A Google Place ID is the unique identifier Google uses for a specific place (a business, landmark, or address) on Google Maps and in the Google Places database. This guide shows how to find a Google Place ID in four free ways, each taking under a minute. You will need one for a review link, a store locator, the Places API, or a Google Business Profile integration.
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The fastest way: use the free Place ID Finder
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The quickest method is our free Google Place ID Finder: start typing a business name or address, pick the matching result, then click the marker to read and copy the Place ID. No API key and no sign-up. If you just need the ID right now, use the tool. The methods below are useful when you want to understand the alternatives or pull IDs at scale.
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What is a Google Place ID, and why look one up?
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A Place ID is a stable text string — usually starting with ChIJ, for example ChIJN1t_tDeuEmsRUsoyG83frY4, and it points to one exact place. Unlike a name or address, the ID stays the same when a business is renamed or its pin shifts slightly, which is why Google recommends it as the reliable way to reference a location in code, widgets, and integrations.
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Method 1: the Place ID Finder tool (easiest)
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- Open the Place ID Finder.
- Type the business name or address in the search box on the map.
- Choose the matching place from the dropdown — a marker drops on it.
- Click the marker and copy the Place ID from the info window.
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Method 2: Google’s official Place ID Finder
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Google publishes its own Place ID Finder in the Maps JavaScript API documentation. It works the same way: search, select, read the ID from the info window. Naturally, that helps if you are already in the Google developer docs. It is built for developers, so it shows no surrounding guidance, but the result is identical.
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Method 3: from your Google Business Profile listing
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If you want the Place ID for a business that appears in Google’s knowledge panel:
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- Search Google for the business name plus its city so the listing’s panel appears.
- Right-click the Write a review button and inspect the element.
- Find the
data-pidattribute — the value in quotes is the Place ID.
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This is the manual route when you cannot use a tool, but it is slower and error-prone; the finder above is faster for one-off lookups.
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Method 4: from a Maps URL or the Places API
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Developers pulling IDs programmatically can call the Places API findplacefromtext or textsearch endpoints, which return the place_id field directly. This is the right approach when you need to resolve many places automatically rather than one at a time.
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How to find a Google Place ID for your own business
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Search for your business name and city in the Place ID Finder, select your listing, and copy the ID from the marker. Use it to build a direct “leave us a review” link, connect reputation and marketing tools, or wire your listing into a store locator.
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How to find a Google Place ID in bulk
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The four methods above each resolve one place at a time, which is fine for a handful of locations. For a longer list, however, use a spreadsheet. Keep one column for the business name, another for the city, and a third for the ID. Paste each name into the finder, copy the ID back, and move down the list.
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Two habits save time here. Store the ID as text so long strings are not mangled on import, and record the date you captured it. Google recommends refreshing any Place ID older than twelve months, and a date column tells you which rows are due.
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Choosing the right method
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Need one ID right now? Then use the finder on this site. Already working inside the Google Cloud console? In that case, Google’s own tool sits closer to that workflow. Meanwhile, business owners signed in to a Business Profile should use method three, because Google already knows which listing is yours.
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All four return the same identifier. There is no “better” ID: the difference is purely how many clicks it takes you to reach it.
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Common mistakes to avoid
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The most frequent error is copying the ID for the wrong branch. Chains list every location separately, so confirm the address on the map before you copy anything. The second is truncating the string, which happens easily when a spreadsheet column is too narrow. The third is confusing a Place ID with a CID or a Feature ID. Although they look similar, different Google products use them, so they are not interchangeable.
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Afterwards, confirm any ID with the Place ID lookup tool. It turns the identifier back into a name, an address, and coordinates.
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Where Google documents Place IDs
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Google maintains a reference page for the format and its stability guarantees. In addition, it covers passing an ID to a Place Details request. It is worth reading before you build anything that stores IDs long term: see the official Place ID documentation. Asking about a listing rather than the API? Google Business Profile support is the right place.
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Frequently asked questions
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Is finding a Google Place ID free?
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Yes. The Place ID Finder is free and needs no Google API key. Google’s own finder and the inspect-element method are free too.
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What does a Place ID look like?
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Most are a long string beginning with ChIJ, such as ChIJN1t_tDeuEmsRUsoyG83frY4. Some legacy IDs use other prefixes.
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Is a Place ID the same as a CID?
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No. A CID is an older numeric Google Maps identifier; the Place ID is the current string format used across Google’s APIs. They reference the same place but are not interchangeable in code.
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Do Place IDs ever change?
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They are designed to be stable, but Google advises refreshing a stored Place ID if it is more than 12 months old, since a small number are retired over time.
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How do I find a Google Place ID without an API key?
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Use the finder on this site or Google’s own Place ID finder page. Neither asks for an API key, and both return the same identifier.
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How to find a Google Place ID on a phone?
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The same methods work on mobile. Open the finder in your browser, type the business name, and tap the result to copy the ID.
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