Explore the map

Using the mouse

You can use a mouse or pointing device to move around and explore the map.

Map action Use this tool... ...and do this
Re-center the map Navigation element
North arrow navigator
(image may vary)
Located in the upper left corner of the map display (if available). Click and hold on the Navigation image in the direction you want to re-center the map. You can click on any spot on the Navigation image to fine-tune the movement.
Pan tool
Pan tool
Click on the Pan tool in the Toolbar, then click and drag the map to move it.
Zoom in Mouse wheel
Mouse wheel
Scroll the mouse wheel forward or up to zoom in. Each wheel click will zoom the map by about 50 percent in width and height.
Shift+Left mouse
Left-mouse button
Hold the Shift key down, then hold the left mouse button down and drag to draw a rectangle. The map will zoom in to the area of the rectangle.
Zoom in tool
Zoom in tool
Click on the zoom-in tool in the Toolbar, then
  • Click once on the map: the map will zoom in and recenter the map where you click; OR
  • Click and drag to draw a rectangle on the map: the map will zoom in to the area of the rectangle.
Zoom-level
Zoom-level control
Click the plus button on the zoom level control to zoom in. Some maps may have tics between the plus and minus buttons, which may be clicked to zoom to a specific scale.
Zoom out Mouse wheel
Mouse wheel
Scroll the mouse wheel backward or down to zoom out. Each wheel click will zoom the map by about 50 percent in width and height.
Ctrl+Left mouse
Left-mouse button
Hold the Ctrl key down, then click the left mouse button to zoom out. You can also hold the left mouse button down and drag to draw a rectangle. The map will zoom out so that the current map extent fits into the rectangle drawn. The smaller the rectangle, the more the map zooms out.
Zoom out tool
Zoom out tool
Click on the zoom-out tool in the Toolbar, then
  • Click once on the map: the map will zoom out and recenter the map where you click; OR
  • Click and drag to draw a rectangle on the map: the map will zoom out so that the current map area will fit into the rectangle drawn. The smaller the rectangle you draw, the more the map will zoom out.
Zoom-level
Zoom-level control
Click the minus button on the zoom level control to zoom out. Some maps may have tics between the plus and minus buttons, which may be clicked to zoom to a specific scale.
Zoom out to full map Zoom full extent
Zoom full extent
Click on the full extent image in the Toolbar. The map will zoom all the way out to the full map extent.