Measure distance on a map, point by point
This tool lets you measure distance on a map by clicking: open the OpenStreetMap map, click where you start, click each bend of your route, and the total appears at once in kilometres, miles, metres or feet. Use it to measure a running or walking route, the length of a fence or boundary, a straight line between two spots as the crow flies, or a boat trip in nautical miles.
Tick Closed shape and the last point joins back to the first, giving the perimeter and the area of a field, park or plot. Drag any numbered marker to fix a point, undo the last click, and download the result as GPX for a watch or phone app, KML for Google Earth, GeoJSON or a PNG picture. Everything is calculated in your browser.
How to use the Measure Distance on Map
- Optionally search for a place, or press Add my position.
- Press Open map and click to measure, zoom in, and click your start point.
- Click each corner or bend in order. Each segment and the running total appear below.
- Drag a marker to move it; use Undo point or Clear to fix mistakes.
- Choose the unit, enter your pace for a time estimate, and tick Closed shape for area.
Measure Distance on Map features
Click to measure
Add as many points as you need (up to 1,000) on a zoomable street map.
Five units
Kilometres, miles, metres, feet and nautical miles, plus a bearing for each segment.
Running and walking time
Time at 5 km/h walking and at your own pace per km or per mile.
Area of a loop
Perimeter and area in m², hectares, acres or km² for a closed shape.
Type or paste points
Edit the “lat, lon” list directly — it works offline without the map.
How the distance is measured
Each segment is the shortest path over the Earth between two clicks, computed with Vincenty’s formula on the WGS-84 ellipsoid — the Earth model used by GPS. That is the “as the crow flies” distance between the points. The total is the sum of the segments, so a route that follows a road or a trail is measured as accurately as you click it: more points on curves give a closer answer.
Example: the walk loaded on this page runs along the Central Vista in New Delhi, from India Gate past Vijay Chowk to the gates of Rashtrapati Bhavan. It measures about 2.95 km, roughly 35 minutes at a walking pace of 5 km/h.
The area of a closed shape is calculated on a sphere with the same surface area as the ellipsoid (the authalic sphere), after converting each latitude to its authalic latitude. For a field or a park the difference from a full ellipsoid calculation is negligible; the accuracy of your clicks matters far more.
Tips for accurate measuring
- Zoom in before clicking. At street level one screen pixel is under a metre; zoomed out it can be hundreds of metres.
- Put a point at every bend of a running route. Straight lines between far-apart clicks cut corners and make the route shorter than it is.
- For a race distance, measure the line you will actually run — the inside of bends — and expect a GPS watch to read 1–3% more.
- For driving distance along roads, use the road distance calculator; for city-to-city straight-line distance, the distance calculator; for plot area in local units such as gaj or bigha, the land area calculator.
Map data and privacy
The map uses OpenStreetMap tiles, loaded only after you press the button and only for the area you look at, with the attribution on the map. Place search uses Nominatim, one request at a time when you press Find. Your points stay in your browser.
Measure Distance on Map FAQ
How do I measure distance on a map?
Open the map, click your start point and then each point along the way. The total distance appears above the list of points, in the unit you choose.
Can I measure distance as the crow flies?
Yes. Click just the start and the end: the result is the straight-line distance over the Earth’s surface.
How do I measure a running route?
Click along the route, adding a point at every bend, then enter your pace per km or per mile to see the time. Download GPX to load the route into a running watch or app.
Can I get the distance in metres?
Yes — choose metres or feet. The stats also always show km, miles and metres together.
Can it measure area?
Yes. Tick Closed shape to join the last point to the first; the area appears in m², hectares, acres or km².
Does it snap to roads?
No. Points are joined with straight lines, so add enough points on curves. For a road route, use the road distance calculator.