# How to see your photos on a map

> Click Map on the toolbar to plot every photo with GPS data, with cluster, trail and heatmap views. A background map needs a tile provider that you choose.

Source: https://firelet.media/help/see-photos-on-a-map
Published: 2026-09-30 · Updated: 2026-09-30
Applies to: Windows, macOS, Linux

To see photos on a map in firelet.media Gallery, click **Map** on the toolbar. Every picture in your library that carries GPS coordinates is plotted as a pin, with clusters, a date-order trail and a heatmap to switch between. The pins are drawn on your PC. A background map appears once you choose a tile provider under **Tile provider…**; until then the pins sit on a plain background.

## What the map shows

The map reads the GPS position your phone or camera saved in each photo or video. Its header counts them, for example "Map — 1,812 of 3,550 items have a location". It plots your whole library, not just what the grid is showing.

- Click a pin to open that picture in the viewer.
- Pictures you've given a location by hand are plotted too.
- The map needs no internet to plot your photos; only the optional background imagery comes from a server.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> The map ships **without** background imagery, so a new install shows the box "No map tiles configured" over your pins. That's expected, not a fault: map tile services restrict use by distributed apps and most need an account and an API key. [Map says 'No map tiles configured'](https://firelet.media/help/map-no-tiles-configured) walks through choosing a provider.

## Steps: see your photos on a map

1. Click **Map** on the toolbar above the grid.
2. Click **Fit** to zoom to everything plotted.
3. Scroll to zoom in on an area, or drag to move around.
4. Click a pin to open that photo, or press [[Esc]] (with the map's toolbar focused) or the **✕** to close the map.

![The map overlay with clustered pins on a blank background and the No map tiles configured box](https://firelet.media/help/media/shot-map-no-tiles.webp "Your photos are plotted even before a tile provider is set up")

To jump to one picture's spot, right-click its tile and choose **Share and print** → **Show on the map**, or right-click the picture in the viewer and choose **Show on the map**. If it has no GPS data, the status bar says "This picture has no location".

## Cluster, Photos, Trail and Heatmap

The tick boxes along the top of the map change how your photos are drawn:

| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Cluster** (on) | Groups nearby pins into one numbered bubble that splits as you zoom in |
| **Photos** | "Show thumbnails instead of pins, for what is on screen" |
| **Trail** | "Join the photos in date order", handy for tracing a trip |
| **Heatmap** | Shades the places you've photographed most |

Turn **Cluster** off to see every pin separately. **Photos** loads thumbnails only for the part of the map on screen, so zoom in first on a big library.

## Select area to filter the grid

**Select area** turns the map into a way of filtering: "Drag a rectangle to filter the grid to what is inside it."

1. Click **Select area**.
2. Drag a rectangle around the place you want.
3. Look at the grid: the map closes and the grid shows only the pictures inside the rectangle.

If you catch nothing, the map says "Nothing inside that rectangle." From the filtered grid you can make an album, export or start a slideshow. A "map selection" chip appears on the toolbar; click its ✕ to see everything again.

## Adding a background map (Tile provider…)

Map imagery comes from tile services such as MapTiler, Stadia Maps or Thunderforest, or a tile server you run yourself. Each has its own terms, and most give you a personal key when you sign up.

1. Click **Tile provider…** on the map.
2. Pick an example from the list, or paste your provider's URL template containing `{z}`, `{x}` and `{y}`.
3. Replace `YOUR_KEY` with the key from your provider account.
4. Check the **Attribution** and **Maximum zoom**, then click **Save**.

![The Map tile provider dialog with the Examples list, URL template, Attribution and Maximum zoom fields, and Disable tiles, Cancel and Save](https://firelet.media/help/media/shot-map-tile-provider.webp "Paste a URL template from a provider you have an account with")

**Disable tiles** goes back to the plain background. Once tiles are on, the provider receives requests for the map areas you look at, which tells it roughly where you're browsing. Your photos and their positions are never sent.

### Place names are separate

City and country names come from a different, optional service. Set one up under **Filters** ([[Alt]]+[[2]]) → **Location** → **Service…**, then press **Look up places**. It only runs when you press that button, and it sends your photos' coordinates, rounded to cells of about 1 km, to the service you chose.

![The Reverse-geocoding service dialog with the request URL, examples, request interval and cell size](https://firelet.media/help/media/shot-geocoder-service.webp "Place names need a reverse-geocoding service you choose")

## Photos without GPS

Many scanned photos, screenshots and pictures from older cameras have no location. To find them:

- open **Filters** → **Location** and choose **No location**, or
- type `has!=gps` in **Advanced query** ([[Alt]]+[[9]]).

To add a location, select the pictures and press [[Ctrl]]+[[Shift]]+[[L]]. You can type coordinates or paste a Google Maps or OpenStreetMap link. The location is stored in the library as a correction, and the file itself isn't changed.

> [!NOTE]
> On Windows the map runs inside the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime, which most Windows 11 PCs already have. If it's missing, the map says so and everything else keeps working. The macOS and Linux builds (being finished) have the map built in, with the same "no tiles by default" start.

For more ways to find photos from one trip or town, read [how to find all your photos of a place](https://firelet.media/blog/find-photos-of-a-place) and [how to sort and filter your photo library](https://firelet.media/help/sort-and-filter-photos). The [what firelet.media Gallery sends](https://firelet.media/help/what-data-is-sent) page lists every connection the app can make.

## Questions

### Why is the map background blank?

The gallery ships without a tile provider, because tile services restrict use by distributed apps. Your photo locations are still plotted; choose a provider with Tile provider… to add imagery.

### Does the map upload my locations?

No. Locations are plotted on your PC. If you add a tile provider, the map images are downloaded from it, which shows that provider the areas you look at.

### Does the map need WebView2 on Windows?

Yes. It draws in the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime, already present on most Windows 11 PCs. If it is missing the map says so and everything else works.