What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Google Maps can identify a precise place even when it has no conventional street address. Its Plus Codes feature, based on Google’s Open Location Code system, creates a compact digital address for a point or small area. You can copy one from your current location, a dropped pin, or a desktop map and send it to someone else.
What a Plus Code is
A Plus Code is a short location code generated from geographic coordinates. It can mark a home, shop, trailhead, meeting point, building entrance or delivery drop-off without relying on a named road or street number.
Google launched Plus Codes in 2015. The system is also supported in Google location services such as Places and Geocoding, allowing applications to work with these digital addresses.
How to create and share a Plus Code
For your current location on Android
- Open Google Maps and tap the blue location dot.
- Swipe up on the location panel until you reach the Plus Code section.
- Tap Copy code.
- Paste the code into a text message, email or another sharing channel.
For any point on Android
- Press and hold the desired spot on the map to drop a pin.
- Open the location panel for that pin.
- Tap the displayed Plus Code, then copy or share it.
On a computer
- Open Google Maps in a desktop browser and click the location you want to identify.
- Open the coordinate or location-details area.
- Select the Plus Code and copy it.
How to search with a Plus Code
Paste a complete Plus Code into the Google Maps search box. A full code contains the area prefix, so it can be searched from anywhere without additional geographic context.
#1 Best Overall
- Bright, high-resolution 5” glass capacitive touchscreen display lets you easily view your route
- Get more situational awareness with alerts for school zones, speed changes, sharp curves and more
- View food, fuel and rest areas along your active route, and see upcoming cities and milestones
- View Tripadvisor traveler ratings for top-rated restaurants, hotels and attractions to help you make the most of road trips
- Directory of U.S. national parks simplifies navigation to entrances, visitor centers and landmarks within the parks
A local Plus Code leaves out that prefix. If you are already in the relevant town or locality, you can enter the six- or seven-character local portion by itself. When searching from elsewhere, add the town or city. The same shortened code can exist in different places, so a local code without its locality is ambiguous.
When Plus Codes are useful
- No formal address: Share a rural home, campsite, farm, trailhead or other place where roads or buildings are not assigned conventional addresses.
- Precise deliveries: Give a driver the intended drop-off point instead of relying on a large property, an unmarked entrance or vague directions.
- Specific entrances: Identify one entrance to a complex, hospital or venue, or a point along a long rural road, even when the property already has an address.
- Emergency and community coordination: Help emergency responders, social-service teams and local projects locate people or facilities where ordinary addressing is incomplete.
- Unmapped or poorly mapped areas: In supported Google Maps situations, codes can be used where named streets are missing, including some offline searches.
Plus Code versus a conventional address
| Need | Conventional street address | Plus Code |
|---|---|---|
| Routine mail and official records | Usually the better-established format where one exists | Supplementary rather than a universal replacement |
| Place has no named street or number | May be unavailable or too vague | Can identify the point directly |
| Exact entrance or roadside point | May identify only the broader property | Can mark the intended location precisely |
| Sharing by message | Can be lengthy or require extra directions | Compact and easy to copy |
| Short local code used away from its area | Not applicable | Ambiguous unless paired with a town or city |
Google describes Plus Codes as an addition to conventional addresses, not a blanket replacement for them. Use the normal address for postal, legal and administrative purposes when it is available; use the code when the address is missing, unclear or not specific enough.
Rank #2
- 6” high-resolution navigator includes map updates of North America
- Hands-free calling when paired with your compatible smartphone with BLUETOOTH technology and convenient Garmin voice assist lets you ask for directions to places you want to go
- Road trip–ready features include the HISTORY database of notable sites, a U.S. national parks directory, Tripadvisor traveler ratings and millions of Foursquare POIs
- Driver alerts for things such as school zones, sharp curves and speed changes help encourage safer driving and increase situational awareness
- Access live traffic, fuel prices, parking, weather and smart notifications when you pair this navigator with your compatible smartphone running the Garmin Drive app
Full codes and shortened local codes
Full global code
The full form includes the geographic area prefix. Because that prefix identifies the broader location, the code can be shared with someone who is far away and searched without first setting a locality.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesShortened local code
The shortened form omits the area prefix to make local sharing quicker. It only works reliably when the recipient knows the associated town or city. Include that locality in the same message whenever the recipient might be outside the area.
Rank #3
- Explore confidently with the reliable handheld GPS
- 2.2” sunlight-readable color display with 240 x 320 display pixels for improved readability
- Preloaded with Topo Active maps with routable roads and trails for cycling and hiking
- Support for GPS and GLONASS satellite systems allows for tracking in more challenging environments than GPS alone
- 8 GB of internal memory for map downloads plus a micro SD card slot
Practical sharing advice
- For a remote recipient, copy and send the full code rather than only the shortened portion.
- For a local recipient, send the locality alongside a short code to remove ambiguity.
- Drop the pin on the actual meeting point or entrance, not merely the property’s center.
- Ask the recipient to paste the code into Google Maps and verify the displayed pin before traveling.
- Keep a conventional address in the message too when one exists and is useful for building access, mail or official records.
What Plus Codes cannot do
A Plus Code does not automatically create a legal street address, rename a road or replace an address recognized by postal and government systems. It is a digital location identifier generated from map data. Availability and behavior can vary with the Google Maps app, map coverage and whether a device is online; a code should not be treated as proof that a road is drivable or that a property is publicly accessible.
The code identifies a location, but it does not provide permission to enter private land, guarantee a delivery service will accept it, or replace local emergency-service procedures. For urgent incidents, follow the emergency guidance used in your country and provide every available landmark or address as well as the code.
Rank #4
- 8” navigator with high-resolution, dual-orientation display and map updates of North America .Special Feature:Large Display; Voice Assist; Hands-Free Calling; Live Traffic and Weather; Traffic Cams and Parking; Smart Notifications,Driver Alerts; Tripadvisor; National Parks Directory; Find Places by Name; Garmin Real Directions Feature.
- Hands-free calling when paired with your compatible smartphone with BLUETOOTH technology and convenient Garmin voice assist lets you ask for directions to places you want to go
- Road trip–ready features include the HISTORY database of notable sites, a U.S. national parks directory, Tripadvisor traveler ratings and millions of Foursquare POIs
- Driver alerts for things such as school zones, sharp curves and speed changes help encourage safer driving and increase situational awareness
- Access live traffic, fuel prices, weather, parking and smart notifications when you pair this navigator with your compatible smartphone running the Garmin Drive app
Why this matters for places without addresses
Traditional addressing assumes named streets, numbered buildings and maintained postal records. Many rural and rapidly developing areas do not fit that model. Plus Codes let people describe a precise point using a format that can be copied, shared and searched in mapping software. They are also useful in fully addressed cities when a broad street address does not tell a visitor which entrance or roadside point to use.
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThat makes the feature especially practical for deliveries, field work, disaster response, community services and meetups in places where written directions are error-prone.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Bright, high-resolution 5” glass capacitive touchscreen display lets you easily view your route
- Get more situational awareness with alerts for school zones, speed changes, sharp curves and more
- View food, fuel and rest areas along your active route, and see upcoming cities and milestones
- View Tripadvisor traveler ratings for top-rated restaurants, hotels and attractions to help you make the most of road trips
- Directory of U.S. national parks simplifies navigation to entrances, visitor centers and landmarks within the parks
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
