How to Delete Maps From Garmin GPS
By Fred Decker
Garmin's GPS devices can be updated and customized regularly with additional maps, providing higher levels of detail for geocaching and vacation planning or simply adding new geographic areas. Over time, these additional maps can take up a significant percentage of your device's available storage space. Freeing up that space by deleting your supplemental maps can restore your ability to add new data, and it's both quick and easy to do.
Step 1
Connect your GPS device to your computer with the supplied USB cable. Click on the Start menu and then choose "Computer."
Step 2
Look for your GPS device among the installed drives. It will usually be named Garmin or nuvi. Right-click on the icon for your device, and choose "Open" or "Explore." On most models, there will be a folder labeled Maps. On some zumo devices, the nuvi 5000 series and nuvis with a three-digit model number, the folder will be labeled Garmin.
Step 3
Double-click the Maps or Garmin folder to see the contents. Files with the .img extension are maps. The file called gmapbmap.img is the standard set of maps that came with your GPS and should not be deleted. Most supplemental maps will be called gmapsupp.img, although your unit may contain others with specific filenames ending in the .img extension.
Step 4
Select and delete your supplemental map files. When you're finished, unplug your GPS or proceed to install new maps from Garmin or a third-party source.
References
Tips
- The process is almost identical on a Macintosh, except you can double-click directly on the drive icon for the GPS rather than right-clicking.
- On some models of nuvi, dezl and zumo devices, the Maps folder is located inside another folder labeled "Internal Storage." You'll need to double-click that folder to gain access to the Maps folder.
Warnings
- These instructions were accurate at the time the article was written. Details and menu options may change with future versions of Windows, iOS and Garmin GPS devices.
Writer Bio
Fred Decker is a trained chef and certified food-safety trainer. Decker wrote for the Saint John, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, and has been published in Canada's Hospitality and Foodservice magazine. He's held positions selling computers, insurance and mutual funds, and was educated at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.