InstaMaps

Setup Guide

Get started with InstaMaps in under 5 minutes

Prerequisites

  • A Google™ account (free Gmail account works)
  • At least one Google™ Sheet with address data
  • Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)
1

Install InstaMaps Add-On

  1. Go to the Google™ Workspace Marketplace
  2. Search for "InstaMaps"
  3. Click "Install" (no credit card required)
  4. Grant InstaMaps permission to access your Google™ Sheets (read-only)
  5. You'll see a confirmation message when installation completes

💡 Pro Tip

InstaMaps only requests access to sheets you explicitly open with the add-on. We never access other sheets in your Drive.

2

Prepare Your Address Data

InstaMaps works with any address format—no formatting required! AI automatically detects:

  • Full addresses: "123 Main St, New York, NY 10001"
  • Split columns: Separate columns for Street, City, State, ZIP
  • Partial addresses: Just city and state, or even ZIP codes only
  • International: Addresses from any country

✨ AI Magic

You don't need to specify which columns contain addresses. InstaMaps AI automatically detects them when you open the map!

3

Create Your First Map

  1. Open your Google™ Sheet with address data
  2. Click "Extensions" in the menu bar
  3. Select "InstaMaps → Open Map"
  4. Wait 30 seconds while AI detects your address columns
  5. Your map appears with all locations marked!

⚡ Lightning Fast

InstaMaps maps your entire sheet in under 30 seconds—no CSV exports, no manual column mapping, no waiting.

4

Apply Filters

Once your map loads, filter locations by:

  • Location: Zoom to target area, click "Filter by Viewport" to see only visible locations
  • AI-Suggested Filters: InstaMaps automatically suggests 3-7 relevant columns (industry, status, value)
  • Manual Filters: Add custom filters for any column in your sheet
  • Filter Types: Picklist (multi-select), text search, number ranges
5

Plan Multi-Stop Routes

  1. Select multiple locations on the map (click markers while holding Ctrl/Cmd)
  2. Click "Plan Route" button in the map controls
  3. InstaMaps optimizes the visit order to minimize driving time
  4. View driving distances, durations, and turn-by-turn directions
  5. Drag markers to manually reorder stops if needed
  6. Export the optimized route back to Google™ Sheets

🚗 Route Optimization

InstaMaps uses Google™ Maps routing to calculate the fastest route order, saving hours of manual planning.

6

Export Filtered Lists

  1. Apply filters to narrow down to your target locations
  2. Click "Export to Sheets" in the map controls
  3. Choose export options:
    • New Tab: Creates new sheet tab with filtered results (default)
    • Include Route: Add optimized route order as a column
    • Preserve Columns: All original columns are included
  4. Click "Export" and wait for confirmation
  5. View your new sheet tab with the filtered list!

What's Next?

  • Test Different Filters: Experiment with various filter combinations to find your ideal target list
  • Plan Field Visits: Use route planning to schedule efficient multi-stop visits
  • Share Results: Share your Google™ Sheet with team members to collaborate
  • Iterate Quickly: The entire prospecting loop takes under 5 minutes—try multiple strategies in one session

Common Issues

Q: "No address columns detected"

A: Ensure at least one column contains recognizable address data (street address, city/state, or ZIP code). Try adding a header row with "Address" as the column name.

Q: "Some locations not appearing on map"

A: Check that addresses are complete and properly formatted. Incomplete addresses (e.g., just a business name) may not geocode correctly.

Q: "Map loads slowly with large sheets"

A: For sheets with 1000+ rows, consider using filters to narrow down before mapping, or split into multiple sheets by region.

Need Help?

If you run into any issues during setup: