Exploring Google Earth

This short guide is a reference tool to help refresh your knowledge or practise what you have learned in the Exploring Google Earth online course, including:

how to access Google Earth on your computer
how to navigate Google Earth using different controls.

What is Google Earth?

Google Earth is an interactive digital globe and atlas that lets you explore the whole planet:

Google Earth is stitched together using recent satellite images and aerial photography.
Zoom in for a closer look at a country, or zoom right down to a city or individual street address.
Google Earth is different to Google Maps, which is more like an interactive street directory.

Getting Started with Google Earth

Google Earth is free to use and can be used with a computer or mobile device. The examples in this course are on a computer.

Google Earth works on most web browsers, including Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari, and Google Chrome.
To use it on your computer or mobile device, type https://earth.google.com in to your browser.
You can also use Google Earth on a mobile device by downloading the Google Earth app from your device's official app store.
An internet connection is required while using Google Earth. The faster your internet connection, the smoother Google Earth will run.
Starting with a view of Earth from space, you can look up a point of interest or street address in the Search bar.
Click to spin the globe and click on any location to fly down for a better look.

Find yourself on Google Earth

Google Earth starts with a view of the whole globe, and lets you zoom right in to individual street addresses and landmarks:

By default, the maps include borders, roads and place names, but you can opt for a clean view of the world or add extra details such as public transport.
Use the + / – controls or the wheel of your mouse to zoom in or out. Click and drag the globe or map to change location.
Click on the 2D/3D button to tilt the map away from you and see a 3D view of the world, with mountains and valleys. Some cities have 3D buildings too.
Type your address in to the Search bar at the top of the screen, to zoom the map to your street.
Click or tap the Target icon to zoom to your current location. You may need to give your computer permission to share this with Google Earth.

When you use Google Earth, you’re looking at recent aerial and ground-level photos rather than real-time images. That means people can’t use Google Earth to spy on you.

Check out Street View

Google Earth also lets you see a 360-degree view from the ground by using the Street View feature. This helps you explore as if you are really there walking through the streets:

When you drag the Street View icon onto the map, you’ll see blue lines along the roads where Street View is available.
Click anywhere on a blue line to see the view from the ground. Use your mouse to zoom, or hold and drag to turn around on the spot.
Click on the white arrows to move up and down the street.
Click the Back button in the top left of the screen to return to the aerial view.
Like the satellite and aerial photography, Street View images are updated regularly, so it’s worth going back for another look.

Finding places special to you

Google Earth lets you take a trip down memory lane to find those special places in your life, whether they are on the other side of town or the other side of the world.

Click on the Search bar at the top of the screen and search for an exact address, a suburb or city, a country, or even a landmark or famous place.
As you type, Google Earth will make suggestions. You can click on a suggestion instead of typing out the whole query.
Try searching for places from your past, such as where you grew up, or where you first worked.
Don't forget to use Street View for a closer look at how an old neighbourhood has changed.

Adding and saving Placemarks

Adding favourite locations in Google Earth makes it quick and easy to visit them in the future:

Click the Add placemark icon in top menu to turn the mouse pointer into a placemark icon.
Click on the map where you want to save your location.
Google Earth will ask how you want to save the placemark. The best option is Drive project. This requires you to be signed in to Google Drive.
If you are not signed in or don’t have Google Drive, you can press OK and follow the steps, or press Cancel to not save the placemark.