Does this hide places from the map?

No. It only changes how a marker is drawn. Google decides which places and labels appear, and that decision is untouched. If a place was on your map before, it is still there.

Do my saved and starred places still show up?

Yes. Saved places, starred places and custom list places are all included, and each one keeps its own colour, so a starred place still reads as yours at a glance.

Does it work on google.co.uk or google.de?

Yes. Google Maps runs on 187 country domains and none of them redirect to google.com, so all 187 are covered. That is also why the install prompt lists so many sites: Chrome match patterns cannot wildcard a top-level domain.

Do icons ever come back at their original size?

Icons & Dots grows markers on a fixed curve that reaches 90 percent at zoom 22 and stops there. Small icons follows the size you choose in the popup. Choose Google original whenever you want Maps to draw every marker at its original size.

Can I turn it off without uninstalling it?

Yes. Choose Google original. In that style the extension does nothing at all and Maps draws its own markers.

What happens if something goes wrong?

It falls back to Google’s original marker. A failed transform leaves you with a full size pin, never a missing one or a broken map.

Which Chrome versions are supported?

Chrome 111 and later, on any desktop platform.

Chrome Extension

See the map,
not the pins.

Shrink Google Maps pins, or turn them into small coloured dots. Your places and labels all stay exactly where they are.

Add to Chrome

The same view, twice.

One account, one camera, one zoom. On the left, the Dots only style. On the right, Google Maps as it ships. This is a signed-in map, so the yellow markers are saved places.

Munich at zoom 13, with every place marker drawn as a small coloured dot — Drag the handle, or focus it and use the arrow keys.

The same Munich view with Google’s original full size place markers covering the city — Drag the handle, or focus it and use the arrow keys.

Dots only uses 579 marker pixels here, down from Google’s 78,074. Not one place or label was removed to get there.

Quieter markers, same map.

Pins stop competing with the map: Markers are redrawn smaller, or replaced by a coloured dot, before Google Maps paints them into the map canvas. Streets, water, parks and place names are untouched.
The colour still tells you what it is: Every dot takes its colour from the pin it replaces. A restaurant stays red, a saved place stays yellow, a custom list stays cyan.
Nothing moves: Markers keep their original dimensions, so anchor points and click targets do not shift. Taps land exactly where they did before.

Four styles. Pick one.

Every frame below is a real capture of the same map. Small icons is the default, at 50 percent, and it is the only style that reads the size slider.

Munich at zoom 13, satellite, with every place marker drawn as a small coloured dot — Dots only

Munich at zoom 13, satellite, with place markers sized to the current zoom level — Dots only

Icons & Dots and Small icons look alike here for a reason: this view is zoom 13, where the Icons & Dots curve lands at 52.9%, next to Small icons at 50%. The next section is where the two part company.

Icons & Dots follows your zoom.

There is no room for artwork when you are looking at a whole region, so markers become dots. As you zoom in the real Google icons return and keep growing, on a fixed curve, up to 90% at zoom 22.

Bavaria and Austria at zoom 7, with every saved place drawn as a small coloured dot — Zoom 7 · Dots The curve’s target here is 28%, under the 30% legibility floor, so nothing is drawn as an icon.

Central Munich at zoom 17, with place markers at roughly 69 percent of their original size — Zoom 17 · 69.4% Close enough to read a pin at a glance, still smaller than Google draws it.

Dots through zoom 7. The first icon appears at zoom 8 at about 32%, then grows to 90% at zoom 22 and stops. Icons & Dots runs on its own curve and ignores the size slider.

One click, four choices.

The whole interface is one panel. Each card previews three real Google markers, a starred place, a custom-list place and a restaurant, drawn the way that style draws them, so you can see the result before you commit to it.

Dots only. Turn place icons into small coloured dots.
Icons & Dots. Dots at wide views, icons up close.
Small icons. Keep markers as icons at one smaller size.
Google original. Use Google Maps’ original marker appearance.

The icon size slider belongs to Small icons alone. Drag it toward smaller or larger markers, then save. Saving refreshes Google Maps when it is the tab you are on, so the change is visible immediately.

What it does not do.

This changes marker artwork and nothing else. The limits are worth stating plainly.

It does not remove places or labels. Google still decides what appears on your map.
It does not stop markers overlapping. Two places very close together still sit on top of each other.
It does not touch every marker. Places & saved, sponsored places and landmarks are transformed; public transport badges, road signs and the place you have selected stay Google original in every style.
It does not resize the map canvas, your photos, or any part of Google’s interface.
It does not move click targets, because it never changes a marker’s dimensions.
It is independent and is not affiliated with Google.

Nothing is sent to us.

The work happens in the tab, on images Google already sent you.

Two permissions: activeTab, used only to refresh the Maps tab after you click Save. storage, used only to remember your two settings.
No network requests: The extension calls no server of its own. There is no analytics, no telemetry, no account, and no remote code.
Two stored values: Your marker style and your icon size. That is the whole of it, kept in Chrome’s own synced settings.
Google Maps only: The install prompt lists a lot of sites because Google Maps runs on 187 country domains and Chrome cannot wildcard a top-level domain. It is google.<tld>/maps and nothing else.

Four clicks to a quieter map.

Needs Chrome 111 or later. There is nothing to configure and no account to create.

Add Clean Google Maps to Chrome from the Web Store.
Open Google Maps. The default is Small icons at 50 percent.
Click the extension icon and pick the style you want.
Click Save settings. Maps refreshes and the new markers appear.

Questions.

Does this hide places from the map?: No. It only changes how a marker is drawn. Google decides which places and labels appear, and that decision is untouched. If a place was on your map before, it is still there.
Do my saved and starred places still show up?: Yes. Saved places, starred places and custom list places are all included, and each one keeps its own colour, so a starred place still reads as yours at a glance.
Does it work on google.co.uk or google.de?: Yes. Google Maps runs on 187 country domains and none of them redirect to google.com, so all 187 are covered. That is also why the install prompt lists so many sites: Chrome match patterns cannot wildcard a top-level domain.
Do icons ever come back at their original size?: Icons & Dots grows markers on a fixed curve that reaches 90 percent at zoom 22 and stops there. Small icons follows the size you choose in the popup. Choose Google original whenever you want Maps to draw every marker at its original size.
Can I turn it off without uninstalling it?: Yes. Choose Google original. In that style the extension does nothing at all and Maps draws its own markers.
What happens if something goes wrong?: It falls back to Google’s original marker. A failed transform leaves you with a full size pin, never a missing one or a broken map.
Which Chrome versions are supported?: Chrome 111 and later, on any desktop platform.