Help for BBBike Garmin map extracts

Welcome to the BBBike Garmin custom map extracts help page! This page explains how to install a finished extract on your Garmin device or computer.

Please read the general help page first to learn how to use the BBBike extract service and create your extract.

Install a custom Garmin map on your device

Installing a custom Garmin map on your device is easy:

Download the zip file and unpack it. It contains a gmapsupp.img file.
Connect your Garmin device to your computer with a USB cable, or put its SD card into a card reader. It appears as a drive in Explorer (Windows) or Finder (macOS).
Copy gmapsupp.img into the Garmin folder on the device. On Linux or FreeBSD, you can also do this on the command line.
Eject the device safely and restart it. If the map does not show up, enable it in the map settings of your device.

Note: if there is already a gmapsupp.img in the Garmin folder, it will be overwritten. To keep several maps (or the same area in different styles), rename the file, for example to berlin.img. This works on newer devices only; older devices only read gmapsupp.img.

That's all. You're done! See also Installing the map onto your GPS (OSM wiki).

The BBBike extract service is platform independent: it works with Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and more. There is no Windows .exe installer, and no special tools are required.

YouTube tutorials

There are several YouTube tutorials on how to use the BBBike extract service for Garmin, in English, German, Spanish, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian.

How to Download Free Trail Maps on Garmin GPS (English)

FREE World-Wide Garmin EDGE Maps // BBBike Updated Info! (English)

How To Download Free Garmin Compatible Openstreetmap (OSM) maps for Handhelds (English)

Perfekte OSM-Ausschnitte für Garmin-Geräte (Teil 1): einfache Kartenausschnitte (German)

Perfekte OSM-Ausschnitte (Teil 2): komplexe, polygonale Ausschnitte (German)

Garmin eTrex 10 Karte aufspielen | OSM Download und Installation für Einsteiger (German)

Descarga MAPAS GRATIS para GARMIN 530, 830 y 1030 en 5 minutos (Spanish)

Mapas GRATIS/FREE para Garmin EDGE/EXPLORER/EPIX (Spanish)

Jak dodać własny i darmowy fragment mapy do Garmina (Polish)

ВСТАНОВИ КАРТИ САМ - швидкий та простий гайд для годинників Garmin (Ukrainian)

Как настроить бесплатные карты на GARMIN устройствах (Russian)

Garmin echoMAP 52dv CHIRP - OpenSeaMap installation (English)

View a custom Garmin map on your computer

You can open the custom Garmin map on your computer with Garmin BaseCamp or QMapShack.

Garmin internals

Routing is enabled for the Garmin maps.

By default, all Garmin maps generated from OpenStreetMap data use the Unicode (UTF-8) character set. However, some older devices don't support Unicode, and some newer devices have broken DRM firmware. If your device shows "cannot unlock map", choose a Garmin format with "latin1" in its name. Garmin SRTM extracts always use the latin1 character set.

Garmin styles

Style	Description
osm	Standard OpenStreetMap style, best for cars.
ajt03	Map style from atownsend.org.uk, especially useful for walkers in rural areas.
cycle	Map style similar to opencyclemap.org, for cyclists.
leisure	Map style from freizeitkarte-osm.de, for outdoor activities. The .img file is about 30% larger than the osm or cycle file.
bbbike	Map style from bbbike.de, similar to German maps, for outdoor activities.
onroad	A compact style for older devices with little storage, about 1/10 the size of Garmin OSM. See github.com/raintonr/mkgmap-bike-onroad. For road cycling.
ontrail	A compact style for older devices with little storage, about 1/3 the size of Garmin OSM. Based on onroad, but includes smaller paths. For hiking and mountain biking.
openfietslite	Map style from openfietsmap.nl, for outdoor activities. Lite version: smaller file, fewer details.
openfietsfull	Map style from openfietsmap.nl, for outdoor activities. Full version: all details, larger file.
opentopo	Map style from opentopomap.org, a topographic style with high contrast.
oseam	Map style from openseamap.org, the free nautical chart.

Screenshots of Garmin styles

Here are some small example extracts with all Garmin styles: Luxembourg, Jordan and Cambodia.

Copyright and license

Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), by NASA, public domain.

Support the BBBike extract service

Your donation keeps the BBBike extract service running! Please donate via PayPal or bank transfer. We need to raise 20 euros a day, or 600 euros a month, to cover the server costs. Many thanks!