Solved Windows Maps

IanMosley · Nov 5, 2023

When you run Window Maps, there is a notice displayed that Maps will no longer display additional downloaded maps as of 1 January 2024.
Does anyone know how Maps is going to work when not connected to the internet?

iko22 · Nov 5, 2023

Mine says:

By the end of 2023, offline maps will no longer be available in the Maps App. After that date you will not be able to view offline maps in the App.

so I take that to mean the App is not going to work offline in future.

IanMosley · Nov 6, 2023

iko22 said:
Mine says:

so I take that to mean the App is not going to work offline in future.

I've interpreted this as Maps is going to be re-invented to use maps that are only available online provided by MS - hence my query.

iko22 · Nov 6, 2023

IanMosley said:
I've interpreted this as Maps is going to be re-invented to use maps that are only available online provided by MS - hence my query.

Microsoft don't actually provide the Maps data. Originally, the provider was Nokia (aka HERE Maps) until 2016, now it is TomTom. Either way, the feature to download looks to be depreciated/discontinued.
Whether the Online App will be 'reinvented' after that date remains to be seen. With a lot of depreciated features from Microsoft, there is usually a registry fix to enable the legacy support - however I've not seen anything reported on this front with Maps.

IanMosley · Nov 8, 2023

Johann - MSFT has replied to your question

Hello,
Thank you for using Microsoft products and posting to the community.
The displayed notice is correct; offline maps functionality will not be available at the end of 2023. There may be other applications that would be released to replace the missing functionality.
Microsoft attaches great importance to user experience, you can submit your ideas and suggestions through the Feedback Hub, and the development team will regularly review submissions for ideas or fixes.
Please share the feedback link here after submitting, as it allows others on the forum to vote for your submission, including me. More votes will lead to more visibility and higher priority to the development team.
As a workaround, if you need to use offline maps, you can use a third-party map service that provides offline maps.
Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Best Regards,
Johann - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist