How To Update Maps On Garmin Gps For Free

We utilise open source maps downloaded to our Garmin GPS. A friend taught united states of america how to download gratis maps to our GPS when we were in Mexico. We are forever indebted to him for showing u.s. how to do this. Information technology saved u.s. lots of money since nosotros didn't have to purchase the maps from Garmin and the open source maps are updated more ofttimes. I accept passed on the how-to steps to individuals along the manner and wanted to share the information more broadly. So, here we present step-past-pace instructions.

Using Open up Source Street Maps for use on a Garmin

Step 1: Go to Open Street Map Website: http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl

Step 2: Cull your map type – click "generic routable (new style)"

Stride 3: You have two choices at this point – you tin download a pre-defined country or build your own custom map.

Choice ane – a predefined country
• Using the drib downward choices option your country and depending on size you lot might be able to immediately download the file
• Case, using the Asia driblet downwardly, choose "Laos" and then at step 4 (request map) you lot will see "download map now" link on the screen immediately. Annotation: download map now does not e'er piece of work and so come across stride iv.
• Click on the download map now link and some other window will open
• Download the file with the name "osm_generic_new_gmapsupp.zip" and the description says "compressed file containing a single epitome that can exist placed directly onto the SD card of the GPS". On my MAC it downloads every bit an epitome and not as a nil file and so it is easy to place in the folder; this might be different on a PC.

Choice 2 – build your ain map
• Click the box "enable tile selection"

• Then using the map area below – use the up and downwardly arrows to movement around the world map and the + or – to zoom in or out – click on the tiles you want. For example, I congenital maps of all the Southeast Asia countries I wanted to drive through.
• Once you have selected your area then request your map

Stride 4: Requesting your map

• Fill up in your email address and click build my map
• After your click "build my map" another window will open that says you lot will receive two emails

Step 5: Receiving your map
• The offset email you receive will tell you that your map is in process and provide a link that you can cheque when information technology will be gear up or its status
• The second e-mail you receive will give you a link to become download your map

Step half dozen: Downloading your map
• Click on the link in the email
• Download the file with the name "osm_generic_new_gmapsupp.zip" and the description says "compressed file containing a single paradigm that tin can exist placed straight onto the SD bill of fare of the GPS". On my MAC it downloads equally an image and not as a zip file and so information technology is easy to place in the folder; this might be different on a PC.

Stride 7: Put map on the SD carte du jour for your Garmin
• You now take the file. Practise not change the file name in any mode; if yous do then information technology won't work.
• Put your SD menu in your computer and brand a folder with the proper noun "Garmin"; exercise not give it any other name or it won't piece of work
• If you are using the SD menu that was already in your Garmin then open that folder marked "Garmin" and delete the image file that is in the binder. If this is a map you have purchased then relieve it your calculator.
• Motility the new file/image that y'all downloaded onto the SD carte into the folder marked "Garmin"
• Put the SD bill of fare dorsum into your Garmin and you now have your new map

Step eight: On your Garmin device
• Insert the SD carte du jour into your Garmin device (or turn off/on if y'all saved to the device hard drive).
• Turn on device
• Scroll until you lot find tab chosen "setup", click on that
• Ringlet until you find tab called "map", click to open up
• Select button that says "map information" (may also say select map) click to open up
• In this field you will see all maps that are on the device. Find the map you lot want to use ("OSM generic routable (new style)"), select it in order to "enable it"
• Any other maps you have on your device, you need to select and choose "disable" otherwise there can maybe be mapping conflicts.

Troubleshooting:
• The chief outcome that can happen is that the map isn't working. The usual upshot is that the Garmin is dislocated considering at that place is more than than 1 map on the Garmin. Yous accept already fabricated certain that the SD carte du jour has merely i image and that the folder is chosen "garmin" and there shouldn't exist any other folders on that SD carte du jour. If it nevertheless isn't working then plug your Garmin into your estimator and look at the files on its hard drive. If at that place is some other file named "garmin" then this is where your conflict is occurring. Remove that file (make a copy of anything you are deleting before deletion as you lot may need information technology later on).

• I did this on 1 person's Garmin device that didn't have an SD card so nosotros were putting the new map image into a "garmin" folder on the hard bulldoze. But, before I did that I deleted the old files (earlier deleting I had saved a copy onto my computer). What I didn't realize is that the former file had contained data that would put the map image into dissimilar languages. He needed his map to exist in French. I was able to go dorsum and motion over the language files onto his Garmin from the folder I had taken off. I got help doing this from a YouTube video after searching for adding languages to a Garmin.