How to adapt Google Maps route suggestions to your needs

Google Maps is great for finding directions quickly, but, among other common problems, its default suggestions may not always be what you actually want. Maybe you’re looking to avoid toll roads, avoid highways, bypass a ferry crossing, or build a trip with multiple stops along the way. The good news is that Google Maps gives you a handful of simple controls (along with a bunch of hidden features) that can better tailor its routes to your routine. Once you know where these options are, you can move the app closer to the type of browsing experience you need.

The easiest place to start is the route screen. After entering your starting point and destination, look for route options, such as avoiding highways, tolls, or ferries, then compare the alternatives before you begin navigation. On desktop, Google Maps also lets you drag the route line to reshape the path manually, which is useful when you know a favorite route or want to get around a bad stretch of traffic. If your trip includes multiple races, add stops to the route so Maps recalculates around your actual plan instead of just a point-to-point trip.

Google Maps can also be made more personal through its settings menu. Navigation preferences, map view choices, voice guidance, and distance units all help make the app feel more natural to use, especially if you drive often or change regions. Some settings pages also point to vehicle-specific configurations and saved locations, which can make route suggestions more relevant over time. The result is a Maps setup that behaves less like a generic browser and more like a tailor-made travel assistant.

For everyday use, the smartest approach is to combine your preferences with Google’s real-time traffic data. Save your most important locations, set your usual avoidances once, then adjust routes only when a trip requires it. This gives you the speed of Google recommendations without losing control over the most important details. For a daily commute, save your home and work and keep the app configured for your normal driving style. For one-off trips, use desktop Add Stops and Route Move when you want more control than Google’s automatic choice provides. And if you drive an electric vehicle, there are some specific features that every electric vehicle owner should know about.