Recover a deleted Google map

March 7, 2008 1:00 PM

How do I recover a deleted Google map?

I accidentally deleted a map that I made in Google Maps. How do I get it back? It's still cached somehow because I went back to it using my browser history, but if I go to Google maps in another tab it's not there anymore. I have a tab sitting here looking at the map, but I have to leave work in about half an hour! Help!

posted by Who_Am_I to Computers & Internet (13 answers total)

Response by poster: Oh, and I tried using the "link to this page" and it put me in the middle of South Dakota.
posted by Who_Am_I at 1:06 PM on March 7, 2008

If you can go back to it using your browser history, then once you're at the map, click the link on the far right above the map that says "Link to this page." A box will pop up with two text boxes in it, one already selected for you below the text "Paste link in email or IM." Copy that address; it's the direct link to the map you've created.
posted by limeonaire at 1:20 PM on March 7, 2008

And you can test out the address by copying it, then pasting it into the location bar in another tab and hitting enter to load the page. If it works, paste it into an email to yourself so you can pull it up again at home!
posted by limeonaire at 1:22 PM on March 7, 2008

Response by poster: Yeah I did try that, the only thing that it preserved was my zoom level. The link takes me to a blank map zoomed in on South Dakota, which is the default center starting point. None of my added items remain when I do that.
posted by Who_Am_I at 1:24 PM on March 7, 2008

Ah, just realized that was you saying you tried the "Link to this page" thing.

Maybe, if you don't want to add the addresses in manually again, you can just drag and drop the map destination and start points again. That might sort of "reset" it. Then see if you can use "Link to this page."
posted by limeonaire at 1:25 PM on March 7, 2008

Response by poster: Oh sorry, that's Kansas.
posted by Who_Am_I at 1:25 PM on March 7, 2008

Response by poster: Ah, that's a good idea. Sadly, when I did 'Edit' and moved an item, it came up with 'Sorry, we're having technical difficulties. Error code (0)', which presumably means that it tried to communicate back with the server and my map wasn't there, or marked as deleted or whatever.
posted by Who_Am_I at 1:28 PM on March 7, 2008

Alternately, do you still have written down or in another tab the start and end addresses? You could just type them in again, couldn't you?

And if you wanted to automate the process with a URL, you could copy this into your location bar:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=

followed (with no space in between) by

from 123 Your Address City State Zip to 456 Other Address City State Zip
posted by limeonaire at 1:31 PM on March 7, 2008

Response by poster: It was actually a map that I had put together with a bunch of placemarks on it, not directions. I can recreate it eventually, I'm just trying to avoid having to do that.
posted by Who_Am_I at 1:34 PM on March 7, 2008

Hmm. Another thought: Doesn't My Maps automatically keep a list of maps you've created? It might be somewhere in that list...
posted by limeonaire at 1:38 PM on March 7, 2008

Response by poster: Yes it was listed there, that's where I deleted it. When I go there in a new tab that list is empty.
posted by Who_Am_I at 1:41 PM on March 7, 2008

Response by poster: Well I have to go home, so I guess this one's a loss. Thanks for your help limeonaire, and if you or anyone else figures out how to do this I'd still like to know.
posted by Who_Am_I at 1:46 PM on March 7, 2008

Heh. Sorry I couldn't come up with a non-obvious solution that would work!
posted by limeonaire at 8:48 PM on March 8, 2008