Offline Maps on Windows After the Maps App Retirement: What Works Now

You can no longer download offline maps in Windows. Microsoft retired the Windows Maps app: offline map downloads were removed first, the app was left out of new Windows 11 24H2 installs, and in July 2025 it was pulled from the Microsoft Store with a final update that stopped it working. For maps on a PC today, use Bing Maps or Google Maps in your browser while online. For real offline maps, the dependable route is your phone: Google Maps offline areas, HERE WeGo, Organic Maps or OsmAnd all store maps on the device. On the PC itself, desktop programs such as Google Earth Pro or the open-source Marble globe can keep map data for offline viewing. Here is the part old guides still get wrong: the "Offline maps" page in Windows Settings is gone, not hidden, so no setting or registry tweak brings it back.

Ethan's father plans road trips the old-fashioned way: on the big screen, the night before. For years he used the Windows Maps app with offline maps downloaded for the whole state, so the laptop worked in the cabin with no signal. This summer the app stopped opening. He spent an evening looking for the Offline maps setting from an old article, convinced an update had hidden it. At Jake's shop the answer was simple: the app is retired, and so is its offline feature. Jake set him up with Google Maps offline areas on his phone for the drive, a saved route to open on the laptop, and Google Earth Pro for planning on the big screen. The trip went fine. This page covers the same switch for anyone who relied on Windows Maps.

The good news: maps on phones have become far better at offline use than Windows Maps ever was, and a little planning gives you more reliable offline navigation than before.

What happened to Windows Maps and offline maps

Windows Maps began life on Windows Phone and came to Windows 10 as a built-in app powered by Bing Maps data. It offered directions, traffic, aerial imagery and, unusually for a PC app, downloadable offline maps by country or region, managed from Settings > Apps > Offline maps. Over time Microsoft wound it down in stages:

1. Offline map downloads and the related Settings page were removed.
2. Windows 11 version 24H2 stopped including Maps in new installations.
3. Microsoft announced the app's retirement in 2025.
4. In July 2025 it was removed from the Microsoft Store, and a final update made the app nonfunctional on PCs that still had it.

Microsoft's recommended replacement is Bing Maps on the web. Saved places, guided navigation shortcuts and map links created in the app no longer open in it.

Third-party apps that relied on the Windows map control for their own maps may also show blank maps now; check those apps for updates, since many have moved to web-based maps.

If you open an old Maps shortcut or a ms-drive-to link today, Windows either does nothing or offers to find an app in the Store; that is expected, and those links can be deleted. Links to Bing Maps on the web keep working in any browser.

Maps on a PC today: Bing Maps and Google Maps

For most people the browser is now the map app. Bing Maps (bing.com/maps) uses the same data family as Windows Maps, with directions, traffic, aerial imagery and saved collections when you sign in with a Microsoft account. Google Maps (google.com/maps) offers directions, Street View, saved lists that sync to the phone app, and a Send to your phone button that pushes a route straight to Google Maps on your phone. Both work in any browser and need an internet connection.

To make a web map feel like an app, install it from your browser: in Edge, open the site and choose Apps > Install this site as an app from the menu; in Chrome, use Cast, save, and share > Install page as app. It then opens in its own window and can be pinned to the taskbar like any program. Our guide to pinning websites covers the details.

Both sites also offer keyboard shortcuts and printing, and both remember recent searches when you sign in, which makes them feel familiar to anyone who used the old app daily.

Bing Maps collections and saved places

If you used Windows Maps' favorites, Bing Maps offers a similar feature on the web. Sign in with your Microsoft account, right-click or click a place, and save it to My places or a collection, such as "Holiday ideas". Collections are available from any browser where you sign in. Google Maps does the same with Saved lists, which also appear in the Google Maps phone app, so a place saved on the PC is ready for navigation on the phone.

Neither service imports old Windows Maps favorites automatically, so recreate the handful you use most; it takes a few minutes and is a good chance to drop places you no longer need.

Bing Maps or Google Maps on the PC?

Both are free and capable. Bing Maps feels closest to the old Windows Maps, signs in with your Microsoft account and has clear aerial imagery and a streetside view in many cities. Google Maps has the most place information, reviews and opening hours, Street View almost everywhere, and the tightest link to a phone, since most people already use Google Maps there. If your phone is Android or you use Google Maps on an iPhone, Google Maps on the PC keeps everything in one account. If you prefer Microsoft services, Bing Maps is the natural replacement. Many people simply keep both pinned and use whichever answers the question faster.

Real offline maps: use your phone

Phones are built for maps without signal, and every major navigation app stores maps on the device:

• Google Maps: open the app, tap your profile picture, choose Offline maps, then Select your own map and drag the box over the area. Offline areas support search and driving directions without data, and update automatically on Wi-Fi.
• HERE WeGo: downloads whole countries or regions for offline search and navigation.
• Organic Maps and OsmAnd: free apps based on OpenStreetMap, designed for full offline use, popular with hikers and travelers, with walking and cycling routes.
• Apple Maps on iPhone: supports downloaded maps for offline use on recent iOS versions.

Download maps on Wi-Fi before the trip, check they cover your whole route, and keep the phone charged; offline navigation uses GPS, which works without data. This is what got Ethan's father to the cabin and back.

Whichever app you choose, test it before the trip: turn on airplane mode at home, search for your destination and start navigation. If it works in airplane mode, it will work in the hills.

Offline map apps compared

For most road trips, Google Maps offline areas are enough. For hiking, cycling or long trips abroad with no data plan, Organic Maps or OsmAnd are more complete because everything, including search and routing, is designed to work offline from the start.

All five apps are available on both Android and iPhone except Apple Maps, which is iPhone-only, so most families can share the same choice across phones.

Download a Google Maps offline area, step by step

1. Connect the phone to Wi-Fi and open Google Maps.
2. Tap your profile picture at the top right.
3. Tap Offline maps, then Select your own map.
4. Pinch and drag so the blue box covers the area you need, including your route and destination.
5. Tap Download. The size estimate appears before you confirm.
6. Repeat for other areas if one box cannot cover the whole trip.

In the Offline maps list you can rename, update or delete areas. Turn on automatic updates so areas refresh on Wi-Fi; offline areas that are never updated eventually expire and stop working, so open the app on Wi-Fi now and then before trips. Offline areas cover driving directions and place search; live traffic, transit and walking or cycling directions need a connection.

Walking, cycling and transit offline

Google Maps offline areas support driving directions, but walking, cycling and public transport directions usually need a connection. For walking and cycling offline, Organic Maps and OsmAnd are better choices because their routing runs entirely on the phone. Transit timetables generally need live data; for trips relying on buses and trains, save screenshots of schedules or download the local transit operator's app, some of which store timetables offline.

For city breaks, download the transit operator's official app before you travel; many show stops and timetables offline, which covers the gap Google Maps leaves when there is no data.

Organic Maps and OsmAnd: fully offline

Both apps ask you to download a region the first time you open them in a new area. Search for the country or state, download it on Wi-Fi, and from then on the map, search and route planning work without any connection. They use OpenStreetMap, a community-made map that is often excellent for footpaths, cycle routes and rural areas. Organic Maps keeps things simple and private, with no ads or tracking. OsmAnd adds detailed outdoor features such as contour lines and hillshading, some through paid plugins. Both let you save places and import routes as GPX files, which many hiking websites provide.

Both apps also show points of interest such as fuel stations, drinking water, campsites and toilets from the OpenStreetMap data, which is invaluable in areas where you cannot simply search online for the nearest one. Bookmark the ones along your route before setting off, so they are one tap away.

Hiking and outdoor maps with GPX routes

Hiking websites, trail apps and walking guides often provide routes as GPX files. Download the GPX on the PC, send it to the phone by email, OneDrive or a cable, and open it in Organic Maps or OsmAnd, which show the route over the offline map and track your position by GPS. Google Earth Pro on the PC can open GPX files too, for a 3D look at the climb before you go. Carry a power bank, since GPS tracking all day uses battery, and tell someone your route; offline maps are a navigation aid, not a safety plan.

What OpenStreetMap is

OpenStreetMap is a free map of the world built by volunteers, similar to how Wikipedia is written. Many offline apps use it because its data can be downloaded and used freely. It is often very detailed for paths, buildings and rural roads, especially where active local mappers contribute, and sometimes thinner in other places. Anyone can sign up and fix a missing road or shop, which then appears in apps that use OpenStreetMap after their next data update.

Because the data is open, many specialist apps for cyclists, hikers, sailors and skiers are built on it, so learning one OpenStreetMap app helps with the others.

HERE WeGo and Apple Maps offline

In HERE WeGo, open the menu, choose Download maps, pick a continent, then the country or region, and download on Wi-Fi; navigation then works offline throughout that region. On an iPhone with a recent iOS version, open Apple Maps, tap your profile picture or the account menu, choose Offline Maps, then Download New Map and adjust the area. Apple Maps keeps offline maps updated automatically and can be set to use only offline maps to save data.

Both apps update downloaded maps when you are on Wi-Fi; check for updates before a long trip so new roads and closures are included.

Offline maps on the PC itself

If you need maps on a laptop with no internet, a few desktop programs can help, each with limits:

• Google Earth Pro: free desktop program for Windows. It caches imagery for areas you have viewed, so places you browsed while online remain viewable offline for a while. It is excellent for planning and viewing, though not a turn-by-turn navigator.
• Marble: a free, open-source virtual globe from the KDE project, available for Windows, which can download OpenStreetMap map data for offline viewing and basic routing.
• GPS and outdoor software: hiking and GPS device software, such as the desktop tools from GPS makers, store maps locally for planning routes to transfer to a device.
• QGIS: free professional mapping software that can work with downloaded map data; powerful, but meant for people comfortable with maps as data.

Install desktop programs from their official sites, as our guide to installing programs safely explains.

None of these replaces a phone in the car, but together they cover the main reasons people used Windows Maps offline: planning on a big screen, checking terrain and keeping a visual record of a route for later.

Google Earth Pro: set up for offline viewing

Install Google Earth Pro for Windows from Google's official Earth download page. To keep more imagery for offline use, open Tools > Options > Cache and raise the Disk Cache Size to its maximum, then, while online, fly over the areas you will need at the zoom levels you will use; Google Earth stores what it shows. Offline, it can display those cached areas. You can also draw paths, add placemarks and measure distances, and save them as KML files to open later or share. It is a planning and viewing tool rather than a navigator, but for a big-screen view of a trip with no internet, it is the closest replacement for Windows Maps' offline mode.

Google Earth on the web, at earth.google.com, needs a connection and does not cache for offline use, so install the desktop Pro version if offline viewing matters.

Google Earth Pro also prints high-resolution views of an area, which makes a useful paper backup for a remote destination.

Marble: an open-source map for Windows

Marble is a free virtual globe from the KDE community, available for Windows. Choose the OpenStreetMap theme, browse to your area while online, and Marble downloads and keeps map tiles for offline use; it can also plan simple routes. It is less polished than commercial maps, but free, private and genuinely offline once the data is downloaded. Download it only from the project's official site.

Marble also opens KML and GPX files, so routes planned in Google Earth or downloaded from hiking sites can be viewed in it too.

For most people Marble is a curiosity rather than a daily tool, but it fills a real gap for anyone who needs a fully offline map on a Windows laptop without paying for specialist software.

Or bring the internet with you

Often the simplest solution for a laptop is a connection rather than offline maps: share your phone's data with a mobile hotspot and use web maps as normal. Laptops with built-in cellular modems connect directly. Our guides to sharing a connection with a hotspot and cellular connections cover both. Map browsing uses modest data, but aerial imagery and Street View use much more.

On long trips, an offline phone app is usually better than a hotspot for the laptop, because it does not depend on signal at all; use the hotspot for planning stops, not for following the route.

Plan on the big screen, navigate on the phone

The workflow that replaced Windows Maps for Ethan's father combines both: plan the route on the laptop in Google Maps or Bing Maps, save it or send it to the phone, download the phone's offline area for the region, and navigate with the phone. Google Maps routes sent from a PC open directly in the phone app when you are signed in with the same account. Saved places and lists sync between both, so a restaurant you starred on the PC appears on the phone too.

A shared list of stops in Google Maps also lets a travel companion see the plan on their own phone, which makes group trips easier to coordinate.

Measure distances and plan routes on the PC

Web maps on the big screen are excellent for planning. In Google Maps, right-click a point and choose Measure distance, then click along the route to see the total. Drag the blue route line to force directions through a particular town or road. Bing Maps offers similar route dragging and a distance tool. For multi-day trips, Google My Maps lets you build a custom map with layers for hotels, fuel stops and sights, which then opens in the Google Maps phone app under saved maps; download offline areas for those regions before you leave.

Plan rest stops every two hours or so on long drives, and save them as places so the phone can route to each stop even without signal.

Maps in the car

For driving, phone navigation projected to the car's screen with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay is the modern replacement for a laptop on the passenger seat. Offline areas downloaded in Google Maps work in Android Auto too, and Apple Maps offline maps work with CarPlay. If the car has its own built-in navigation, its maps are stored in the car and work without signal, though they may be older; update them through the car maker's process.

If you use a separate sat-nav device, its maker's desktop software updates its maps over a cable; that software is one of the few remaining reasons to have map data on a PC at all.

Traveling abroad without a data plan

Offline maps matter most abroad, where data roaming can be expensive. Before leaving, download the whole region in a fully offline app, or several overlapping Google Maps areas, at home on Wi-Fi. Turn off mobile data or roaming on the phone to avoid accidental charges, and rely on GPS and the offline maps. Save your accommodation and key addresses as favorites before you go, since search can be more limited offline. A local SIM card or travel eSIM is an alternative if you want live traffic and transit.

Check the destination's driving rules and speed units in advance too; navigation apps show speed limits in local units, which can surprise first-time drivers abroad.

Remember that offline maps cannot show live closures or traffic, so check local road news when you have Wi-Fi at your accommodation each evening.

How much space offline maps use

Offline maps can take hundreds of megabytes to a few gigabytes, depending on the area and app. A city takes far less than a whole country. On phones with limited storage, store maps on an SD card where the app supports it, delete areas after the trip, and download only what the route needs. On the PC, Google Earth Pro's cache size setting controls how much space it uses; clear the cache from the same settings when you no longer need it.

Before a big trip, check free space on the phone so a large download does not fail halfway, and delete old trips' offline areas you no longer need.

Battery tips for navigation

Navigation keeps the screen on and GPS running, which drains a phone quickly. Lower screen brightness, use a car charger or power bank, close other apps, and download maps beforehand so the phone is not also using mobile data to fetch them. Offline navigation uses noticeably less battery than online navigation because the phone is not constantly downloading map tiles and traffic. Many apps also have a battery-saving mode that dims or turns off the screen between turns.

In very cold weather, phone batteries drain faster; keep the phone in an inside pocket between uses on winter hikes.

Voice guidance and accessibility

Offline navigation apps speak turn-by-turn directions without data, using voices stored on the phone. Download the voice for your language in the app's settings before traveling, since some apps fetch voices online the first time. For people with low vision, large-text settings and voice guidance together make phone navigation comfortable; on iPhones and Android phones, the system screen readers also work with the major map apps.

Test the voice at home with airplane mode on, the same way as the map itself, so you know directions will be spoken in the right language once you are on the road. Most apps also let you choose how often they speak, from every turn to only important alerts, and whether to mix guidance with music or pause it.

GPS works without data, but needs sky

A phone's GPS receiver gets your position from satellites and does not need mobile data. Data only helps it find satellites faster, a feature called assisted GPS, so the first fix without data can take a minute or two, especially after a long trip. GPS needs a reasonably clear view of the sky; deep canyons, tunnels and dense city centers reduce accuracy. Open the map app once in the open before setting off, and it locks on faster for the rest of the trip.

In cars, a phone mount near the windscreen gets a clearer view of the sky than a phone in a cup holder, which improves accuracy.

Smartwatches with built-in GPS and offline maps are another option for hikers, keeping navigation on the wrist even if the phone stays in a bag.

Print or save a route for no-signal areas

For extra safety in remote areas, keep a copy of the route that does not depend on any app. Most web maps offer a Print option for directions, and the browser can save it as a PDF with Ctrl + P > Save as PDF. Store the PDF on both the laptop and the phone. A screenshot of key junctions also works. It is a simple backup if a phone battery dies or an offline area turns out to be missing a road.

A paper road atlas in the car is still a sensible backup on remote routes, since it never runs out of battery and shows the bigger picture at a glance.

Offline maps not working? Common fixes

• "No connection" when starting directions: the destination or part of the route lies outside your downloaded area. Download a larger area that covers the whole route.
• Offline area expired: areas not updated for a long time stop working. Connect to Wi-Fi and update them in the offline maps list.
• Search finds nothing offline: offline search covers places included in the download; try an address rather than a business name, or save places in advance.
• Position jumps around: GPS needs a clear sky; step outside or away from tall buildings, and give it a minute to settle.
• Road missing or wrong: maps can be outdated in new developments; update the area, or report the error in the app so it is fixed for everyone.

If an app keeps failing offline, delete and re-download its offline area on Wi-Fi; a partly downloaded area is a common cause of strange gaps.

Remove Windows Maps leftovers

If the old app is still listed, uninstall it: Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find Maps or Windows Maps, and choose Uninstall. Previously downloaded offline map data could take gigabytes; once the app is gone, check Settings > System > Storage and Temporary files for leftover space, and look for a large MapData folder under C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\MapData, which can be deleted with administrator rights once Maps is removed. Our guides to uninstalling programs and finding what fills your storage help.

On Windows 10, the old Offline maps page may still appear in Settings on some PCs, but downloads there no longer work; removing the Maps app is the cleanest end to it.

If the Maps tile or shortcut remains in Start after uninstalling, right-click it and unpin it; old pins sometimes linger until the next restart.

Restart once after removing it so Start and Settings refresh their lists.

Location services after Maps

Windows location services still work for apps and websites that use your location, such as weather and browser map sites. Manage them in Settings > Privacy & security > Location. Most laptops estimate location from Wi-Fi networks rather than GPS, so accuracy varies; phones with GPS are far more precise, another reason to navigate with the phone.

If you want a laptop with real GPS, some business and rugged laptops include it as part of a cellular modem; check the specifications before buying if offline navigation on a laptop matters to you.

Wi-Fi-based location also needs an internet connection to look up nearby networks, so a laptop with no connection and no GPS often cannot find itself at all.

Share your trip with family

For longer trips, share your location with someone at home. Google Maps has Location sharing in the profile menu, which needs data to update but shows your last known position when signal returns; iPhones have similar sharing in the Find My app. Share your planned route and expected arrival time too. If you are heading somewhere with no signal at all, leave a written plan with someone you trust; offline maps keep you on track, but they do not tell anyone where you are.

Location sharing can be time-limited, such as until you turn it off or for a set number of hours, which suits a single trip without sharing your whereabouts indefinitely.

For group trips, a shared Google Maps list of meeting points means everyone can navigate to the same place even if the group splits up, as long as each person has downloaded the area.

Location history and privacy

Map apps can remember where you have been. In Google Maps, check Timeline settings in your profile menu; Google now stores Timeline on the device for many users, with options to turn it off or delete it. On Windows, location history is managed under Settings > Privacy & security > Location, where you can clear it. Fully offline apps such as Organic Maps keep everything on the phone and do not track you, which some people choose for privacy alone.

Review which apps have location permission on the phone too; many apps request it without needing it, and turning it off for them saves battery as well.

For IT admins: Maps retirement in managed fleets

Apps. Remove the Maps package from images and provisioned apps, since it no longer works. Replace any internal shortcuts or documentation that pointed to the app.

Line-of-business apps. Apps built on the Windows map control should be checked; plan migration to web-based map services if they depended on the retired components.

Field staff. For staff who need offline maps for work, standardize on a supported phone app with managed offline regions rather than PC solutions.

Documentation. Update user guides that mention the Maps app, so staff are not sent looking for a feature that no longer exists.

Maps for older relatives

For parents or grandparents who used Windows Maps to look at places, install Bing Maps or Google Maps as an app with a clear name and icon, pinned to the taskbar, so it opens like the old app did. On their phone, set Google Maps to a large text size and save home, family addresses and their doctor as favorites. Showing them how to tap a saved place and press Start removes most of the confusion of searching on a small screen.

A printed card by the computer with the two or three map shortcuts they need, such as how to open the map app and search a place, saves many phone calls.

Lost without signal: what to do

If you are somewhere without signal and without offline maps, stay calm and stay put if you are safe. Emergency calls can often connect through any available network, even when your own provider has no coverage, so dial the local emergency number if you are in danger. The phone's built-in compass and the GPS coordinates shown in many map apps, even without a map, can tell rescuers where you are. Retrace your route to the last place you had signal if it is safe to do so. Downloading offline maps before setting off is the best way to avoid this situation entirely.

Download maps on Wi-Fi only

Map apps can use a lot of data when downloading regions. In Google Maps, the offline maps settings let you choose Download preferences, such as Wi-Fi only, and turn on automatic updates. HERE WeGo, Organic Maps and OsmAnd ask before large downloads. On a limited data plan, set phone-wide data saving or restrict background data for map apps, and do all big map downloads at home.

Offline maps also make navigation faster in areas with weak signal, because the phone no longer waits for map tiles to download; many regular commuters keep their home region downloaded permanently for that reason alone. Remember that downloaded areas still need occasional updates on Wi-Fi to keep roads and places current.

Windows 10 differences

Windows 10 PCs that still list the Maps app face the same retirement: the app no longer works after its final update, and the Offline maps settings no longer download anything. The web, phone and desktop alternatives on this page work the same on Windows 10 and 11.

If a Windows 10 PC is your only computer, a cheap Android phone or tablet with offline maps is the most reliable way to carry offline navigation, and it costs far less than specialist GPS software.

Windows 10 also reached end of support in October 2025, so for anyone still relying on old built-in apps, it is a good moment to move to web and phone tools that keep receiving updates.

Offline maps in Windows: frequently asked questions

Ethan's father still plans every trip on the big screen the night before, and the drive still works with no signal at the cabin. The only thing that changed is where the offline maps live: on the phone, which does the job better than Windows Maps ever did. When an old tool retires, the fix is rarely a hidden setting; it is finding the tool that does the job now. For maps, that means the web on the PC and an offline-ready app in your pocket.

Revision note. Written October 2, 2026, rewriting our 2015 offline maps guide after the Windows Maps retirement. May every road you take be on the map.