Export your Google Maps saved places

What Google actually gives you

Your saved places live in two different corners of a Google Takeout export, and the names aren't obvious, so it's worth knowing what each one is before you start:

• “Maps (your places)” contains a file usually called Saved Places.json — a GeoJSON file with your starred places: names, coordinates and addresses. This one is clean and complete.
• “Saved” contains one CSV file per list: Favourites, Want to go, and every custom list you've made (“Berlin restaurants”, “Japan 2025”). Each row carries the place's name, your note, and a Google Maps URL.

You want both. The GeoJSON has the coordinates; the CSVs have your lists and notes.

Export with Google Takeout, step by step

1. Open Google Takeout Go to takeout.google.com and sign in with the account that owns your saved places.
2. Deselect everything Takeout starts with every Google product ticked. Click Deselect all first, or you'll be downloading your entire Google life.
3. Tick the two boxes that matter Scroll down and tick “Maps (your places)” and “Saved”. Nothing else is needed for your places.
4. Create the export Click Next step, keep the defaults (a one-time .zip export), and hit Create export. For saved places this usually takes minutes, not the days Google warns about for full exports.
5. Download and unzip Google emails you a download link. Unzip the file and look inside Takeout/Maps (your places)/ and Takeout/Saved/ — those are the files you'll import.

Import the files into Mapcove

In Mapcove, open Import — each source has its own option, so there's no conversion or spreadsheet surgery, just pick the one that matches your file:

• Google Maps — pick Saved Places.json: your starred places arrive with their names, coordinates and addresses.
• Google Maps list — pick each list CSV you care about: names and your notes come along, with coordinates read from each row.
• GPX / KML file — for a Google My Maps export (.kml) or waypoint files from other apps.
• Everything lands in its own “Imported” list, so your map stays tidy while you sort places into your own categories, tags and lists at your own pace.

Import is free, and so is export: if Mapcove isn't for you, your data walks back out as CSV, GPX, KML or a full backup. Leaving should be as easy as arriving.

What comes over, and what doesn't

Comes over:

• Starred places from Saved Places.json: names, coordinates, addresses.
• List places whose row carries a location: names, coordinates, and your notes.
• Dropped pins — Google keeps their exact coordinates in the URL, so they import cleanly.

Doesn't:

• Some named places in list CSVs. Google strips the raw coordinates from certain rows and leaves only a place id. Mapcove is local-first and won't silently query Google to resolve them, so those rows are skipped and counted, honestly, in the import summary. Re-adding a missing favourite takes seconds with search.
• Your Google Maps photos and reviews. They aren't in these files; Google keeps them in separate Takeout products that don't attach to saved places.
• List names. Each import lands in the “Imported” list; recreating your lists in Mapcove is a couple of taps, and one place can live in as many lists as you like.

Fair questions, straight answers

Is exporting my saved places free?

Yes. Takeout is Google's official export tool and costs nothing. It also makes a copy — your saved places stay in Google Maps untouched.

Why are some places missing after importing a CSV?

Those are the named-place rows Google exports without coordinates (just a place id in the URL). Mapcove skips them rather than guessing or phoning Google, and tells you how many it skipped. Starred places and dropped pins are unaffected.

Can I import Google My Maps too?

Yes. In My Maps, choose Export to KML/KMZ and tick “Export as KML instead of KMZ”, then use Mapcove's GPX / KML file import option — KML placemarks import directly (KMZ isn't supported).

What about my collection from Mapstr?

There's a dedicated importer for that, and your tags, notes and photos come along. See the full Mapstr vs Mapcove guide.

Is import free in Mapcove?

Yes — import and export are free, forever. That's a founding decision, not a launch promo.