The map editor
Name the map, choose the first view people see, and see the map as others see it
The left sidebar has the map's name, the Share and Preview buttons, and then all the layers. At the very bottom are the Add layer and Save current extent buttons. Click a layer name to open that layer's settings panel. See Manage layers.
Name the map
- Click the Web map title box at the top of the left sidebar and type the name.
- If you want, type a short description in the Description box below it.
If the name is empty, Map Studio saves nothing until you enter a name.
Saving
You do not need to click save. Map Studio saves every change you make by itself within half a second. When All changes saved in Drive appears under the map name, saving is done.
Map Studio does not save panning or zooming. To choose where the map opens, follow the next section.
Choose the first view of the map
- Pan, zoom, rotate or tilt the map to the view you want people to see first.
- Click the house icon, Save current extent, at the bottom right of the left sidebar.
From now on, everyone who opens the map sees this view first.
Preview
Click the eye icon, Preview. The map opens in the viewer in a new tab, the same as the people you share it with will see. If you change anything else, reload that tab.
The viewer
The viewer shows the map without the editing tools. People who can only view a map always open it in the viewer.
- Tick the box next to a layer to turn it on or off, and click the arrow to expand a group. What you change here only you can see, and Map Studio does not keep it.
- If you can edit this map, the left sidebar has a pencil button, Edit. Click it to go to the editor.