If you got a Garmin GPS, you can use their MapSource software for free, but it is a little tricky obtaining, installing, and setting it up for free.
This works with many Garmin GPS’es. I figured this out with the Garmin Nuvi 760 that I recently bought.
There are so many cool things you can do with your Garmin when you have MapSource installed, so I feel that it is worth the effort installing it in spite of how difficult Garmin may make it. So, here is my guide to make it a lot easier for you.
- Go to www.garmin.com
- Hover the mouse pointer over “Support” then click “Software”
- Click “Mapping Programs”. Don’t begin installing MapSource just yet because it is an update only and will tell you that you don’t already have a previous version of MapSource installed.
- From here, install BaseCamp. Having BaseCamp installed is what allows you to install MapSource. You don’t necessarily have to start or use BaseCamp. A lot of the cool stuff you can do with MapSource can also be done with BaseCamp. So, it may be optional to install MapSource, but MapSource is what I prefer to use. There is a hack explained on another site, that you can use instead of installing BaseCamp.
- Now, you can install MapSource from the “Software” page of the Garmin website.
- After you install MapSource, when you try running it, it won’t actually run, instead it will show the error message that says: “MapSource could not find any installed MapSource map products. Please install one or more MapSource map products and start MapSource again.” What you have to do is install a map to Mapsource.
- When you register your Garmin GPS with the Garmin website for the first time, they give you a limited time free City Navigator NT map update that they normally charge $60 for. This map can be installed to both your GPS and MapSource. You just have to have mapsource installed (previous step) and your GPS hooked to the computer. If it isn’t connected, the map won’t install. The latest one is a 3 GB download, and it takes a long time to install to the GPS.
- If this map update is already installed to your GPS, just install it again to get it also into MapSource. Expect the required step of loading to the GPS to take a long time.
- If you want to use MapSource sooner without further waiting or you don’t have access to Garmin’s map update, you can use 3rd party maps that can be installed into MapSource. They can then be loaded to your GPS from within MapSource. One 3rd party map I recommend is small (1.5 MB). It is simply an overlay of the state and county borders of all US states. Get it from (link deleted). The 3rd party maps don’t require a connection to the GPS to load to MapSource. When this is installed, it will allow you to start MapSource for the first time. Other free 3rd party maps are available from (link deleted). (Edit: Deleted links because the target website has been taken down or expired; I may see if I still have this particular map file and post it later)
Now you can play around with MapSource. Connect your GPS, and load waypoints and tracks from your GPS to MapSource. Right-click a waypoint and choose View Satellite Imagery on maps.google.com. Or click View > View in Google Earth if you have Google Earth installed. There are all kinds of stuff you can do. MapSource is a lot better when you have the City Navigator NT maps from Garmin installed.
tried to upgate garmin 265w maps Fdortmund it all up. cant retreive data .screen says no data available. any destructive recovery combined with complete reload as an option?
Thanks… it worked… wish i would have seen/found your link earlier… had to update gps twice… to get a map in mapsource.
do you have suggestion for getting my 265w back on track ? when i touch where to? on screen “no maps avail. pops up. Like i mentioned in previous email tried to take existing maps file them and after newer dload (2012) was complete ,trash older version of maps. something went wrong no one has any step by step answers. garmin wants $90.00 to fix unit is worth 50 bucks maybe? HELP PLEASE
Hi Bruce,
I used to have a Garmin Nuvi 760 which I used to come up with these instructions, but I don’t have my Garmin anymore.
Maybe someone else with a 265w can take the contents of its internal memory and put it in a zip file for you to load to yours to get it working again.
Anyone with a 265w? Contact me here if you want to help Bruce out.
Thanks.
I’ve got a 265WT, better late than never…
Hi Bruce,
I have the Garmin 265W, and I recently tried to install the new map for 2013, I deleted a folder and now no matter what I do, I get the “no data available” message. Can you please instruct me on how to get my GPS to work again?
Hope to hear from you soon!
Shelly
I too lost the files for my nuvi265w. My map is gone and device will not start up. Please Email me the files.
This thing has a 2GB internal flash. Before I was messing around I dumped the flash to HD (e.g. dd if=/dev/sdb of=garmin.img bs=2G) but since everything went well and I needed the space I deleted the garmin.img not long ago..
I’ll reset the image and dump it again soon. If you don’t hear something on this page in the next week or so feel free to ping me.
My name irshad working in Qatar Telecom. Yesterday i installed GPS software as menssioned above. Now How i can add the sites by using longitude & Altitude coordinates? I have lot of location like that. Help me
You should be able to do that in mapsource. Then mapsource can send the waypoints to the GPS too.
Hi David,
This worked great!! I had already registered my GPS’s with Garmin. I do have the latest map for North America loaded on my GPS as gmapsupp.img on my SD card. Is there a way to load this back to the computer for mapSource?
I don’t have my Garmin GPS anymore, so I can’t mess with it anymore.
I know the updates you get from Garmin that you normally have to pay for, come in an .exe file which you install to your GPS using the .exe setup program. Final result is it getting installed into the GPS SD card or internal memory as an .IMG file, and also intalled into mapsource. But if you only have the .IMG file, I’m not too sure that you can import that into mapsource.
Even though I don’t have my Garmin anymore, I may someday reinstall mapsource to my PC to try and figure these problems out.
David
i have map source, i cannot get the free map for my etrex legend for obvious reasons. Where do i get maps to install to mapsource (or what ever i am supposed to do to run map source?
Thanks for all the info here
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! It worked perfect!
Felicidades y gracias ppor explicar absolutamente todos estos tricks.
Me alucina tu portal web!
Hecha un ojo y puedes visita mi page:: consoleando
3rd party site for GPS Maps – https://www.gpsfiledepot.com/