Draw on your maps

A map is a record of where you’ve been or want to go, so it’s only natural that you should be able to personalize your maps with notes, shortcuts, or drawings.

Open Maps to Road view and select Windows Ink to display the Windows Ink toolbar.

On a Microsoft Surface with a paired pen, just start writing or drawing on the map. To use your finger, mouse, or a stylus with any of the Windows Ink tools, select Touch writing first, and then select the tool you want. Turn off Touch writing when you want to move the map, zoom, or do anything else in the app.

To start drawing or writing, select Ballpoint pen on the Windows Ink toolbar. (If you’re using your finger, mouse, or a stylus, turn on Touch writing first). Select Ballpoint pen again to change the ink color or line width. The marks you’ve made are automatically saved—anytime you go back to that place on the map, they’ll be there. Zoom in or out or move the map around, and your notes move with it!

To get directions without searching for place names or addresses, select Directions on the Windows Ink toolbar, and then draw a line between any two points on the map. The line automatically snaps to the best available route between those two points.

Ever wonder how far you just ran, or the distance across a lake? Select Measure distance Asset not found on the Windows Ink toolbar, and draw a line along the route you want to measure. When you lift your pen, stylus, or finger, the distance appears above the line you’ve drawn.

To print or share a map or directions with your hand-drawn annotations, select See more and then Print or Share .