# Map says 'No map tiles configured': how to fix it

> The app ships without map imagery. Click Tile provider…, enter a tile service you're allowed to use (URL, attribution, your key) and the map fills in.

Source: https://firelet.media/help/map-no-tiles-configured
Published: 2026-09-30 · Updated: 2026-09-30
Applies to: Windows, macOS, Linux

"No map tiles configured" means firelet.media Gallery has plotted your photos but has no background map to draw them on, because it ships without a map tile provider. To fix it, open the map, click **Tile provider…**, paste the URL template from a tile service you have an account with (including your own key), and click **Save**. Your pins stay exactly where they are.

## Why the map says 'No map tiles configured'

The box on the map explains it in the app's own words: "This build ships without a tile provider. Map tile services — OpenStreetMap, CARTO, Esri, MapTiler and the rest — all restrict use by distributed applications, and most require an account and an API key."

So rather than quietly using a service it has no rights to, the gallery lets you choose one. Nothing is broken, and nothing is missing from your photos:

- Your photos' locations are plotted on your PC either way.
- Clusters, **Trail**, **Heatmap** and **Select area** all work on the blank background.
- The status line under the map reads "No tile provider configured — locations are plotted, the background is not."

![The map with clustered pins on a blank background and the No map tiles configured box](https://firelet.media/help/media/shot-map-no-tiles.webp "Locations are plotted; only the background imagery is missing")

## Steps: open Tile provider…

1. Click **Map** on the toolbar above the grid.
2. Click **Tile provider…** at the top of the map. The "Map tile provider" window opens.
3. Pick a provider from **Examples**, or paste a URL template into **URL template**.
4. Replace `YOUR_KEY` in the template with the key from your provider account.
5. Check **Attribution** and **Maximum zoom**.
6. Click **Save**.

![The Map tile provider window with the Examples list, URL template, Attribution and Maximum zoom, and Disable tiles, Cancel and Save](https://firelet.media/help/media/shot-map-tile-provider.webp "Choose an example, then put your own key in place of YOUR_KEY")

The map picks up the new tiles straight away. If it says "Tile provider saved — it will apply when the map page loads", close the map and open it again.

## What to enter

| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| **URL template** | The tile address from your provider. It "must contain {z}, {x} and {y}", for example `https://…/{z}/{x}/{y}.png?key=…` |
| **Attribution** | The credit line your provider asks you to show. It is "Required by most providers, and by the ODbL licence when the data comes from OpenStreetMap." |
| **Maximum zoom** | How far the map may zoom in. "19 suits most street tiles; satellite and some vector-raster providers go to 20-22 — check your provider." |

The **Examples** list fills in the template and the attribution for you:

- MapTiler Streets
- MapTiler Satellite
- Stadia Alidade Smooth Dark
- Thunderforest Outdoors
- Self-hosted raster (OpenFreeMap / Protomaps), for a tile server you run on this PC

Each of the hosted examples needs your own key, which you get by creating an account on that provider's website. Read its terms and any usage limits; the gallery doesn't choose or pay for a plan on your behalf.

### If Save shows an error

| Message | Fix |
|---|---|
| "Replace YOUR_KEY with the key from your provider account." | Paste your real key in place of `YOUR_KEY` |
| "The template is missing {z}." (or {x}, {y}) | Copy the full template from your provider, including all three |
| "The template must be an http or https URL." | Include the `https://` at the start |
| "Plain http is only supported for a server on this machine (localhost or 127.0.0.1)…" | Use the provider's `https://` address |
| "Maximum zoom must be a whole number between 1 and 22…" | Enter a number your provider supports, such as 19 |

If the map saves but the background stays grey, the provider is probably refusing the key: check it is active and allowed for this use in your provider account. **Disable tiles** takes you back to the plain background at any time.

> [!NOTE]
> With a tile provider set up, the map asks that provider for the images of the areas you look at, so it can tell roughly where you're browsing. Your photos and their positions are never sent. See [what firelet.media Gallery sends](https://firelet.media/help/what-data-is-sent).

## Map still blank? WebView2 on Windows

On Windows the map runs inside the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime. Most Windows 11 PCs already have it; if yours doesn't, the map can't open at all and you'll see a message such as "Map unavailable: … (the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime may not be installed)". The installer also warns "The Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime was not found on this PC."

1. Download and install the WebView2 Runtime, a free download from Microsoft.
2. Close firelet.media Gallery and open it again.
3. Click **Map**.

To check, click the version (**v2026.10**) in the title bar: the **About** window's report has a "WebView2 (map)" line. Everything else in the gallery works without WebView2, which is why the [system requirements](https://firelet.media/help/system-requirements) list it for the map only. The macOS and Linux builds (being finished) have the map built in and don't need it.

## Place names are a separate setting (Service…)

Tiles only draw the background. City and country names under **Filters** → **Location** (see [how to sort and filter your photo library](https://firelet.media/help/sort-and-filter-photos)) come from a reverse-geocoding service, which is also off until you set one up. Without it, the panel says "No service configured — coordinates are shown, place names are not looked up."

1. Press [[Alt]]+[[2]] and open **Location**.
2. Click **Service…** and enter a service URL containing `{lat}` and `{lon}` (examples include a self-hosted Nominatim, LocationIQ, OpenCage and BigDataCloud).
3. Click **Save**, then **Look up places**.

Lookups only happen when you press **Look up places**, one request per cell of about 1 km, and the answers are remembered. They send your photos' coordinates, rounded to those cells, to the service you chose. [How to see your photos on a map](https://firelet.media/help/see-photos-on-a-map) covers everything else the map can do.

## Questions

### Why doesn't the app include a map?

Map tile services such as OpenStreetMap, CARTO, Esri and MapTiler restrict use by distributed apps, and most need an account and an API key, so you choose one you have rights to.

### Are my photos' positions still shown without tiles?

Yes. Pins, clusters, trails and heatmaps are drawn on your PC either way; only the background imagery needs a provider.