How do I search for a place or use my location?
Find a place on the map by searching for its name or using your current location.
ON THIS PAGE
Steps
Open the search box
Go to the /app page. The search box is at the top of the page, next to the wordmark. It shows the name of the current place; when you click into it, the text clears and the hint Search a place appears.
Type your search query
Click into the Search a place box and type at least two letters of the place you want to find. Results appear as you type.
Review the search results
A list of up to six matching places appears below the search box. Each result shows the place name, the region and country, and its coordinates to two decimal places, so you can tell two places with the same name apart.
Select a place from the list
Use the up and down arrow keys to move through the list, then press Enter to choose the highlighted result. The first result is highlighted by default, so Enter alone takes the top match. You can also click a result with your mouse.
Use your current location
Alternatively, click the crosshair button labelled Use my location, which sits just to the right of the search box. Your browser will ask for permission to share your position the first time.
01How to search for a place
To find a specific location, type its name into the search box at the top of the /app page. The search looks up place names, so towns, cities and other named places work best. As you type, a list of up to six matching places will appear. Each result includes the place name, the region and country, and the coordinates, to help you pick the correct one. You need to type at least two characters before anything is searched. Choosing a place reloads the forecast for that point and clears any scrubbed hour, route waypoints and record link. The instrument also remembers your last place on this device, so it opens there next time. For more on getting started, see First five minutes.
03Using **Use my location**
The Use my location button finds your current position. When you click it, your browser will ask for permission to share your location. If you allow it, the instrument switches to a place named My location, and the area line shows your latitude and longitude to three decimal places. While it waits, you will see Locating…. The instrument waits up to 8 seconds for a reading, and will accept a position your device has stored for up to 10 minutes. If you refuse permission, or the reading does not arrive in time, the message Location denied appears. If your device or browser has no location support at all, you see Location unavailable. This feature is useful on site, or when you do not know the name of the spot you are standing on. For details on setting your working height, see Set working height.
04What My location means on the map
My location is a point taken from your device's location services at the moment you pressed the button. It is not a fixed address and it does not follow you as you move; press the button again to update it. The same thing happens automatically the first time you open the instrument: if no earlier place is stored on that device and no place is named in the link you followed, the instrument tries your location for a few seconds and falls back to Clonmel in Ireland if it cannot get one. A point from My location is not added to your saved sites automatically. Saved sites are added from the Add site panel on your account page, which has its own place search; see How to save your first site.
05If something goes wrong
If you see No match after typing, try a broader term or check your spelling. The search covers named places only, so a very small or new location may not be found; try the nearest town instead. If you see Search unavailable, the place search service did not answer. Try again in a few moments. If you click Use my location and see Location denied, either your browser has blocked location for this site or the reading did not arrive within 8 seconds. Check the site permission in your browser settings, and try again with a clearer signal. If you see Location unavailable, your browser reports that it cannot give a location at all, so search by name instead.
Questions
Why do I see only seven results?
The place search returns a short list of the best matches, six at most, to keep it quick and readable. If your place is not in the list, add more detail, such as the region or country, or change the spelling. You can also search for a nearby larger town and use that point instead.
Can I search using coordinates?
Not in the search box, which is built for place names. If you know the coordinates, you can put them in the address of the page instead: open /app with lat and lon values, for example /app?lat=52.35&lon=-7.70, and add name=My%20site if you want a label. If you are standing on the spot, Use my location is quicker. Clicking the map does not choose a place on the Point tab; the map only adds waypoints on the Route tab.
What if my browser blocks location access?
If your browser blocks location access you will see Location denied. Open your browser's site settings for this website and allow location, then press Use my location again. The exact steps vary by browser and device, but are usually under site permissions or privacy settings. Until then, you can still search for a place by name.
How fresh is the 'My location' data?
When you press Use my location, your device is asked for a position. The instrument waits up to 8 seconds, and will accept a stored reading up to 10 minutes old, so it may not be a brand new fix. For the best reading, have a clear signal or network connection. The coordinates update each time you press the button.
Does searching for a place save it?
No. Choosing a place from the list shows its wind data on the instrument and remembers it as your last place on this device, but it does not add it to your saved sites. To save a site, use the Add site panel on your account page. See How to save your first site for the steps.