How To Download & Save Offline Maps Using GMapCatcher

Sometimes you wish to have access to offline maps, so that you can browse them on your PC while you are on the road, or whenever you don’t have access to Internet. There are some free tools that let you download Google Maps as images, such as the Google Map Saver. GMapCatcher is another such application that lets you browse offline maps by automatically downloading the map tiles from several map services such as Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, Virtual Earth and so on.

Here are the steps to save maps offline using GMapCatcher.

Install GMapCatcher and run the program (download link given below).

Before you download a map, you can configure the map service. Click on Settings –> Change Theme.

In the ‘Change Theme’ tab of GMapCatcher Tools, click on the drop down menu of the ‘Select your favorite map service’ option, and choose one of your choice. The currently available maps include Google, OpenStreetMap, CloudMade, Yahoo, InformationFreeway, OpenCycleMap, Google Map Maker, Virtual Earth.

Click ‘Save’ and close the window.

Now you can go ahead with the download. First uncheck the radio button ‘Offline’. Then enter the location in the text box, and hit Enter.

You can zoom in and out of the map by dragging the left hand slider, or by right clicking on the map.

Choose the type of map you want to capture, that is ‘Map’, ‘Satellite’, or ‘Terrain’.  

Click the ‘Download’ button. You can now adjust the area of the map, the center of the map (latitude, longitude), and also the offline zooming before you begin the download. Then click ‘Download’.

Depending on the area, and the level of zooming, it may take a while before the map gets downloaded to your PC.

Once the download is complete, you can view the same location on an offline map, without Internet.

Tick the ‘Offline’ check box, select the location from the drop down box, and you should be able to browse the offline map just like it were online. Note that you can only zoom up to the min and max levels set during the download.

You will notice that the location is displayed in transparent red circle when offline.