Plus Code (Open Location Code) Converter
Encode latitude and longitude into a Google Plus Code, or decode a Plus Code (full or shortened) back to coordinates with map links.
Input
Decimal degrees, between -90 and 90.
Decimal degrees, between -180 and 180.
Encode: shortens the result to a nearby point (e.g. a city center). Decode: required to recover a short code.
Output
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| No data yet | |
More ways to use this tool
REST API
curl -X POST https://api.iotools.cloud/v1/tool/plus-code-converter \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"mode": "encode",
"latitude": "47.365590",
"longitude": "8.524997",
"precision": "10"
}'Swap in your own key from your account. The tool's fields are the body — no wrapper.
Ask an AI agent
Use the IOTools `plus-code-converter` tool (Plus Code (Open Location Code) Converter) on this input:
YOUR_INPUT_HEREPaste this at any agent connected to the IOTools MCP server, then add your input.
Embed widget
<iframe
src="https://iotools.cloud/embed/plus-code-converter/"
width="100%" height="520" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" loading="lazy"
title="Plus Code (Open Location Code) Converter — iotools.cloud"
sandbox="allow-scripts allow-forms allow-same-origin allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"
allow="clipboard-write"
style="width:100%;border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden"></iframe>
<script src="https://iotools.cloud/embed.js" async></script>Drop this into your own page — free, no key required, just a link back.
| Cost per API/MCP call | From 5 credits |
|---|---|
| Need more credits? | View pricing |
Also available with
Guides
A Plus Code (also called an Open Location Code, or OLC) turns a latitude/longitude pair into a short string like 8FVC9G8F+6X — a location you can share, print, or type without decimal points or a - sign to lose. Google Maps shows one for every place on Earth, including spots with no street address. Like a geohash, a Plus Code names a small rectangular area, not an exact point, so decoding one always returns the center of that area.
This converter runs both directions, shows the area's real size, and gives you ready-to-click map links.
How to use it
Encode — pick "Encode", enter a latitude and longitude in decimal degrees, and choose a precision. More characters means a smaller, more exact area:
| Length | Area (roughly) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 2,200 × 2,200 km |
| 4 | 110 × 110 km |
| 6 | 5.5 × 5.5 km |
| 8 | 275 × 275 m |
| 10 (default) | 14 × 14 m |
| 11 | 3.5 × 2.8 m |
Decode — pick "Decode" and paste a code. Full codes like 8FVC9G8F+6X decode on their own. Shortened codes like 9G8F+6X — the kind Google Maps shows next to a city name — need a nearby reference point to resolve, since the same four characters repeat every ~100 km around the world.
Short codes
Open the "Short code" section to enter a reference latitude/longitude (any point roughly within the code's own area, such as a city center):
- Encoding shows a shortened version of the result alongside the full code, when the reference point is close enough to trim it.
- Decoding uses the reference point to recover the full code from a short one.
What you get back
- The full code, and a shortened code when a reference location makes one possible.
- The center coordinates — what a code actually decodes to.
- Google Maps and OpenStreetMap links, ready to open.
- A details table with the code's length, its bounding box, and its real-world width/height.
Why the decoded coordinates aren't exactly what you encoded
A Plus Code is lossy by design — encoding throws away everything finer than the area it names, so decoding can only hand back that area's center. Encode 47.365590, 8.524997 at 10 characters and you get back 47.365562, 8.524938, a few meters off, which is the resolution you chose. Pick more characters for a tighter match, or keep the original coordinates alongside the code if you need them exactly.
Are Plus Codes the same as geohashes or what3words?
No. All three compress a location into a short string, but the algorithms, alphabets and area shapes differ, and none of them interoperate. For a hash built the same way as Redis's or Elasticsearch's geospatial index, use the Geohash Converter instead.
What if I need a different coordinate format instead?
The Coordinate Format Converter moves a point between decimal degrees, DMS and DDM without encoding it into a code at all. To measure the distance between two points, use the Geo Distance Calculator.
Privacy
Everything runs in your browser using Google's own open-source Open Location Code library. Coordinates are never uploaded to a server.