiny preview of the images taken at that location – just click to scroll through them. Press the escape key on your keyboard to close the photos.

eSafety tip: Speed things up

Enabling Photos can clog up the map and slow down Google Earth, especially if you're using a slow computer on a slow broadband connection.

For this reason, it's best to switch off Photos when you're not using them.

Well done!

You’ve completed the Add map styles and photos activity.

You've learned how to customise the kinds of information added to maps, as well as see photos that Google Earth users from around the world have uploaded.

Next up, time to become an armchair tourist, in the Take a virtual trip! activity