How to Draw a Radius on Google Maps

Google Maps is brilliant at directions, but it has one surprising gap: there is no button that draws a radius circle. If you want to see everything within 10 miles of your store, your school, or your house, Google Maps won't do it in one click. The good news is that there are reliable workarounds — and one method that takes under a minute.

Method 1: The measure-distance workaround (fastest, no account needed)

This is the quickest way to visualize a radius directly inside Google Maps.

On desktop:

• Go to maps.google.com and search for your center point (an address or place name).
• Right-click on the exact center and choose Measure distance.
• Click anywhere on the map — a line appears showing the distance from your center.
• Drag the endpoint until the readout matches your radius (say, 10 miles). You've now marked one point on your circle's edge.
• To sketch the full circle, add more points around the center at the same distance — north, south, east, west, and the diagonals. Right-click and choose Clear measurement when done.

It's approximate, but for a quick "is this address roughly within my delivery zone?" check, it works. The readout shows both miles and kilometers, and you can zoom in for precision.

On mobile (Android and iPhone):

• Open the Google Maps app and drop a pin on your center (long-press the spot).
• Swipe up the place card at the bottom and tap Measure distance.
• Move the map so the crosshair sits at your desired edge point — the distance updates live.
• Repeat in a few directions to feel out the boundary.

Method 2: My Maps (for a saved, shareable radius)

If you need a radius you can save, share, or print, use Google My Maps at mymaps.google.com:

• Click Create a new map, then use the search bar to find your center.
• Under the search bar, click the drawing tools icon and choose Add line or shape, then Add line.
• My Maps can't stamp a perfect circle, so draw a line outward from your center and watch the distance readout until it equals your radius. Then draw additional lines in other directions, or trace a rough polygon connecting the endpoints.

The result won't be a mathematically perfect circle, but it gives you a saved map with a visible boundary you can share with a link or embed on a website. For delivery zones, sales territories, and school catchment sketches, it's usually enough.

Method 3: The one-click option (exact circle, no workaround)

Here's the honest truth: if you need a precise radius circle — a real circle with an exact radius in miles or kilometers, drawn to scale — Google Maps isn't the right tool, because it was never designed for it. That's exactly why dedicated radius tools exist.

With MapBench's free radius tool, you type an address, enter the distance, and get a true circle on the map in seconds — no account, no workaround. From there you can go further than Google Maps ever could:

• Find every ZIP code within a radius — essential for direct-mail campaigns and service-area planning.
• List cities within a radius of any point.
• Estimate the population within a radius — useful for site selection and market sizing.
• Draw several circles at once with the multi-radius map to compare coverage areas.
• Sketch freehand shapes and annotations with the map drawer.

Radius vs. drive time: which do you actually need?

A radius circle measures straight-line distance — "as the crow flies." That's perfect for legal boundaries, broadcast ranges, and rough coverage sketches. But if you're planning deliveries or a commute, what matters is how far you can *drive* in a given time, which follows roads, not straight lines. A 10-mile radius in a dense city might be a 40-minute drive; on an open highway, 15 minutes. If travel time is what you care about, a drive-time map draws the boundary based on actual road networks instead of a perfect circle. Use a radius when the rule is written as a distance ("within 5 miles"), and drive time when the constraint is the clock ("within 20 minutes").

Which method should you use?

• Quick visual check: the measure-distance trick (Method 1).
• Saved map to share with a team: My Maps (Method 2).
• Exact circle, ZIP codes, or population inside the radius: a dedicated radius tool (Method 3).

Frequently asked questions

Can I draw a radius circle directly in the Google Maps app? No. Neither the app nor the desktop site has a radius-circle feature. The measure-distance workaround above is the closest native option.

Is there a radius tool in Google My Maps? Not a dedicated one. You can approximate a radius with lines and shapes, but My Maps won't generate a circle from a center point and distance automatically.

How do I draw a 5-mile radius around my house? Search your address on Google Maps, right-click, choose Measure distance, and mark points 5 miles out in each direction. For an exact circle, use a radius tool and enter "5 miles."

Can I see what's inside the radius, not just the circle? Google Maps can't do that natively. Dedicated tools can list the cities, ZIP codes, and population inside any radius you draw.