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What is a Google Maps Plus Code?

A Plus Code is a location code (Open Location Code) that encodes a geographic area—useful as a human-shareable coordinate shorthand. It is not a Place ID, CID, or Fid.

Updated September 21, 2026

Also called: Open Location Code · OLC

What a Plus Code looks like

Plus Codes mix letters and digits with a + separator (for example 849VCWC8+R9). Local short codes may appear with a locality name; full codes stand alone.

  • Valid: 849VCWC8+R9
  • Not a Plus Code: ChIJ Place ID, decimal CID, or 0x…:0x… Fid
  • Related but different: raw latitude/longitude columns in exports

Where Plus Code appears

SurfaceNotes
Google Maps listingShown as a Plus Code near address details
Chrome extension exportsOften included as a Plus Code column for CRM keys
Online lead rowsCoordinates always; Plus Code availability depends on source fields
Identifier convertersPlace ID tools focus on IDs—not Plus Code generation

How to get a Plus Code

  1. Open the place on Google Maps and copy the Plus Code from the listing when shown.
  2. Or export leads/extension rows that include Plus Code and lat/lng.
  3. Use lat/lng when you need precise points; use Plus Code when humans need a shareable area code.

For durable business identity, still prefer Place ID. Plus Code describes where—not which Google place entity.

How Plus Code helps lead workflows

  • Territory planning when addresses are messy or missing street numbers
  • Secondary CRM key alongside Place Id for map drops
  • Sharing a location with field teams without sending a full Maps URL

Common mistakes

  • Using Plus Code alone to dedupe businesses in the same building
  • Treating Plus Code as a Place ID in API calls
  • Ignoring Place Id when two leads share a Plus Code but are different tenants

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