You can use Google Earth to travel the world, navigate across terrain, and customize your view angles. This page covers basic navigation controls and viewport settings.
To adjust your basemap type (satellite or map mode), change detail levels (borders, labels, roads), or turn on additional layers (like gridlines or animated clouds), see Adjust basemap settings.
Navigate in Google Earth
- On your computer, open
Google Earth. - Click Explore Earth to view the globe.
- Choose an action:
- To find a specific place, click Search.
- Move around: Drag with your mouse.
- Zoom in and out: At the bottom right, use +/- or right drag the mouse.
- Explore around your location: Hold Ctrl + drag the screen.
To learn more about keyboard shortcuts, go to the home screen, then go to Help Keyboard shortcuts.
Change the view
- Switch between top-down view and orbiting 3D view: At the bottom right, click
3D.
If you're already in 3D view, you'll find 2D instead. - Reset your globe to face true north: At the bottom right, click the compass.
- Fly to your current location: At the bottom right, click My Location.
Troubleshoot places that load slowly
Sometimes, places take time to show in Google Earth. To experience Earth images on your device more quickly, you may need to change your image quality settings.
- On your computer, open Google Earth.
- In the upper-right corner, click the Settings icon.
- Under "Rendering quality," choose a size.
- Click Done.