# Placing the tiny Google maps locator person where you want him **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 30, 2023, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821 "2023-07-30T13:38:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/1 "2023-07-30T13:38:07Z")
When you go to Google maps and you want the street view, you grab the tiny yellow person in the lower right corner of the screen _[No doubt Google has a cute name for him.]_ and drag him to the place you want to see up close. How do you set him down facing the direction you want him to face? Since house numbers are often blurred, you can’t always be sure you’re facing the way you want. The directional compass helps-- is that the only way? Set him down and then do a 360-swivel while watching the compass? Surely, there is a better way. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/2 "2023-07-30T13:51:54Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > _No doubt Google has a cute name for him.]_ and Pegman. As to the rest, I’ve always just rotated him. Don’t know if there’s any way to control which direction he’s facing before you drop him. Seems unnecessary to me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a way. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/3 "2023-07-30T14:37:45Z")
Ok. How do you rotate him? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/4 "2023-07-30T14:38:23Z")
I said I don’t know. (ETA: Sorry-I guess it wasn’t clear. I’ve never found it necessary to do so until he “lands.”) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/5 "2023-07-30T14:38:56Z")
What’s really fun is when you spin **PEGMAN** just a tad and the background goes from bright, sunny day to overcast and rainy. Or, a car appears right in front of you – LOOKOUT, **PEGMAN**!! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/6 "2023-07-30T14:39:37Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ve always just rotated him. ??? Did I misunderstand? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/7 "2023-07-30T14:40:11Z")
Yes, see update. I was ambiguous as to when I rotate him. I meant I just drop him and then rotate when I’m on the spot, like you do. I’ve never found the need to do so before dropping him, which is what I understand you want to do. ETA: Or, if you mean after you drop him, I just use arrow keys. Maybe I’m misunderstanding the question. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/8 "2023-07-30T14:41:55Z")
What drives me crazy is when you go to drop him on a street and the entire map moves up or down really fast and he ends up in the next county. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/9 "2023-07-30T14:42:25Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > What’s really fun is when you spin **PEGMAN** You mean when you spin the background after he’s on the ground? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/10 "2023-07-30T14:43:53Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ve never found the need to do so before dropping him, which is what I understand you want to do. Yes, that’s what I want do. If I’m looking for a particular address and the addresses are blurred, then I don’t know if I’m facing the house I want. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/11 "2023-07-30T14:43:57Z")
Yes. ETA: In the upper left corner of your screen should be the address he’s facing (caution: not always accurate.). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/12 "2023-07-30T14:47:15Z")
Yeah, for that I’ve always just looked at the compass. You know what? I can’t figure out how it figures out which way to face you, because it all rather seems arbitrary to me. I just tried a few times on different streets–twice I got due north, once I got west, once I got southeast, once I got east. So maybe there is some thing you can do to tell it which way to face, but I don’t know what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/13 "2023-07-30T14:48:47Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > What drives me crazy is when you go to drop him on a street and the entire map moves up or down really fast and he ends up in the next county. Yes, that little bastard is slippery. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/14 "2023-07-30T14:49:33Z")
You probably have to work for Google for 20 years before they let you in on that. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/15 "2023-07-30T14:53:16Z")
He’s looking for a bar; be a pal and drop him on one. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/16 "2023-07-30T14:58:57Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > When you go to Google maps and you want the street view, you grab the tiny yellow person in the lower right corner of the screen _[No doubt Google has a cute name for him.]_ I call him Barney Google (with the goo-goo-googly eyes). That’s as far as I can help. He’s too slippery for me, as well. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/17 "2023-07-30T15:06:48Z")
What pisses me off about Pegman is that you don’t drop him where you want to look. Instead you drop the little green glowing orb that hangs below him where you want to look. WTF is that about? I agree with the folks upthread that there’s no way to control which way you’re facing when you first land your green orb. It’s more or less random IME / AFAIK. After you’ve landed your orb click left or right on the compass to spin your line of sight until you recognize what you’re looking for. Equivalently you can hold Ctrl, then click and drag left or right to rotate your line of sight in less than 90-degree increments. While Ctrl-dragging, any up/down motion with your mouse will tilt your line of sight up or down. Which is usually unhelpful, but not always. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/18 "2023-07-30T15:09:11Z")
When you first call up Google Maps, you’re placed God-knows-where (it’s supposed to be your residence, but I can’t reprogram that part.). In the upper left of your screen is a “Search Google Maps” thingie and if you type in the address yer looking for, GM will put you right there. Drop **PEGMAN** (actually, the faint, little green circle under him) on the street [where you live] and you should be facing the address. Grab that screen and adjust to your liking. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/19 "2023-07-30T15:13:48Z")
What I hate is when you’re going down a street and hitting the forward arrow, you’ll sometimes go under or over a bridge and wind up on the other street. Or down a freeway and wind up in the other direction. I’m kinda nerdy, I take road trips with the pegman. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/placing-the-tiny-google-maps-locator-person-where-you-want-him/987821/20 "2023-07-30T15:32:04Z")
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