Settings

The map editor's settings decide how measurements are written, what the map looks like, and how new shapes are drawn. Open them with settings Settings at the right end of the top toolbar. The panel opens on the right of the map; press arrow_back or click the map to close it.

Changes take effect at once: there is no Save button.

Where settings are saved#

Not every setting is kept in the same place:

• In your account, and so on every device and in every project: the map type and source, the measurement units, the coordinate system, the default polygon style, and the polygon and spot styles. The language is also saved to your account.
• In this browser only: the 3D view options, the map settings and the switches under General. They are cleared when you sign out.
• In this browser, kept when you sign out: the colour theme and the light or dark mode.
• In the project: its default product.

Someone who cannot edit the project does not see the products card, the style cards or the switches for the drawing tools. In a map embedded in a website, the settings open from a settings button on the right of the map, and the map type, units and coordinate system you choose there are not saved.

Products and estimates#

Default product is the product that new shapes in this project get, so that each one is priced as soon as you draw it. Press open_in_new Manage products to add or change products. See products and estimates.

This card appears to the project's owner and members who can edit it, not to visitors editing through a shared link.

3D view#

Switches between the 2D and 3D map, like the 3D button on the map. In 3D, three more options appear:

• Default height: where shapes sit in the 3D view.
  • On buildings: shapes lie on the surface and follow the rooftops.
  • On the ground: shapes lie on the bare ground and ignore buildings, for site work.
  • At a fixed height: shapes sit flat at a set height, like a roof plane. Type it in Default height (m); each shape can have its own.
• Raise shapes into solids: draws each shape as a solid block rather than a flat outline.
• Default tilt (°): how steeply the view tilts when you switch from the flat map to 3D, from 0° (looking straight down) to 90°. It starts at 55°.

This card is not shown when the 3D map is not available. See the 3D view and measure in 3D.

Map type#

• Map, Satellite, Hybrid or Terrain: what the map shows. See map types.
• Map source: where the imagery comes from, grouped into worldwide sources and national services by country. The same choice as map Map provider in the bottom toolbar. See map sources.

Measurement units#

Choose a system first, then the units within it:

A unit with two names is a pair: the app uses the smaller one for small measurements and the larger one for large ones. With Meter/Kilometer, for example, a side of 850 m is written in metres and one of 1,250 m as 1.25 km. With Square Meter/Hectare, areas are in square metres up to 1 hectare, and with Square Foot/Acre in square feet up to 1 acre. A single unit, such as Hectares or Acres, is always used.

With Foot & Inch/Mile, lengths are written in feet and inches, such as 12′ 6″; a length you type is still in feet, such as 12.5. A roofing square is 100 square feet. The Chinese units follow the market system: 1 bù is 5/3 m (0.6 bù to the metre) and 1 lǐ is 500 m.

To always use the smaller unit of a pair, turn on:

• Use only short distance units, for lengths.
• Use only short area units, for areas.

Changing the system sets both units back to the first in its list. Every measurement in the project, on the map and in the panels, changes to the new units at once; nothing about the shapes themselves changes.

Your first units are chosen for you the first time you open a project: imperial in the United States, metric elsewhere. You can also change them in personProfile & account on the dashboard. See profile and security.

Coordinate system#

• Decimal, DMS, DM or UTM: how coordinates are written in the measurements box and in the panels of points and spots.
• UTM datum: the datum used for UTM coordinates. WGS 84 is the default.

See coordinate systems.

Map settings#

• Marker clustering: when you zoom out, spots that pile up on each other are drawn as one marker with their number. Closer in, every spot is drawn on its own. On by default.
• Preview the next line: while drawing, shows the next line from the last point to the crosshair before you place it. On by default. See what the crosshair shows.
• Geodesic lines: draws lines along the curve of the Earth rather than straight on the flat map, which makes a difference over long distances. On by default.
• Show the lock button while drawing: shows a lock button in the middle of the shape you are drawing, to finish it with one click. On by default. See finish and lock the polygon.
• HD maps: loads sharper Google Maps imagery on high-resolution screens. It uses more data. On by default.
• Traffic layer: shows live traffic on the roads. While it is on, the map shows Google's own map, whatever source you chose. It turns itself off when you close the project.

Default polygon style#

How new polygons and polylines look when you start drawing them. It also applies to the shape you are drawing, but not to shapes already finished: to change those, use their own panel. See styling.

• Line style: the colour of the outline, and whether it is solid, dashed, dotted or another pattern.
• Fill colour: the colour inside polygons.
• Line width: from 1 to 10.
• Polygon transparency: how much the fill lets the imagery show through, from 0% (solid) to 100%.

Polygon style#

These apply to every shape in every project, straight away:

• Polygon label size: the size of each shape's label, from 1 to 10.
• Description label size: the size of point descriptions shown on the map.
• Intermediate distances size: the size of the side lengths.
• Pin icon size: the size of the pins, from 20 to 60.
• Show intermediate distances: whether new shapes show their side lengths. Each shape can change this in its own panel.
• Show decimals in intermediate distances: side lengths with up to two decimals, or rounded to whole units.

See display options for hiding labels, and choose what the label shows for one shape's label.

Spot style#

• Spot label size: the size of the spots' names, from 1 to 10.
• Spot icon size: the size of the spot markers, from 20 to 60.

General#

• Pin sound: a short sound when you place a point and for some other actions.
• Show total measurements box: the box at the top left of the map with the area and perimeter. See the measurements box.
• Show crosshair coordinates: adds the crosshair's coordinates to that box.
• Always show crosshair (for touch screens): keeps a crosshair in the middle of the map, to draw by tapping. See on a touch screen.
• Help box: a hint above the magic button that explains the current tool. See the help box.
• translate Language: the language of the whole app.
• Theme: one of ten colour themes for the whole app, such as Classic (the default) or Hi-Vis. See colour theme.
• Mode: Light or Dark.
• cookie Cookie settings: your cookie choices. See privacy and cookies.

The language and theme can also be changed at the bottom of the dashboard's menu. See the dashboard.