Google Maps URL Formats Explained: Every Type of Link Decoded

  • 8 link types
  • Free converter, no sign-up
  • Updated September 2026

Short answer

The part after google.com/maps/ tells you the type: /place/ holds a name and coordinates, /search/ search words, /@ only coordinates, /dir/ a route. A maps.app.goo.gl short link hides one of these. All of them convert to Apple Maps below — except bare cid links, place_id links and whole lists.

The 8 link types

Find your link's pattern. The pill says what Quick Convert does with it.

  • Place link ✓ Converts

    google.com/maps/place/
    Eiffel+Tower/@48.8584,2.2945,17z

    • place name
    • coordinates
    • zoom

    The address-bar link of an open place. Name and coordinates both carry over.

  • Short link ✓ Resolved first

    maps.app.goo.gl/Ab3xYz

    • short code — hides the full link

    What Share in Google Maps gives you; goo.gl/maps links too. Quick Convert follows the redirect first.

  • Search link ✓ Searches the name

    google.com/maps/search/
    Louvre+Museum/@48.8606,2.3376,15z

    • search words
    • coordinates

    A search, not one place: the words become the Apple Maps query. Links with q= or api=1&query= work the same.

  • Coordinates only ✓ Converts

    google.com/maps/
    @52.520008,13.404954,15z

    • coordinates
    • zoom

    No name, just a position on the map. Apple Maps opens at the same spot.

  • Directions link ✓ Final stop

    google.com/maps/dir/
    Louvre/Notre-Dame/Eiffel+Tower

    • start and stops
    • final stop

    A route. Only the final stop carries over, not the route itself.

  • cid link Needs the name

    google.com/maps?cid=
    10281119596374313554

    • numeric place ID — no name

    The number holds no name, so a bare cid link fails. It works when the link also carries the place name.

  • Place ID link ✗ Not directly

    google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:
    ChIJN1t_tDeuEmsRUsoyG83frY4

    • Google place ID

    No name or coordinates inside. Share the place from Google Maps and convert that link.

  • List or My Maps link File converter

    google.com/maps/placelists/list/
    Qm9vZ2xlTGlzdA

    • list ID

    A whole list, not one place. Export it and use the file converter, or the app.

Convert a link now

Paste any Google Maps link — place, pin, short link or directions.

Whole list? Use the file converter.

Details for developers

The Apple Maps link Quick Convert builds

maps.apple.com/?q=Eiffel%20Tower&ll=48.8584,2.2945

  • name
  • coordinates

Apple's classic maps.apple.com form. With no name in the Google link it carries only ll=lat,lng&z=17; with no coordinates, only q=Name. It opens the Maps app on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and a web map elsewhere. Every parameter is in the Apple Maps URL scheme guide.

Regex for coordinates, names and stops

Decode the URL first (decodeURIComponent), then:

// @lat,lng (place, search, coords)
/@(-?\d+\.?\d*),(-?\d+\.?\d*)/

// in data=: !3d = lat, !4d = lng
/!3d(-?\d+\.?\d*)/
/!4d(-?\d+\.?\d*)/

// name or search words (+ = space)
/\/maps\/(?:place|search)\/([^/@]+)/

// q=, query= and daddr= parameters
new URL(link).searchParams.get('q')

Directions: split the path after /maps/dir/ on /, drop segments that start with @ or contain =, and take the last one — that's the destination.

Short links and wrapped links

A maps.app.goo.gl or goo.gl/maps link is a redirect. Request it, follow the redirect to the full google.com/maps URL, then parse that.

Links copied from Facebook, Instagram or Google often wrap the real link in a redirect parameter (u=, q= or url=). Decode it before parsing. Quick Convert does both for you.

FAQ

Which URL format is most reliable for conversion?

Place links (/maps/place/Name/@lat,lng), because they carry both the place name and its coordinates. Coordinate-only links give the spot but no name. Short links work once resolved, cid links need the place name alongside, and place_id links don't convert directly.

What is the cid parameter in Google Maps URLs?

A numeric ID for one Google Maps place listing, as in google.com/maps?cid=10281119596374313554. It holds no name or coordinates, so Quick Convert converts a cid link only when the link also carries the place name (for example ?q=Name&cid=…).

How do I extract coordinates from a Google Maps URL?

Find the @ followed by two numbers separated by a comma: that's latitude, longitude. In google.com/maps/@48.8584,2.2945,17z the coordinates are 48.8584, 2.2945 and 17z is the zoom. Short links hide them until the link is resolved, which the converter does for you.

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