Google Maps has become an essential tool for navigating our world, but have you ever noticed it doesn’t always show all the possible routes? For example, when I travel from Noida to Gurugram, I usually prefer a specific route via Faridabad. Even though it’s slightly longer in distance, it saves me at least 20 minutes during rush hour because there’s way less traffic. The problem is, Google Maps sometimes doesn’t show this route at all! So, what can you do when Google Maps isn’t showing the routes you want? Let’s explore some solutions.

How to Choose Alternate Routes in Google Maps
Google Maps uses a vast database of roads, real-time traffic information from millions of drivers, and even historical traffic patterns to find the best route for you. It usually selects the fastest option by default, but you can also choose from alternative routes. Here’s how:

- Open Google Maps and search for your destination.
- Once you’ve selected your destination, tap Directions at the bottom.
- You’ll see multiple routes with estimated travel times. The blue-colored route is the default, but you can tap on any of the gray routes to select a different one.
- Sometimes, zooming out on the map can reveal alternate routes that weren’t visible at a closer zoom level.
Why Doesn’t Google Maps Show All Routes?
At times, Google Maps may not show alternate routes that you know exist or have used previously. This could be because it determines the route is significantly longer or slower, even if you’ve used it before. If your preferred alternate route is experiencing heavy congestion or an incident, it might also be temporarily hidden.
Here’s the thing: your settings in Google Maps too can influence the routes it displays. For example, if you have “Avoid tolls” or “Avoid highways” enabled, Google Maps will prioritize routes that meet those criteria and may hide the alternatives that don’t.
How to Make Google Maps Show Other Routes
There are two ways to make Google Maps display all alternative routes to a destination. First, clear any preferences regarding the type of route you prefer. If that doesn’t work, you can add a stop at a midpoint along your preferred route to force Google Maps to navigate through your desired location. Check both methods in detail below.
Method 1: Disable the Route Options
It could be that Maps is showing you routes based on best fuel savings or avoiding toll roads, so make sure you don’t have any such preferences set using the steps below.
- Open the Google Maps app.
- Tap your profile picture at the top right and choose Settings.
- Scroll down and tap on Navigation.
- Scroll down to Route Options.
- Here, toggle off Avoid toll roads, Avoid motorways, Avoid ferries, and most important of all, Prefer fuel-efficient routes.
You can also access these options by directly heading to Google Map Settings > Navigation > Route options.

Here’s a more detailed explanation of what each of these options do:
- Avoid toll roads: This option avoids routes that require paying tolls. It can save you money but might lead to longer or slower routes.
- Avoid motorways: This option avoids highways and freeways, often resulting in routes that go through cities or towns, which can be slower due to traffic lights and lower speed limits.
- Avoid ferries: This option excludes routes that involve taking a ferry.
- Prefer fuel-efficient routes: This option prefers routes that are estimated to use the least amount of fuel. While this is good for your wallet and the environment, it might not always be the fastest option.
By clearing these preferences, you’re telling Google Maps to consider all possible routes, regardless of tolls, highways, ferries, or fuel efficiency. This can help you uncover alternate routes that were previously hidden.
Method 2: Force Google Maps to Take a Certain Route
If Maps still doesn’t show you enough alternate routes or the route that you’d like to take, you can force it to navigate through it by planning multiple stops on your route. Here’s how it works:
1. Open Google Maps and tap the search box. Instead of directly searching for your final destination, search for a location that lies along your preferred route. This could be a landmark, a business, or even just a specific intersection.
2. Tap Directions to set the intermediate address as your destination.
3. Once done, tap the three dots on the top right and choose Edit Stops.

4. Tap Choose Destination and add your actual final destination as a stop.
5. Tap Done and start navigation.

If your preferred route involves multiple deviations from the routes Google Maps is showing, you might need to repeat this process, adding multiple stops along the way to “guide” Google Maps towards your desired path.
While navigating, Google Maps will pause the navigation on your first stop. Simply resume the navigation to your final destination from here.
Can You Prevent Maps from Auto Routing You To a Faster Route?
Often, even when you choose an alternate route, Google Maps often alerts you that it found a faster route and will be automatically switching to it unless you tap No Thanks. And if you miss tapping the button, it will automatically reroute you to what it feels is the best roadway. Back to square one.
Unfortunately, this is a big pain for navigators, especially motorcycle riders. Notice this comment in the Google community from a biker who mentions he has to stop, take off his glove, reenter the route (often with terrible cell service, so it takes ages to load, if at all), and get back on the road ten minutes later with a frustrated scowl on his face, ruining the trip.

Similarly, another user commented that he is unable to tap the “no” button safely while driving and is redirected automatically. They mention having gotten lost, ended up on poor quality roads, or onto roads they wanted to avoid, and the travel time is extended.

It’s incredibly frustrating when Google Maps disregards your chosen route and forces you onto a different path, especially when it impacts your safety or enjoyment of the ride. Google hasn’t yet addressed this issue despite numerous complaints.