Getting Started

Congratulations and thank you for choosing Avenza Maps!  If you are new to Avenza Maps, you may be wondering where to get started! All of the articles provided are designed to help walk you through the features of the app, starting with the basics and then progressing through the various tools and settings available.  At any time, if you have any questions or problems, please feel free to reach out to us using the contact form at the bottom of each page!  Now let's get started!

New Installation

When you first install and open Avenza Maps, you will see a series of welcome screens.  These screens outline some of the main features of Avenza Maps as well as provide you the opportunity to sign in to an existing Map Store account (either from a previous installation of the app or from our website - avenzamaps.com), or to create a new account. In order to purchase any maps for Android users, users are required to have a Map Store account, which is free to create. For our iOS device users, users are strongly encouraged to create a Map Store account and sign in. With this account, you'll be able to download maps from the Map Store on up to 5 devices by simply logging into your account. This also ensures that your purchased maps are linked to your account, regardless if one changes or upgrades their device.

My Maps

After closing the introduction screens, the default screen of the app is known as "My Maps".  This is where all your maps (custom imported and those from the Map Store) are stored.  In addition to your maps, the "My Maps" screen also features several navigational buttons for different features within the app.  Along the top of the screen users will see several icons:

• Map Store Account - this is where you log into your Map Store account to download maps from the Avenza Map Store
• Search - this is where you can search any existing maps you have downloaded for a specific map
• Additional options for iOS users and   for Android users - this is where you will find the option to Check for Map Updates as well as to access the app Settings for our Android users
• The Import Map - for our iOS users allows for a number of ways to add maps or import a custom import map

Below those three icons, you will also have the option to sort your maps according to distance, name, size, or date, as well as the option to filter maps based on type, folders, etc.  If you have a hard time finding a map that you know is installed, please check the filter to ensure it is set to "All items".

For Android users along the bottom of the screen you will see the following:

• My Maps - this provides a list of all the maps you have installed in the app
• Layers - this provides a list of all of the map features (points, lines, tracks, areas) that you have within the app
• Store - this is the Avenza Map Store where you can download a variety of free and paid maps
• - this is where you can add a folder, add a collection, or download/import a map from a custom location

For iOS users along the bottom of the screen you will see 4 tabs:

• My Maps - this provides a list of all the maps you have installed in the app
• Layers - this provides a list of all of the map features (points, lines, tracks, areas) that you have within the app
• Store - this is the Avenza Map Store where you can download a variety of free and paid maps
• Settings - this is where you will find various app settings including subscription options, map display settings, etc. 

Layers

The Layers tab contains all of the features that you collect within the app on any given map.  These features are organized into layers and can include points, lines, tracks, and areas.  These features can also have photos attached to them, as well as additional details and notes that you collected alongside them. From this tab, you are able to import features, link features to different maps, edit layers, as well as export features.  Collecting, importing, exporting and the organization of map features is covered in more detail in other articles - so please keep reading to find out more!

Store

The Avenza Map Store is where you can go to search and download maps all across the world.  Our store features everything from hiking maps, to road maps, to aviation and nautical maps.  We have vendors all across the world, and they have helped grow our Map Store to well over a million maps (free and paid). If you can't find a map that you are looking for, or have a recommendation for a new map - please let us know and we'd be happy to help! 

Settings

Through Settings users can access and define settings for the app here. While some settings vary and some are completely optional, they're simple to use and may help you customize some of the features in the app.