Calculate straight-line distance between two addresses
What does this mapping tool do?
Enter a From and To address to geocode both points and measure the shortest distance over the earth's surface. The result is not a road route, driving distance, or travel-time estimate.
Inputs, calculation, and output
The calculator geocodes two address strings, measures the great-circle distance between the resulting coordinates, and displays the total to one decimal place in miles and kilometers.
- From and To must each contain at least three characters
- Both addresses are geocoded in parallel
- The preview shows two markers connected by one straight LineString
- The page does not offer a route or results download
What great-circle distance means
Great-circle distance is the shortest path over the earth's surface between two coordinate points. It is useful for geographic comparison but not for planning a road journey.
- Road networks, turns, ferries, borders, and terrain are ignored
- Driving distance will normally differ and can be much longer
- Travel time also depends on mode, traffic, schedule, and local access
Example: office-to-venue comparison
Enter the complete office and venue addresses to compare their straight-line separation. Use the result for a high-level proximity statement, then use a routing service before publishing road-distance or ETA claims.
- Include city, region, postcode, and country for ambiguous names
- Inspect both marker positions before trusting the number
- Repeat the calculation if the geocoder selected the wrong place
Geocoding and retention
The two inputs are sent to the MapsMaker geocoding endpoint. Query results are cached for 30 days, and anonymous cache misses are limited to 30 per minute per requester.
- A cached query does not consume the cold-request allowance
- A failure to resolve either address prevents a distance result
- Do not submit sensitive address data if 30-day geocoding-cache retention is unsuitable
Use the neighboring tools for different jobs
Use Route Map for up to 25 ordered straight-line stops, Address to Map for a small batch of points, or an external routing provider for road-aware distance and travel time.
- Straight-line distance: this calculator
- Ordered visual path: Route Map
- Road route or ETA: a routing service with suitable coverage and terms
Frequently asked questions
Does this calculate driving distance?
Why might the result look wrong?
What units are shown?
Can I download the line or result?
What happens if one address cannot be found?
Are address queries retained?
Is this tool free?
Save it as a real map
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