You finally finished building the perfect list of Nashville restaurants, honky-tonks, and hidden patio bars — and now three friends are texting you asking for “the map.” Copying and pasting addresses one by one isn’t it. Google Maps already has a built-in way to hand over your whole list in a few taps.
Quick answer: To share Google Maps saved places, open the Saved tab, select the list you want to share, tap the three-dot menu (or Share icon), and choose “Share.” You can send a view-only link or invite people as editors who can add and remove places. Starred Places can’t be shared directly — only custom lists, Favorites, and Want to Go lists support sharing.
What Counts as a “Saved Place” in Google Maps
Not every saved spot in Google Maps works the same way, and that trips people up constantly.
Google Maps ships with three built-in lists: Favorites, Starred Places, and Want to Go. You can also build unlimited custom lists — “Nashville Bachelorette Weekend” or “Broadway Bars We’re Trying” both work fine as names.
Here’s the part most guides skip: sharing works at the list level, not the individual place level. If you want to hand someone a single restaurant, you send them that location directly. If you want to hand them your whole curated Nashville lineup, you share the list it lives in.
Quick takeaway: Before you can share anything, make sure the places you want to hand off are sitting inside a custom list, Favorites, or Want to Go — not just starred.
How to Share a Google Maps List on iPhone
- Open Google Maps and tap Saved at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the list you want to share.
- Tap the Share icon near the top of the list.
- Choose whether to send a view-only link or invite collaborators who can edit.
- Pick how you want to send it — Messages, Mail, or any app installed on your phone.
If you don’t see a Share option, double-check you’re inside a list and not just a single saved pin — that’s the most common snag on iPhone.
How to Share a Google Maps List on Android
- Open the Google Maps app and go to Saved.
- Open the list you want to hand off.
- Tap Share.
- To let people add or remove places themselves, tap Invite collaborators instead of the plain share option.
- Choose your sharing app and send the link.
Anyone who accepts a collaborator invite can see the names and profile pictures of everyone else on the list, along with a record of who added or edited each place. Worth knowing before you invite the whole group chat.
How to Share a Google Maps List on Desktop
- Open Google Maps in a browser and click Menu > Saved.
- Find the list you want to share and click More (the three dots).
- Click Share, then Send a link to view, or choose Invite to edit for collaborative access.
- Click Copy the link, then paste it wherever you’re messaging your group.
Desktop sharing gets skipped in a lot of guides that only cover mobile, but it’s often the easier option if you’re already sitting at a computer building out a full Nashville itinerary with tabs open for restaurant hours and show times.
Private, Shared, or Public — Which Setting to Use
Every list carries a visibility setting, and picking the wrong one is how people accidentally end up with a public list of their favorite bars.
| Setting | Who can see it | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Only you | Personal lists you’re not ready to share yet |
| Shared | Anyone with the link | A group trip — send the link to your travel group, nobody outside it stumbles onto it |
| Public | Anyone, discoverable on your profile | Local Guides publishing recommendations publicly |
Separately from visibility, you choose an edit permission: view-only, or full editing rights. For a Nashville trip, view-only works if you’re the one curating everything. Turn on editing if you want friends to add their own must-visit spots directly to the same list instead of texting you links all week.
Why You Can’t Share Starred Places (and What to Do Instead)
This one catches people off guard: Starred Places is the one built-in list Google doesn’t let you share, full stop.
The fix is simple — move the places into a custom list or your Want to Go list instead. Save the place again, and when the save menu pops up, choose (or create) a shareable list rather than tapping the star icon. It takes an extra few seconds per place, but it’s the only workaround, and it’s a lot less annoying than starring twenty places only to find out later none of them can be handed off.
What the Other Person Sees When You Save a Shared List
When someone opens your shared link, they’ll see every place on the list, along with photos, ratings, hours, and any notes you’ve attached. If they tap Save list, it appears under “Lists you saved” in their own Saved tab, and those places show up as pins on their personal map automatically — unless they hide the list.
If they were invited as a collaborator rather than a viewer, they can add new pins, remove ones you added, and leave notes of their own. That’s the difference between handing someone a static map and building one together in real time.
Using a Shared List to Plan a Nashville Trip
This is where a shared Google Maps list earns its keep, and it’s the part most tutorials never actually walk through.
Say four of you are heading to Nashville for a long weekend. Instead of a group chat buried under screenshots, one person creates a list called “Nashville 2026” and starts pinning the essentials: a honky-tonk crawl down Broadway, the Country Music Hall of Fame, brunch at a Gulch spot like Biscuit Love, and a day-trip detour to Franklin or Arrington Vineyards if the schedule allows.
That person shares the list with editing turned on. Everyone in the group can then drop in their own must-see spot — someone wants to add the Johnny Cash Museum, someone else pins a specific mural for photos — without a single extra text thread.
The real advantage over a shared document or spreadsheet: the list lives directly on the map you’ll actually be navigating with once you land. Tap a pin, get directions, no app-switching.
Quick takeaway: For group trips, turn on collaborator editing early. It’s far easier to build the list together from day one than to merge four separate lists the night before you fly out.
Offline Access and Exporting Your Saved Places
Shared lists work offline if you download the relevant map area in advance — open your profile picture, tap Offline maps, and select the area you’ll need, like downtown Nashville. Your saved pins will still show up even without signal, which matters more than people expect once you’re weaving through Broadway’s crowds with spotty coverage.
If you want a backup outside of Google Maps entirely, Google Takeout lets you export your saved lists. Head to takeout.google.com, make sure “Saved” is checked, choose your export format, and generate the file. It’s a good habit before a big trip, in case anything goes sideways with sync.
Fixing Common Sharing Problems
A few issues come up often enough to call out directly:
- Recipient can’t see the list: Confirm you shared the list itself, not a single pin, and double-check the link wasn’t sent before you finished setting visibility to Shared.
- Places go missing after syncing: This is a known friction point between desktop and mobile — give it a minute and refresh, and if it persists, check that everyone is signed into the correct Google account.
- Collaborator can’t edit: Make sure you invited them as an editor and not just a viewer — those are two different links.
- List won’t update on someone else’s map: They likely saved a static copy rather than staying linked to the live list; have them reopen your original share link.
None of these are fatal — most resolve with a refresh, a re-sent link, or a quick permissions check.
Conclusion
Sharing a Google Maps saved places list takes less than a minute once you know where the Share button actually lives — Saved tab, open the list, Share, choose view-only or editor access. The bigger win is what it unlocks: a Nashville trip where nobody’s digging through old texts trying to remember which rooftop bar someone recommended three weeks ago. Build the list, turn on collaborator editing, and let your whole group add to the map before you even land.
Next step: Open Google Maps right now, create a “Nashville” list, and send the share link to your travel group before you forget.
You can find more Nashville tips and recommendations in our main Nashville travel resource.
FAQ Section
Q1: How do I share my saved places on Google Maps?
Open the Saved tab, select the list, tap Share, then choose to send a view-only link or invite collaborators who can edit. This works on iPhone, Android, and desktop, with slightly different menu locations on each.
Q2: Can I share a Google Maps list without giving edit access?
Yes. When sharing, choose the plain “share a link” or “send a link to view” option instead of “invite collaborators” or “invite to edit.” Recipients can view and save the list but not change it.
Q3: Why can’t I share Starred Places on Google Maps?
Starred Places is the one built-in list that doesn’t support sharing. Move the places into a custom list, Favorites, or Want to Go instead, then share that list.
Q4: How do others see my shared Google Maps list?
They see every pinned place with photos, hours, and ratings. If they tap “Save list,” it appears in their own Saved tab and shows on their personal map automatically.
Q5: Can I access a shared Google Maps list offline?
Yes, if you download the relevant area under Offline maps beforehand. Your saved pins remain visible even without a signal.
Q6: How many people can edit a shared Google Maps list?
There’s no strict published cap for casual group use — invite everyone in your travel group as a collaborator and they can all add or remove places on the same list.
Q7: Does sharing a Google Maps list share my real-time location?
No. Sharing a list only shares the pinned places, notes, and photos on that list — it’s separate from Google Maps’ live location-sharing feature.
Q8: Can I export my Google Maps saved places?
Yes, through Google Takeout at takeout.google.com. Select “Saved” under your export options and choose a file format to download a backup of your lists.
