Add a map grid overlay (map reference, square, H3, GARS, Maidenhead, range rings)

A grid overlay draws reference lines over your map. It is saved with the map, so everyone who opens the map sees it. A grid overlay is not part of your drawing: you cannot select, edit or export its cells.

If you need cells you can color, measure or export, use the Grid drawing tool instead. It creates real shapes.

Turn on a grid overlay

1) At the bottom-left corner of the map footer, click the gear icon to open Settings.

2) Under Map Settings, open the Grid list.

3) Choose a grid. Choose None to hide it.

Some grids have settings. They appear right under the Grid list. A change shows on the map straight away.

You can also ask Scribble, for example: "Show 2 km range rings around the map center", "Add a map reference grid with 10 columns", "Move the rings to where I'm looking" or "Make the grid lines red".

Change the line color

Every grid has a Line color setting under the Grid list.

1) Click the color button next to Line color and pick a color. The grid lines change straight away.

2) To go back to the grid's own colors, click Default color.

Labels keep their colors so they stay readable. On the UTM grid, the blue zone lines stay blue.

Pro and trial credits

The LatLon, UTM, USNG, MGRS and BNG (UK) grids are free.

Map Reference, Square Grid, H3 Hexagons, GARS, Maidenhead and Range Rings are part of Pro. Without Pro, you can try them with trial credits:

• Turning one of these grids on uses one credit.
• Changing its settings uses one credit. Changes you make within 20 seconds of that count as the same change.
• Opening a map that already has one of these grids never uses a credit.

You need to be logged in to use trial credits.

Map Reference

Lettered columns and numbered rows over one area, like a street atlas. Use it on printed or shared maps so people can say "meet at C4".

• The grid covers the area you are looking at when you turn it on. It stays on that area when you move the map.
• Columns and Rows set the number of cells. Up to 52 columns (A to Z, then AA to AZ) and 99 rows.
• Fit to view moves the grid to the area you are looking at now and makes the cells square again.
• Columns count from the left (A, B, C...) and rows from the top (1, 2, 3...).
• When cells are big enough on screen, each cell shows its name, such as B4.

Square Grid

Square cells of an exact size, such as 100 m or 1 mi. Good for search areas, survey plots and sampling.

• Cell size and Unit set the size of each cell (m, km, ft, yd, mi or nautical miles).
• Center on map lines the grid up on the center of your current view.
• The heavier lines cross at the grid's origin. Labels at the edges show the distance from the origin, such as "300 m E" or "1.2 km N".
• Zoomed far out, the grid shows every 2nd, 5th or 10th line so it stays readable. The label in the lower-left corner shows the cell size.

H3 Hexagons

Uber's H3 hexagon cells, often used for data analysis and delivery zones.

• Resolution: Auto picks a hexagon size that suits the zoom. Choose 0 (largest) to 15 (smallest) to keep one size.
• The label in the lower-left corner shows the resolution in use.
• When hexagons are large on screen, each one shows its H3 cell ID.
• If a fixed resolution is too small to show at the current zoom, zoom in.

GARS

The Global Area Reference System, used for area reference by US defense and emergency management.

• 30-minute cells are named by a 3-digit number and two letters, such as 006AG.
• Zoom in to see 15-minute quadrants (1 to 4, such as 006AG3) and 5-minute keypads (1 to 9, such as 006AG37).
• Zoomed far out, the grid asks you to zoom in.

Maidenhead

The Maidenhead locator grid used by amateur radio operators.

• Fields such as FN, squares such as FN31, subsquares such as FN31pr and extended squares such as FN31pr45 appear as you zoom in.
• The most detailed level that fits is labelled in each cell.

Range Rings

Rings at fixed distances around a point, with bearing lines. Use them for coverage areas, evacuation radius or delivery zones.

• Spacing and Unit set the distance between rings (m, km, ft, yd, mi or nautical miles).
• Rings sets how many rings to draw (1 to 50).
• Bearing lines draws lines from the center every 10°, 15°, 30°, 45° or 90°. Choose None to hide them.
• Center on map moves the rings to the center of your current view.
• Rings show true ground distance. Far from the equator they look slightly stretched on the map. This is normal.

Other grids

The Grid list also has LatLon, UTM, USNG, MGRS and BNG (UK) grids. See the article on the LatLon and UTM grids, and the articles on MGRS, USNG and the British National Grid.