How do I put the icons on my maps ?
This project doesn’t allow you to hotlink the icons. Once you found the icons you want to use on your maps, you must host the files on your own server or on a file sharing service like Dropbox and Google Drive.
If you have a Dropbox account, created before September 2012, follow the tutorial Host the icons on Dropbox
Or you can host the icons on Google Drive
Are the icons really free ?
The license, what do I need to do to respect it ?
For example, write the credits in the FAQ or credits page of your site.
I need an icon that doesn’t exist ?
Why the icons are now showing “hot linking disabled”?
The icons disappeared (only on Firefox8)
Firefox 8 introduce a new security setting, and custom icos on Google Maps won’t appear anymore. IE8, Chrome, Firefox 7 are still working at this point.
1) How to fix for Firefox 8, if the icons are on a standard hosting server :
Create an .htaccess file, with this content at the top of the file :
Header set Access-Control-Allow-Origin *
2) How to fix for Firefox 8, if the icons are on Dropbox :
Currently, there is no fix. I am investing a solution from Google, or Firefox, or Dropbox. I recommend stop using a file sharing service and host the icons on a server you can maintain.
How do I download all the icons at once?
Download all the icons from the markers page, then click the “Zip file” button at the top. All files (not the alternative versions) will be included, but are not separated in folders.
To download icons individually, you need to right-click, then “save as” on the icon you want to download.
Is there a shadow image ?
Yes, here it is :
I have an icon directory site, and want to host the Map Icons Collection ?
Are the icons available in vector files?
Credits
Zip icon by THVG http://thvg.deviantart.com/
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How can I adjust the size of an icon?
How can I adjust the size of an icon? Well, you can't. The icons are in one size only.
I'd also like to adjust the size of the icon for iPhone's Retina display.
i dont know if its me or your code, but when i download a zip from a category and then go to another, change color, etc and download that, i keep getting the same first downloaded zip… to skip that i had to change browser and it worked fine at first, and then again same error. Probably a bug.
Thanks for your effort on this goodies
Hello Ronatan,
It's not a bug, it's a feature
No seriously, it's a bug, and I just fixed it. Please try it again, you should get the good icons with the good color. Sorry for the mess.
I'm still seeing the problem Ronatan describes…has the bug be re-classified as a feature again?
)
@James, the problem seems to be the cache of my website. I tried to desactivate it on zip files.
Please try again, it wll work, or maybe try clearing your browser cache between each download (until I find a better fix)
Thanks for reporting thi issue.
Haven't experienced (or tried) it, but maybe try an arbitrary millisecond param on the download URL to circumvent browser cache… if people keep having said problem.
Hi Nicolas,
It seems that your suggestion that the zip file on the markers page contains all of the files is slightly incorrect. It will only download one icon for each sub-sub-category. So for 'speed-limit' for example, you only get the 50 one, not the other speeds.
Hope you can look into this.
Hi Colin,
You are absolutely right… Initially, I made this on purpose, because they are supposed to be "alternate versions" of an icon : these icons should be less important than the first icon.
But in some cases, like Directions, are Speed limits, it's different, it's a "sub-category".
Right now, you will need to download the "alternate versions" individually (right click, save as…) until I figure something out (not that easy to fix).
Thanks for noticing by the way.
hi nico.. i want to download it, but with all color.. i need diverent color level in my application.
is there a way to download it with all its variation color?
@adhit : hello, if you want the the icons with various custom colors…. you must download one color at a time. If you have 10 colors, then, download 10 zips. Alright ?
Several icons in the old website are missing here. Well you guys eventually put those here as well?
Are SVG, EPS, AI, or PSD versions of the icon shapes available? Not the rounded pointer, but the shapes inside them. This icon set is really versatile and has many applications outside of Google Maps.
@Terrolone : right, some are missing : they were the ugliest ones I decided to exclude on the new site. We will make better ones.
@Nick : Not yet. The source file would be very close from the style called "simple". This style has a white border without any rounder pointer. Maybe it is fine for you ? I will try to add the source file in the future.
Actually, the rounded pointer and the shadows would be very useful if we wanted to generate the icons ourselves instead of downloading every possible color we ever need.
Also, the generator used in the site would be a great contribution if open sourced. It would help us host our own images and generate our own icons (you know, clients my design their own icons which don't make any sense in this general and open project).
Is there any plans for high-resolution icons? They're kind of blurry on an iPhone 4
Alek, there is no high-resolutions icons. I know it would be cool, I just don't know how to do it without having to redesign every icon in HD size.
hello,
I have a question.
I downloaded the dropbox and the map icons now I want to add the number icons in the google maps. When I go to add icon it asks me for an URL link. How and where can I get this URL link.
Please assist me with this,
Thanks a lot
Did you read the FAQ "How do I put the icons on my maps ?" ?
It is explained step by step.
Hi Nico,
Thanks for the reply.
After I send you this comment I did an went through the steps, sorry for that.
I have another question, I'd appreciate your help.
I want to share the map icons with other people in the company, but when I try to do it through steps given, it tells me that I can't create a share folder in the public folder.
I followed all the steps an I do not know where I am going wrong
Thanks a lot
I downloaded the icons and put them on my Google Apps documents and made them public and I still get the hotlinking disabled. What's up?
Did you actually read the FAQ ?
Yes. It appears that I have done it right by making them public on my Google Apps documents. They worked initially.
You should try empty the cache (temp files) of your browser.
"Hotlinking disabled" is a feature of my server only. It can't happen for files on Google Apps.
I don't know if it wan work with Google Apps, only tried with Dropbox or Photobucket.
Can't download the zip file: get 403 error forbidden
How do I host the icon on my own server? I'm not that bright but I do use CS5 to maintain my own web sites.
If anyone can explain it in a language a child might understand, I probably will
Michael Crane
Well, download the files with the "zip download" button, or individually.
Then, you must know what to do to use the icons on your own server.
Great icons thank you very much
Is there a way to have the icons show up in Google Earth without a background color?
Hi Nicolas,
Firsth: Thanks to you!
Second: Ihave a problem on the use of icons. I have icons in the public folder of my dropbox, but the
Google Maps isn't want use the links. I puted the link into the URL input line of a pushpin, but no any
icon appeared. What's your suggestion?
One other user has the same problem, I don't understand.
Open the public icon in your browser : can you see it ?
Did you try another browser ?
Can you share the map with me and let me see the problem (or create another test map) ? please share with nico.mollet (at) gmail.com
Hi Nicolas, I saved all my icons indiviually in a file on my laptop but I can't seem to manage to upload them on the map, when i try to "add an icon". how do i do that? Thanks a lot!!
Did you upload the files on a server ? or on Dropbox ? (like explained in the FAQ)
If you did that and still can't see the icons, are you on Firefox8 ? (if so please read http://mapicons.nicolasmollet.com/news/issues-wit…
Hi, Nicolas,
First of all, thanks for all the great work you have done – I'm thrilled to be able to customise my maps. However, i have 2 problems. 1st – the icon that I uploaded into Picasa and added through "add an icon" in my google map, came through without the custom colour. How do I fix that?
2nd – I haven't been able to "add an icon" since the first one. I copy the URL from the icon in my Picasa folder but the icon doesn't show up. Any suggestions?
I'm on a Mac OS X, version 10.6.8, new to Google maps.
Andrea, thanks, you are welcome.
1/ I don't understand what you means by "the icon that I uploaded into Picasa and added through "add an icon" in my google map, came through without the custom colour". What is wrong with the color ?
2/ Are you sure you are copying the "file URL", and not the "page url" ? To check if the url is good, simply paste it in a new window of your browser : only the icon should appear and not the full picasa page.The url is something like : https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BWodr7sOxAU/Tu…
For anyone else having this problem in Picasa/Google+, I was not able to find the appropriate link using any of the sharing options.
I finally got it, after much cursing, by right clicking the photo and selecting 'copy image location' and pasting that into the 'add an icon' window.
Hi, thanks for this. I'm hosting mine on my picasa site. I hope that's not a problem. Seems to work and I have plenty of space.
I have a question, I see the "zip download" but there doesn't seem to be any working link there. Is this a zip of the entire collection?
Thanks
beb, if you click on "zip file" button, the page should reload and a popup show, with one more button "Download the zip file". Click this button to download all the icons of the category you are browsing.
To download all the collection, go to the category "Markers" http://mapicons.nicolasmollet.com/category/marker…
Hello Nicolas,
The 7 styles are great, but I am missing a style "gradient with white foreground". I can see there is a "gradient with colored foreground", but I think the white foreground would be nicer. Any chance to add this as an 8th style?
Best regards
FAQ#1 point 6: "Edit a place of your own Google Map"
How? My maps have no edit or add button etc. What kind of maps are you referring to?
My maps are created with a Joomla plugin. The plugin has no icon parameter. Any hint? Thanks!
The maps I am referring to are the "My Maps" / "My Places" from Google Maps here : http://maps.google.com/maps
You seems to have a plugin, website for your own, so you must find out if this kind of feature exists in your plugin, and how/if you can edit the icons.
First of all thanks for your great work. I really appreciate it. I use your icons for some time now and just came across a new problem. I download the icons to picasa. They are 32 x 37 pixel. Unfortunately they do have a white or checkered border around them which was transparent before (or so it seemed). So the icon does not end with the colored area but is placed in the middle of a white or checkered rectangle. Am I doing something wrong? Reto
Are you sure you are using the URL to the original file in Picasa ?
Original are PNG24 transparent, and maybe they are converted into JPG files that do not handle transparency (filling with white).
Try checking the importation options.
This is a working Picasa original file URL : https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BWodr7sOxAU/Tu…
You are right that Picasa converts all PNGs to JPGs when uploading. Which makes it all the more surprising that your link is to an uploaded PNG! Any idea how you managed that? As far I have been able to tell, it happens automatically and cannot be turned off.
I don"t know how to fix this on Picasa. All I know is that Dropbox works with the icons.
I should stop recommending Picasa!
Is it possible to insert a photo dynamically into a marker? And if the map displays multiple markers, can I insert a photo specific to each location into the markers?
Great site. Thanks!
At the moment, symbols only, no photos.
Photos are personal stuff as opposed to symbols that should fit with everyone's needs.
Nicolas, thanks for this project. Would it not make sense for you (Nicolas) to store the images on your Dropbox and provide URLs to those, rather than everybody adding them to their own Dropboxes?
Hello Ross, thanks for your message.
I really thought about this option (uploading the icons to my own account), but I ended decided not to do it for the following reasons :
1/ We have an almost infinite numbers of icons and my Dropbox account couldn't possibly host all of them. (infinite because of the custom colors: 255x255x255 colors x7 styles = 116 000 000 versions of 1 icon).
2/ I don't like the idea of linking stuff to my own account: who knows what can happen, Dropbox may change their conditions, block my account, I could delete the icons by mistake…
Anyway, I may end up uploading the default colors / default style icons (ie the ones I used myself).
I followed all the steps to download nad use dropbox, but Google Maps still will not display the image. Help!
Are you using the new Google Maps "WebGL" mode? At the moment, this mode won't display custom icons.
Also, the icons may not appear until you reload your page.
So you have to do the following:
1/ edit a place
2/ add a custom icon
3/ save (icon won't appear)
4/ reload the page
5/ icon should appear
Hi,
I followed exactly what you said about "How do I put the icons on my maps ?" but nothing happen on my map, as if I have no icon on it..
Marie, as-tu essayé de rafraichir la carte ? (bouton recharger du navigateur) Les icônes ne s'affichent en général qu'après le rechargement.
Sinon, as-tu le mode "webGL" de Google maps activé ? Ce mode n'affiche malheureusement pas les icônes
Il suffisait simplement de rafraichir la carte … Merci pour votre reponse (en francais!).
Nicolas, thanks a lot for your really great work!!!!!! Works fine for my new Blog blog.dequiros.es
I will try to think in new icons and share with all this great community
How can I add icons into the google earth pro folder permanently to avoid adding custom icons for every map?
I have loaded all the icons into my public Dropbox folder and begun adding http links to my personal icons collection in a Google map I am building. These icons will display on the Google map, but not as images in my icon collection within Google. Instead, each icon appears as a rectangular box with a tiny dimmed pic icon within the box. Therefore, I cannot identify which custom icon I want to select for display on the main map. They are essentially invisible. I am running Firefox 10.0.2 of a Power Mac.
Rob, after your add the icons to "your icons" in Google Maps, they are invisible until your reload the page.
For example, I can see some icons (from Map Icons Collection) on your map: http://g.co/maps/jy3k6
I suggest you to add all the icons at once, reload the page to make them visible, then edit each place to attach the good icon.
Hi,
Thanks for the icons, they're great! I've made a bunch of maps for an upcoming road trip and all the icons display beautifully. However, when I send them to my friends, they just see the standard default markers? How can I fix this?
Hello Nick,
It is not supposed to happen… Can you share this map with me? It would help me debug.
My email nico.mollet at gmail dot com
Great job with the icons. I love the ability to change color before downloading. I would like to request the vector files so that I can enlarge for use in various mobile app form factors. the 32x is great for smaller screens, but renders pretty small on a tablet. Is this possible to get just the one color set for .ai .psd, etc?
Thanks,
Pete
At the moment, there is no HD versions of the icons. Maybe in the future.
Cheers
The answer to "How do I download all the icons at once?" is incorrect because not all icons are in the archive. For example, the icon slugged "pinother" is not in the downloaded archive. The icon "pin-export" is, and this is the one which is displayed as the "mother" of the "pins" group on the markers page. I didn't check every group, but it appears that only one icon of each "+"-expandable icon group is in the archive. It seems that currently there is no way to download the entire collection at once.
It would be handy to display the filename of the icon on the page for the icon (although you can look at the page source etc to see it, it would be far more convenient shown on the page)
Actually the filename (minus the extension ".png")
For example in this page http://mapicons.nicolasmollet.com/markers/stores/… the filename is schreibwaren_web (+.png)
Great icons. Do you know if it is also possible to customize the callout windows you get when you click on the icons in Google Maps?
Thanks for the great work Nicolas and team.
http://tradr.com
You have made a great work with your icons: the best in the web.
Unfortunately, the icons disappear: I have put them on Google filespace and are included on the maps of Google Map, but then disappear the next time. I tried it with 13 Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Explorer. There is no solution at present. But hold on!
There is no possibility to use other map service, such as Bing?
As a suggestion I want you sviluppassi icons of detail in architecture and town planning: for example, different icons for different ages of buildings. And then to indicate parts of cities or special districts.
If you want I can help.
Ciao amico.
Stefano
Have you tried Dropbox for file hosting?
Also, did you disable WebGL on Google Maps ?
I don't think Bing offers the possibility to use custom icons unfortunately.
The newest version of Dropbox no longer appears to work with mapicons. They have done away with the Public Folder as the new upgrade allows you to share links with any folder or file. Unfortunately this is not true for map icons. I have reported this to DropBox but suggests others do the same since more reports will attract their attention and spur them to correct this
Icons in Dropbox public folder are still working at the moment, as I can check on my test map here: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=210333545577…
Can you share with me any link that can show me the issues?
And where di you report this to Dropbox? I could participate to the discussion.
Can I still get the old icons? I like them better. Just the simple numbers, with various colors, that are small in size.
Hi. Is it possible to download the icons in .psd?
No sorry, it's not possible.
Hey there,
I have followed all the steps accurately, however when I try to ADD an icon on my places (maps) it just doesn't go. Any light on that?
ps.: love your website! Thanks for sharing !
Did you try to reload your map?
Sometimes the icon you just added is invisible until your reload the page.
+1 for Retina display icons
I'm sorry but on the page where you customize your icons . I cant figure out how to d/l , in particular i need the fishing icons.
Right-click, then save as, on the single page.
On the category page, there is a "zip file" button on the toolbar at the top of the page.
I was looking for a "cave icon" and i didn't found one. Is there a chance this icon will apear on the website? Thx
The cave icon is here http://mapicons.nicolasmollet.com/?s=cave
Cheers
Just a heads up – Dropbox changed the sharing system. Accounts created in/after August 2012 don't have the Public folder and creating it manually doesn't help, there's a new single-file sharing method. May cause some confusion.
Thanks for the tips.
Is there still a way to use Dropbox to publish icons on your Mapas then?
I can't understand why this library is packaged as an .exe file. I can't imagine that there's anything proprietary in here that would require using a Windows computer. Especially for web technologies, Microsoft has little relevance so it seems absurd to cater to it. Just my open source two-cents.
There is no exe file involved in this project, only zip file.
I followed all the steps to download , but Google Maps still will not display the image. Help!
Where did you host you icon?
Hi Nicolas,
First … Happy 2013.
q: … is it possible to download icons with categories data (example … to be structured in directories for categories and sub categories)? This would help us a lot.
Hello
Happy new year to you too!
You should find categories on the homepage http://mapicons.nicolasmollet.com/ and also in the main menu under the name "Marker categories". Hope that helps.
is there a way of getting rid of the icon shadow? I find that when you use map icons without the enclosing box i.e. just as they are, then the shadow can seem to dominate
There seems to be a problem with Dropbox now, After several trials I do not seem to be able to make the icon appear on the map (after refreshing etc…). The URL copied from Dropbox is https instead of http, can this prevent Google maps from adding the icon? What could be the problem?
Hello Eduardo
It seems Dropbox changed his policy for new accounts (created after september 2012 I think).
How old is your account?
It's very recent (a couple of weeks old). I solved the problem using http://imageshack.us/ although I do not know how long they host the uploaded files…
I am not sure of imageshack keeps images for ever.
Other alternatives are Picasa Web albums and Photobucket.
You can check this map, testing some image services: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=210333545577…
I really love the icons. But mine are showing with a black background. Any ideas? I am saving on skydrive and using a chrome browser.
Maybe Skydrive changes the background transparency or the filetype.
You can use Photobucket, it should work as expected.
Love these icons–I had no problem downloading the ZIP (although the "ZIP Download" icon in the header is a bit misleading; I thought I had to click that to get to the ZIP download, if not the page with the ZIP download on it, and I know other folks commenting on here thought the same thing). I saved my custom-colored icons via my browser's "Save Image As…" dialog.
But is there a way to have Google Maps see all the icons we've uploaded to our server/etc. at once? That is, point Google Maps at a folder with all the images in it, and then it add them to our "My Icons" section for markers we want to edit?
I don't think there is a way to upload to Google Maps "My icons" all at once.
Google Maps could be a lot better on that matter.
HI, great icons! but they are not transparent ! Do you have this style ?
The 7 present styles are the only ones at the moment.
I don't have a Dropbox account created before September 2012, but I do have Google Drive. Can you be more specific about how to do with Google Drive what you so carefully explained how to do with Dropbox?
I just added a tutorial explaining how to host icons on Google Drive.
See http://mapicons.nicolasmollet.com/faq/host-the-ic…
It's a little complicated but it's worth trying.
Thank's
It's a feature
Atually it's lazyness, I didn't want to have different file sizes, so every icon is 32×37. Easier for me to maintain my scripts this way.