OS Maps premium users can download routes and mapping, which can be accessed 'offline', even when no WiFi or mobile signal is available.

There are two options to download maps, either for an area covering a particular route, or a specific area of a map.

Note this feature is only available via the OS Maps mobile app.

Download a route map:

• Navigate to the main menu (☰ symbol in top left of screen) > Routes to see your list of saved and favourited routes.
• Underneath each route you can see it's downloaded status 'Map available to download' or 'Map downloaded'.
• Tap the down arrow on the route you'd like to download and select 'Download Map'
• This will download a  section of the map covering the entire route.
• You can use this to download a larger map section by creating a private 'dummy' route connecting two points at long distance and downloading that area.

Download a specific map area:

• Navigate to the main menu (☰ symbol in top left of screen) > Offline Maps and tap 'Add a Custom Offline Map'
• Pan across the map to the area you want to download, and zoom in until you see the 'Download' message displayed.
• Tap 'Download' and give your map a name to download the map covering the area and zoom level displayed.
• You can download multiple sections of map areas to cover a larger area as needed.
• Tap the 'X' on top left of the screen to return to the main map screen

Downloaded maps can be found under the 'Offline Maps' section within the main menu. Tap 'Custom Offline Maps' to see the maps you have downloaded. From here you can also remove downloaded maps that are no longer required.

We recommend regularly deleting maps that are no longer required to help save storage space on your device and maintain performance of the mobile app.

Downloaded maps can be found under the 'Offline Maps' section within the main menu. Tap 'Custom Offline Maps' to see the maps you have downloaded. From here you can also remove downloaded maps that are no longer required.

Downloaded maps do not update automatically. Ordnance Survey updates their maps approximately every 3 months, if you want to ensure you have the latest version of a map downloaded, then you'll need to remove the existing version and re-download that same area. 

In some instances, downloaded maps can be automatically removed from a device. This is usually because:

• You have logged out of OS Maps. Downloaded maps are linked to your OS account, so logging out will cause them to be deleted. If this happens, log back into your account and you can then re-download your maps
• Your subscription has expired. Downloading maps for offline use is only available to premium users. If your premium subscription has expired, then you will need to renew it to access downloaded maps
• On very rare occasions, new app updates might not be compatible with the existing versions of downloaded maps. We recommend double checking your downloaded maps after each app update to make sure they are still available.

All OS Explorer (1:25k scale) and OS Landranger (1:50k scale) series paper maps have a digital download included. You can identify the maps with mobile download by the blue ‘Includes mobile download’ badge on the cover.

Mobile downloads are not available for OS Tour maps or Historical Maps.

Yes, you'll need to install the OS Maps mobile app. You can get this from the Apple (iOS) or Google Play (Android) app stores; it's free and doesn't take long to download.

You can't download these maps to a computer, instead a premium subscription to OS Maps will give you access to all OS Explorer & Landranger maps in digital format.

For OS maps on your GPS device please check with the device manufacturer.

To redeem a map download as part of your purchase of a paper map, follow the below instructions.

• Head to os.uk/redeem where you will need to create an account with OS Maps or log-in if you already have an account.
• By signing in, your maps are saved to your account for use on multiple devices
• Enter the 12-character code in the scratch-box on the redeem page. There are no numbers, just letters, so be careful with 'I' and 'O'!
• In the OS Maps app, you will find the map listed under Menu - Offline Maps - Paper maps. If you entered the code on the web, ensure you log in to the app using the same account details
• Select the map sheet to download to local storage and click the 'download' button
• Click on an existing map sheet to jump to it. You may need to zoom in for it to show up. Unlike Premium users, you cannot find them just by changing layer.

Navigate to the main menu (☰ symbol in top left of screen) > Offline Maps > Paper Maps

Here you will be able to see the list of maps redeemed against your account. Tap 'Download map' to download that specific map to your device.

Tips for Offline Paper Maps:

• Logging out of the mobile app will remove all existing downloads, as they are linked to your OS account, not the device. Check you have the downloads you need before heading out, and do not log out in normal use.
• Downloading many maps at once can cause issues, overloading your device and causing slow response or crashing when you try to view maps. Delete maps you are not currently using to both save storage space and improve mobile app speed. You can always download them again later.
• The total number of maps you can have at once depends on your device and other apps installed.
• When you have just redeemed a new map, it may take a few minutes to show up in the mobile app. Close the mobile app and wait for a short while before checking again.
• If a download gets 'stuck', restarting the mobile app will usually resolve it. Sometimes you may need to log out and back in to clear all downloads and try again.

Navigate to the main menu (☰ symbol in top left of screen) > Offline Maps > Paper Maps

Here you will be able to see the list of maps redeemed against your account. Tap 'Download map' to download that specific map to your device or tap a map name to open the map and view it.

Navigate to the main menu (☰ symbol in top left of screen) > Offline Maps > Paper Maps.

Maps you have already downloaded will show a coloured bar and 'Map downloaded' under the name. Maps available to download will show with a grey bar and are marked as ‘Not available offline’.

On the iOS version of the app, under 'My Offline Maps' you can turn on ‘Show offline areas on map’. Return to map view and zoom out. Offline areas will show with a green highlight. Maps available to download (but not currently downloaded) will show as a grey highlight.

Yes. You can download your map to multiple devices, as long as you login to OS Maps using the same account details. Our terms state that each map should only be on one device at a time, so once it’s removed from one, you can download it to the next.

Maps you have purchased and redeemed the code for, are stored against your account in the OS Shop. If you delete the map, change your phone or even switch between an Android device and an iOS one, you will still have access to your maps. In the OS Maps mobile app please ensure you log in with the same username and account as you use on the OS Maps website and OS Shop and the list of available maps will be shown under ‘My Maps'

This means that if you want to use a map for a short period of time (e.g. for a holiday) you can use it and then delete it once finished, to save space, knowing that you can download it again in the future.

The digital version of a map will always match the original paper version purchased and will not update. With a premium subscription to OS Maps you can access the most up to date versions of our OS Leisure mapping.

The downloader system means the area will not match exactly. We have 'rounded up' so you may get slightly more in your download than the extent of the paper map.

Check the OS shop website to see when we issued the latest version. You can see the publication date (month & year) of a map under the product description. Compare this to your copy of a paper map to check if you have the latest version.

Please check that you have entered the code correctly. The codes are all letters and are printed in upper case. If your code still does not work please contact customer services using our Customer Services contact form.
 

The mobile app uses the same login details as your OS Maps online account or OS Shop account. By using the same account in both the mobile app and web we can help you keep track of your maps and automatically synchronise your saved and favourite routes.

Only maps with the 'Mobile Download' logo on the cover will have a code. Look for the silver scratch-off panel on the inside cover, and scratch this off to reveal your 12-letter code.

If this is already scratched off it may already have been used - please return the map to the retailer for a new copy with an unused code, or contact customer services using the contact form at the bottom of this page.

Mobile downloads are only available on OS Explorer and Landranger maps.