Google’s steps are on its lists help page and its Takeout help page, as of October 2026.
What’s in the Takeout files
| Takeout product | File | What’s in it |
|---|---|---|
| Saved | One CSV per list, such as “Want to go.csv” | Each place’s name, your note and a Google Maps link |
| Maps (your places) | Saved Places.json | Your starred places with coordinates, as GeoJSON |
The Saved lists come out as CSV. If you need KML, Google My Maps (a separate product for maps you make yourself) can export a map as KML or KMZ.
Open the files in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets
- In Excel, choose Data › From Text/CSV and set the file origin to UTF-8. A double-click can garble accented and non-Latin names.
- In Google Sheets, use File › Import › Upload and choose the CSV.
- Numbers opens the CSV directly.
Each row’s link opens the place in Google Maps. The sheet has no address column, so you fill in addresses by hand or with another tool.
Limits of the Takeout export
- The Saved files have no addresses or coordinates. Only starred places come with coordinates.
- You wait for Google. Most people get the link the same day, but some exports take days.
- The export is a snapshot, so places you save afterwards aren’t in it. Scheduled exports repeat it every two months for a year.
- Matcha can’t open these files. It imports from a list link instead (below).
Skip the file: send the list to Matcha
If you’re exporting to get your places onto an iPhone, there’s a shorter route. In Google Maps, share the list and pick Matcha, or paste its link in Matcha under Profile › Import from Google Maps. Matcha reads the list on your phone, with each place’s name, address and pin, up to 3,000 places per list. You choose places by city and add them to your map. Full steps: Google Maps list to iPhone.
Need a file with coordinates? After the import, Profile › Export data in Matcha saves a folder with a file called dishes.json. It lists each imported place with its address, city, coordinates, Google Maps list and your note from Google.
Matcha is a free download for iPhone (iOS 26 or later). Matcha Pro has a 7-day free trial, then costs $9.99/year, or $0.99/week without a trial. Prices vary by country, and nothing is free after the trial.