Can I draw a radius on Google Maps?

For local businesses that offer home delivery — may it be food delivery, plumbing service, or electrical repair — it's crucial to set geographical boundaries as to where they'd deliver their product or service.

Let's take Toronto’s #1 pizza delivery restaurant (according to Tripadvisor), Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza, for example.

A restaurant that popular is bound to get orders from all over the city. But for them, it doesn't make operational sense to deliver 20 km away on the other side of the city.

So how can they set a geographical boundary?

For one, they can visually show the delivery area on Google Maps. How? Let me show you:

How Do I Show a Radius On Google Maps?

By default, Google Maps doesn’t have any tools to draw & display a radius, so you’ll have to use an external tool like the FreeMapTools’s radius tool or KML4Earth and create your own map.

Step 1: Locate your place on the Google Maps

Pinpoint the location you want to draw a circle around on Google Maps.

I’ll continue with the Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza example.

Then, note down the location’s latitude and longitude. For that, simply right-click on the location marker.

You’ll see something like this.

On left-clicking, the latitude and longitude will be copied to your clipboard. Keep it aside ⁠— we’ll use it in our next step.

Step 2: Generate a KML file

Now, go to one of the two map tools I mentioned to generate a KML (Keyhole Markup Language) file. (A KML file is used to display geographical data ⁠— we’ll generate it in this step and upload it to the Google Maps in the next one)

I’ll choose KML4Earth for the demo:

• Enter radius distance in km or miles. 
• Then, input coordinates, i.e., latitude & longitude you got from the previous step.
• And click on “Generate circle.”

The tool will automatically create and download the KML file on your computer.

Step 3: Create Your Own Map

Obviously, Google won’t let everyone show circles on its universal map. You’ll have to create your own map and draw a radius in it.

To generate your map:

1. Go to mymaps.google.com
2. Click on “Create A New Map”

Step 4: Import your KML file

Your new map will look something like this:

On the left-hand side, you will have an option to add a layer. Create one, and import your KML file.

As soon as you import the file, the map will zoom in to the location and display the (5 km radius) circle.

Now, make changes to the map/circle if needed. For example, you can change border colors, fill circle color, add markers, add labels, edit the circle, etc., from individual layer elements.

I placed a marker at the restaurant’s location and edited the circle so no one can order from their yacht 500 meters into the sea 😬.

That’s it. You can now share the link to the map with the circle or embed it on your website.

Return to this radius map here, just save this link

Use this tool to draw a circle by entering its radius along with an address. You can also click a point on the map to place a circle at that spot. You can adjust the placement of the circle by dragging it to a different location. You can also change the radius by either dragging the marker on the outside of the circle or by entering the radius in the field below and clicking edit circle. After drawing the circles you can come back to the map or send someone else to it by copying the link listed below. I hope that you find this radius tool useful.

Create Multiple Radius Circles?

You can use this tool to add as many radius circles to the map as you want. This allows you to find out where they intersect, and what areas are not within the radius of any of your locations.

How do I draw a 5 km radius on Google Maps?

Can I draw a circle in Google Maps?

Can I draw a radius on Google Earth?