Google Earth - more than a map

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

how to find your way around Google Earth and control the map
how to add extra detail to maps and see other people's travel photos
researching your next holiday and touring the world using Street View.

Using the top menu

The top menu puts Google Earth’s powerful features at your fingertips:

The map controls in the bottom-right corner of the screen make it easy to find your way around.
The + and – buttons let you zoom in and out to see more or less detail, then you can click and drag the map with your mouse to move around.
The top menu includes the Search bar, the Placemark icon, and the Measure distance icon.
The Layers button in the bottom left lets you add or remove map details. You can also access Layers via the top menu, by clicking View and then Layers.
The Layers pop-up menu lets you add 3D buildings, photos, and timelapse imagery.
When you Search, Google Earth glides to the destination. You can Turn off flight animation in Settings to snap to a location. Click Tools in the top menu, then Settings.
Click File and then New Drive Project. This lets you save locations as Placemarks, and make slideshows or even include your own photos and share them with other people.
The Measure tool lets you work out the distance between locations. Click the icon, then click on the map to measure.

Add map styles and photos

The Additional layers and Photo options add a lot more detail to the maps to help you learn about the world:

Click the Layers button to see the Layers pop-up menu.
By default, Google Earth shows Exploration view. This includes borders, place names, and major roads.
Everything adds public transit, landmarks, and more. Clean view removes all information.
The Custom option lets you turn specific things on and off. Click Custom to see a list.
Many list options have an arrow on the left. Click the arrow to see even more options.
Reset all the options by changing back to Exploration view.
Scroll down the Layers menu until you see Additional layers.
Switch on Photos to see photos that others have uploaded to Google Earth.
With Photos enabled, you'll see many white circles with thumbnails of the photos uploaded from that location.
Click a thumbnail and you can view the entire collection of photos from that spot. You can flick through them like a slideshow.
Press Escape on your keyboard to close the photos.

Enabling Photos can slow Google Earth down, especially if you’re using a slow computer on a slow internet connection. It’s a good idea not to leave Photos turned on all the time.

Take a virtual trip

You can use Google Earth to take a virtual trip, flying to a destination and then seeing it up close using Street View. Follow the steps in this example to take a tour of Paris:

Search for Eiffel Tower using the Search bar at the top of the screen.
Google Earth will glide and zoom until you see a top-down view of the Eiffel Tower.
Click the 2D/3D button see a 3D view of the area around the Eiffel Tower. By default, Google Earth has 3D buildings switched on, so you should see a 3D version of the tower and surrounding buildings.
Use the Layers button to turn on 3D buildings if you can't see them.
While the Layers menu is open, you can turn on Photos to view tourist photos taken from around the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, and views from the top too.
Look around the Eiffel Tower to see Points of Interest (POIs) on the map. Click any point to visit it.
Use Street View to walk through Paris, by clicking and dragging the human figure icon onto the map.
Blue lines show where Street View is available, and this even includes some along the River Seine.
Click any blue line on the river to take a tour on a boat. Click and drag your mouse to look around, and click the white arrows to move along the river.
Click the Back button in the top left of the screen to return to map view and continue your virtual world trip.
Search for another location to go there. Next stop... Tokyo?