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🧭 Coordinate Converters

Plus Code Converter

Convert between addresses, lat/lng and Plus Codes - a free, open alternative to street addresses.

This page explains how the plus code converter works, the data and formulas behind it, and how to interpret the result. Coordinate conversions are exact to machine precision; the only source of error is the precision of the input. All formats describe the same location - the notation just differs. The tool is one of 329 free, open tools on JoseFitani for maps and geography. It runs in your browser with no sign-up needed. Use the search field or click the map to drop a pin - the tool uses standard mathematical formulas for each format, all based on the WGS84 datum (EPSG:4326) and returns the result in seconds. Below you'll find a step-by-step guide, real use cases, the methodology, FAQs, and data sources.

Plus Code
8FW4V75V+9R
Open Location Code, ~14 × 14 m cell
MGRS
31UDQ 48252 11955
Decimal Degrees
48.858400°, 2.294500°
Degrees Minutes Seconds
48° 51' 30.24" N, 2° 17' 40.2" E
UTM
31N 448252E 5411955.03N

MGRS is derived from the WGS84 ellipsoid series used on this site (accurate to a few metres) — suitable for reference and education, not for survey-grade work. Plus Codes follow the Open Location Code specification.

How to use this tool

1
Enter your input

Type your query, paste coordinates, or click on the map. The tool uses standard mathematical formulas for each format, all based on the WGS84 datum (EPSG:4326) to process your input locally in the browser.

2
View the result

The result appears instantly with the map showing your location. You can adjust by clicking elsewhere or searching a new place.

3
Copy or share

Click Copy to save to clipboard, or Share to send a direct link with the exact inputs.

What people use this tool for

Rural delivery navigation

Couriers and food-delivery riders waste time when a drop-off sits on an unnamed lane outside the mapped grid. Sharing a short Plus Code gives the driver an exact point that opens straight into Google Maps. This removes the back-and-forth phone calls that plague rural addresses.

Example: A farmstay near Udaipur lists its Plus Code on its booking page so guests driving from the highway reach the gate without stopping to ask villagers for directions.
Emergency meetup points

Rescue teams and trekking groups agree on rally points long before they enter areas with no street network. A Plus Code is shorter to read over a radio than a full latitude and longitude pair. It also survives poor handwriting on a printed itinerary far better than decimal coordinates.

Example: A trekking group in the Atlas Mountains writes one Plus Code per campsite on everyone's paper briefing so a lost hiker can point rescuers to the nearest one.
Rental listing directions

Holiday rentals tucked down unmarked tracks often lose guests to wrong turns. Hosts paste a Plus Code into the listing so the code doubles as the address. Guests tap it once and their navigation app routes them to the door.

Example: A cabin owner near Rishikesh adds the property's Plus Code to the check-in message after too many guests ended up at the wrong bend of the Ganges road.
Drone survey point labels

Survey crews tag ground-control points with short codes that fit on physical markers and field notes. The code embeds the location itself, so the label never becomes a meaningless serial number. Anyone with a Plus Code grid can re-find the spot without the project database.

Example: A surveyor mapping a new industrial zone outside Ahmedabad stamps each concrete marker with a Plus Code so the layout crew can locate it with a phone.

How it's calculated

Plus Codes encode lat/lng into a short alphanumeric string that works offline, useful in areas without formal addresses.

The calculation runs in your browser - no data is sent to our servers. Map tiles come from OpenStreetMap (ODbL license), geocoding uses Nominatim (1 request/second limit), and elevation uses the Open-Elevation API backed by SRTM data. All are free, open services.

All calculations use the WGS84 datum (EPSG:4326), the same as GPS. For other datums (NAD27, NAD83, ETRS89), a separate conversion is needed. The difference is typically under 1 metre - negligible for most uses but important for survey-grade work.

The formulas match those in professional GIS software (QGIS, ArcGIS, Global Mapper), just in a browser-friendly form. For sub-metre accuracy, use professional software with ellipsoidal calculations. Results are shown in multiple units: km and miles for distance, km²/m²/hectares/acres for area, metres and feet for elevation. Conversion factors are exact (1 mile = 1.609344 km), so the only error source is input precision.

Related tools and resources

For more tools in this category, explore the related tools listed below. Each tool includes full documentation, examples and FAQs. Explore related tools in our Coordinates category for complementary functionality. See the Tools index for all 329 tools, or read our blog for in-depth articles on geography and maps.

Frequently asked questions

Are Plus Codes free?

Yes - they are an open standard maintained by Google.

How precise is a full Plus Code?

A full Plus Code identifies an area roughly 13.5 by 13.5 metres at the equator, which is about the size of a large room. That is precise enough to pick one building entrance out of several on a street. Short codes trade precision for brevity by dropping the leading characters when a nearby locality is stated.

What is the difference between a full code and a short code?

A full code such as 7FV8+Q3 contains everything needed to decode the location worldwide. A short code like Q3+ drops the first four characters and relies on a nearby reference place, for example 'Q3+ Jaipur', to fill in the missing part. Short codes are easier to say aloud but only make sense near the reference locality.

Do Plus Codes replace GPS coordinates?

No, they are simply another way to write the same point that latitude and longitude already describe. Underneath, a Plus Code decodes to a latitude and longitude pair on the WGS84 datum. Think of it as a friendlier encoding of coordinates, designed for people rather than machines.

Can I convert a Plus Code back to coordinates?

Yes. Decoding is exact and lossless: every Plus Code maps to one specific rectangle on the globe. This converter performs the decoding entirely in your browser, so the round trip from code to coordinates works the same as coordinates to code.

Are Plus Codes case sensitive?

No. The Plus Code alphabet uses the characters 23456789CFGHJMPQRVWX, and decoding treats upper and lower case identically. Codes deliberately skip easily confused characters such as 0, 1, I, and O so a code copied by hand is less likely to be misread.

Does this converter need an internet connection?

No, not for the conversion itself. Encoding and decoding Plus Codes is pure arithmetic that this page runs locally in your browser. You only need connectivity to load the page; once loaded, it keeps converting with the network off.

What does the plus sign in a code mean?

The plus sign is a fixed separator that always sits after the eighth character of a full code. Everything before it narrows the location down to a region roughly 14 by 14 kilometres, and everything after it pinpoints the spot within that region. Short codes keep the plus sign even after the leading characters are dropped.

Who created Plus Codes and are they free to use?

Plus Codes, formally known as Open Location Codes, were developed by Google and released as an open standard. Anyone can encode, decode, and display them without a licence or API key. That open licence is why they appear in navigation apps, delivery tools, and humanitarian mapping projects.

Data sources & methodology