How to Create and Share Custom Saved Lists in Google Maps

Planning travel itineraries, organizing client site visits, and recommending local venues often results in scattered notes, bookmarked URLs, and confusing messaging threads. Google Maps features a robust built-in curation system that allows users to organise geographical points of interest into custom saved lists. These collections can be customized with personal notes, shared via private or public links, and opened for multi-user collaboration. Understanding how to create and manage custom lists in Google Maps transforms geographic data into actionable, shareable itineraries.

Understanding Saved Lists in Google Maps

Google Maps provides several default bookmark categories—including Favourites, Want to go, and Starred places. While useful for personal reference, these default collections lack collaboration controls and custom item annotations.

Custom saved lists overcome these limitations. When you construct a dedicated list (e.g., Q4 London Client Sites or Tokyo Architecture Tour), you can:

• Attach descriptive notes and visit recommendations to each specific location pin.
• Invite team members or travel companions to act as collaborators with editing rights.
• Control list privacy (Private, Shared via Link, or Public on your Google Maps profile).
• Access the collection offline on mobile devices via cached map data.

Prerequisites and Platform Access

• A personal or Google Workspace Google Account.
• Web access via a desktop browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox) or the Google Maps mobile app on iOS or Android.
• Location services enabled for interactive navigation routing.

How to Create a Custom Saved List on Desktop

Curating detailed lists with extensive research is easiest on a desktop interface:

1. Open your browser and navigate to Google Maps.
2. Click the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the upper-left corner of the search panel.
3. Select Saved (depicted by a bookmark icon).
4. In the Saved panel, click on the Lists tab.
5. Click the blue New list button at the top.
6. Enter a concise, informative list name (e.g., Berlin Tech Hubs & Coworking).
7. Enter an optional description detailing the list’s scope or purpose.
8. Choose an initial icon or emoji to represent the collection visually on your map canvas.
9. Click Save to establish the empty list.

Adding Locations and Custom Annotations

Once created, populating your list with curated locations is straightforward:

1. Search for a business, address, or geographic landmark in the Google Maps search bar.
2. In the location information card that appears, click the Save button (bookmark ribbon icon).
3. A checklist of your saved lists will pop up. Check the box corresponding to your custom list.
4. Click Add note below the list name to append practical contextual guidance (e.g., “Visitor badge required at reception; use rear loading dock for equipment”).
5. Click Done.

Enabling Multi-User Collaboration

To collaborate with team members or co-organizers:

1. Navigate back to Menu > Saved > Lists and click on your custom list.
2. Click the Collaborate button (or user silhouette icon with a plus symbol).
3. Toggle on the option labelled Allow others to edit this list.
4. Click Copy link to obtain the collaboration invite URL.
5. Distribute this link to authorized collaborators. When recipients open the link and accept the invitation, they can add new locations, delete items, and attach their own notes to map pins.

Sharing and Privacy Management

Google Maps provides flexible sharing configurations:

• Private: Visible exclusively to your Google Account. Default setting for new lists.
• Shared: Anyone with the secret URL can view the curated list, but only authorized collaborators can edit it.
• Public: Discoverable in Google Maps search and displayed on your public Local Guides profile.

To share a read-only view with clients or stakeholders, click the Share button on the list overview page, copy the viewing link, or share directly via email or social platforms.

Best Practices for Travel and Logistics Management

• Organize by Proximity: When building daily schedules, review pins on the map view to ensure clustered locations are visited together, minimizing commute overhead.
• Download for Offline Use: If traveling to areas with poor cellular reception, download the encompassing offline map area on your mobile device (via Offline maps) to ensure your saved pins remain navigable without active internet.
• Audit Notes Periodically: Revisit older lists to update seasonal opening hours, parking fees, or venue relocations.