Back to all posts

How to Transfer Google Maps Saved Places to OsmAnd: Complete Guide

Learn how to export your Google Maps saved places and import them into OsmAnd with step-by-step instructions, including solutions for the geocoding challenge.

July 24, 2025

•

9 min read

OsmAnd is one of the best offline navigation apps available - it uses OpenStreetMap data, works completely without internet, and is available on both Android and iOS. If you're switching from Google Maps or want your saved places available offline, getting your data into OsmAnd makes sense. The challenge is that Google and OsmAnd don't talk to each other directly.

This guide covers how to export your Google Maps saved places and get them into OsmAnd as favorites or waypoints.

Why Move to OsmAnd?

True offline navigation: OsmAnd downloads complete map data to your device. No cell signal needed for routing, searching, or navigation.

Privacy: OsmAnd doesn't track your location or send data to remote servers. Your location stays on your device.

OpenStreetMap data: Often more detailed than commercial maps for trails, footpaths, and points of interest, especially in less-developed areas.

No subscription: The core features are free. Paid features are a one-time purchase, not recurring fees.

Customization: Extensive control over map rendering, voice guidance, routing preferences, and data management.

The trade-off: OsmAnd has a steeper learning curve than Google Maps, and you need to download map files for areas you'll visit.

Understanding Google Takeout's Two Export Formats

Before starting, it helps to know that Google Takeout produces two distinct file types for your saved places, depending on which option you select:

"Saved" → CSV files (this guide): When you select "Saved" in Takeout, you get one CSV file per list. These CSVs contain place names, addresses, URLs, and notes — but no coordinates. This covers all your custom lists, Starred Places, and Want to Go. This is the recommended path for OsmAnd because it's more complete and reliable.

"Maps (your places)" → Saved Places.json: Some Takeout exports also include a Saved Places.json GeoJSON file. This covers starred and labeled places (Home, Work) and has partial coordinates — but many entries export with [0, 0] coordinates (appearing in the Atlantic Ocean if imported directly), and custom-list places often import without names. If you try this path and see broken imports, switch to the CSV path below.

For a full comparison, see our Saved Places.json vs CSV guide.

The Export Challenge

Google Maps doesn't have a "export to OsmAnd" button. Instead, you need to:

  1. Export your saved places from Google Takeout (which gives you CSV files without coordinates)
  2. Add coordinates to those places (geocoding)
  3. Convert to GPX format (which OsmAnd can import)
  4. Import the GPX into OsmAnd as favorites

This sounds complicated, but it's straightforward once you know the steps.

Step-by-Step: Google Maps to OsmAnd

Step 1: Export from Google Takeout

  1. Go to Google Takeout
  2. Click "Deselect all"
  3. Find and select only "Saved"
  4. Click "Next step" → "Create export"
  5. Wait for the email, download, and unzip

The "Saved" folder contains CSV files for your lists.

Step 2: Convert to GPX with Coordinates

The CSV files need geocoding (adding coordinates) and format conversion. A service like Takeout Tools handles both: upload your CSV files, select GPX as the output format, and download the result.

Alternatively, you can use separate geocoding and conversion tools, but this requires more manual steps.

Step 3: Import into OsmAnd

Android:

  1. Copy the GPX file to your device (email it to yourself, use cloud storage, or connect via USB)
  2. Locate the file using a file manager
  3. Tap the GPX file - OsmAnd should offer to import it
  4. Or: Open OsmAnd → Menu → My Places → Favorites → ⋮ menu → Import

iOS:

  1. Get the GPX file onto your device (AirDrop, email, cloud storage)
  2. Open the file and choose "Share" or "Open with"
  3. Select OsmAnd from the share options
  4. OsmAnd imports the waypoints as favorites

Alternative method — import as a Track (Android):

  1. Open OsmAnd
  2. Menu → My Places → Tracks
  3. Import the GPX file

Note: importing via Tracks stores the file as a track, not as Favorites. Waypoints inside the track file appear as track waypoints, which are managed separately from Favorites. If you want your places in Favorites (the recommended path for saved places), use the Favorites import path above, not Tracks.

Step 4: Organize in OsmAnd

After import, your places appear in OsmAnd as favorites. You can:

  • Create groups: Organize favorites into folders (Restaurants, Travel, etc.)
  • Customize appearance: Set different colors and icons for different categories
  • Add to map: Toggle visibility of specific groups on the main map
  • Navigate: Tap any favorite and choose Navigate to get directions

Understanding OsmAnd Favorites vs Waypoints

OsmAnd has two concepts that can hold your places:

Favorites: Points you've saved for quick access. They appear in the Favorites section of My Places, can be organized into groups, and show with custom icons on the map.

Track waypoints: Points associated with a GPX track. They're stored within the track file and managed separately.

For imported Google Maps places, favorites are usually more practical - they behave similarly to Google Maps saved places.

Pro Tips

  1. Download maps first. Before importing hundreds of places, download the OsmAnd maps for the relevant regions. Otherwise, you won't be able to see or navigate to your imported favorites.

  2. Keep list structure. If you have multiple Google Maps lists, export them as separate GPX files. In OsmAnd, create favorite groups for each and import separately. This preserves your organization.

  3. Check the map preview. After importing, zoom out on OsmAnd to verify your places appear where expected. Occasionally geocoding puts a place in the wrong location.

  4. Use meaningful names. OsmAnd's search works on favorite names. If your Google Maps places have cryptic names, consider cleaning them up before or after import.

  5. Color-code categories. OsmAnd lets you assign colors to favorite groups. Use this to visually distinguish restaurants from hotels from attractions on the map.

  6. Export from OsmAnd as backup. Once your favorites are set up, export them from OsmAnd (My Places → Favorites → Export). This gives you a backup independent of both Google and OsmAnd's cloud.

Troubleshooting

Favorites don't appear on the map

  • Check that the favorite group is visible (My Places → Favorites → tap the eye icon for each group)
  • Verify you have the map downloaded for that area
  • Try restarting OsmAnd

Import fails or shows errors

  • Verify the GPX file is valid (try opening it in Google Earth first)
  • Check file encoding (should be UTF-8)
  • For very large files, try splitting into smaller batches

Places are in the wrong location

  • This usually means geocoding resolved to the wrong address
  • Open the favorite in OsmAnd and manually adjust the position
  • Or re-geocode the original place with a more specific address

Places imported without names — showing as "Waypoint 001", "Waypoint 002"

This is the most common OsmAnd import failure. It means the GPX file has coordinates but the <name> field is empty or was never populated. Three causes:

  1. You converted Saved Places.json directly — Google's GeoJSON format stores names in a properties.name field that many basic converters don't map to the GPX <name> tag. Fix: use the CSV path instead (Takeout → "Saved" → upload CSV to Takeout Tools → export as GPX). Takeout Tools correctly maps all name fields.

  2. You used a converter that stripped names — some online GPX converters discard the name/description fields. Check the resulting GPX in a text editor and look for <name> tags inside each <wpt> element. If they're empty or missing, use a different converter.

  3. Renaming .json to .geojson and importing directly — importing the raw GeoJSON without geocoding often produces unnamed waypoints. Use the GPX export path via Takeout Tools instead.

For a full walkthrough of this problem and all fixes, see Why Your Google Maps Import Shows "Waypoint 001".

Names or descriptions are missing

  • Check that the original Google Takeout CSV had the data
  • Some conversion tools strip certain fields - try a different tool if needed

Frequently Asked Questions

Free Tools

Already have a GPX file? Use our free browser-based tools:

See Other Export Guides

Looking for different destinations?

How to Transfer Google Maps Saved Places to OsmAnd: Complete Guide | Takeout Tools