How to download offline maps in #Windows 10?

If you stay online while navigating in map, it takes additional time and bandwidth to download and show in your device. Why to bear that additional cost in a metered connection, whereas Windows 10 allows you to download the map data selectively for offline uses? Just download once and use it every time.

In this post I will show you how to download offline maps in Windows 10. Also, I will cover few additional settings related to it. Continue reading and then share this post.

Did you read my other blog posts on Windows 10 Tips and Tricks? If not, you  might want to read those too after reading this post.

Downloading maps for offline uses was already present in Windows Phone. Microsoft brought the same feature in Windows 10 too. If you know that, you are going to use your system (laptop/PC/tablet) in a remote location where internet connection will not be available, you can download the maps selectively. Also if you are using your device (e.g. tablet PC) in a metered connection, it is always convenient to load the maps from a offline store rather than staying always connected to the internet. This way, you will save time during loading of maps as well as save some of your data bandwidth.

To download the maps for a specific country, region/state, city, just follow the simple steps mentioned below. Open your system settings from the start or press the keyboard combination “Win + i”. From the settings app, click the “System” icon as shown below:

From the left navigation pane of the system settings, select “Offline maps”. This will load the offline maps settings page at the right panel of the screen. There you will find a add (+) button which will load a different screen so that you can select the maps that you want to download. If you already have offline maps downloaded, this screen will show you the list just below the “Download maps” button.

Clicking on the “Download maps” button, a screen will load and will allow you to select the continent for which you want to download the map data. Select the one which you want to download.

Once you select the continent, it will automatically show you the countries list in that continent. Choose the one that you want to download and a new screen will load.

The below screen will allow you to either download all the regions/states by clicking the “All regions” link or download one of more regions/states. If you want multiple downloads at a single shot, click the select icon present at the bottom right corner of the screen.

And the download will began shortly. It will take time based on your internet bandwidth. If you are connected with an Ethernet cable or a Wi-Fi hub, it will start immediately. But if you are on metered connection, download won’t began unless you activate the metered connection mode in Windows 10 settings page.

During the download, in case you changed your mind and want to delete the map that you are downloading, just select it and hit cancel. If you have already downloaded any maps, you can delete it in the same way.

A button labeled “Delete all maps” will allow you to delete all the maps data already downloaded in your system for offline uses. By default, Windows turns off the metered connection mode to save your data connection usage. When this is off, maps will only downloaded once you connect with free Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection or unlimited cellular data connection. In case, you want to force the system to download on metered connection, turn this settings ON.

This page also allows you to turn on automatic update of downloaded maps. You can also force the system to check for updates by clicking on the “Check now” button shown in the below screenshot:

I hope that the post was clear and easy to understand. Don’t forget to read my other posts from the Windows 10 Tips and Tricks series available in the link mentioned below: http://win10tips.kunal-chowdhury.com. Also bookmark the same page for future reference. Needless to say, Feedback/Suggestions are always welcome. This energizes me and also helps me to improve my posts.

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