--- title: "How to set the initial map view" description: "Choose whether a map opens fitted to all its data or at a saved position and zoom. Set the initial view from the Configuration page." sidebar: label: "Set the initial map view" --- The initial view sets the centre and zoom when viewers open the map. Choose `Fit to data (all layers)` or `Use current position and zoom`. `Fit to data` is off until the map has at least one layer. `Use current position and zoom` takes the centre and zoom of the map you have open, so open the map first and then go to its `Configuration` page from the sidebar, in the same browser tab. ## Before you start - You need edit access to the map. - Decide which mode fits the map: - **`Fit to data`** — best for maps where you want viewers to see everything as the data evolves. The view auto-adjusts when you add or remove layers. - **`Use current position and zoom`** — best when you want viewers to land on a specific area regardless of what data is on the map (for example, your office, a project site, or a country-level overview). ## Open the map's `Configuration` page Open the map and click `Configuration` in the sidebar. The page opens at `Map details`. `Initial view` is below the `Description` field. ## Choose `Fit to data` If you want viewers to land on a view that fits every layer, select `Fit to data (all layers)`. It saves on click. The view auto-adjusts when you add or remove layers. No other setting is needed. On a map with no layers, `Fit to data (all layers)` is off until you add one: Initial view on the Configuration page of a map with no layers: Fit to data (all layers) and Use current position and zoom are greyed out, with the message Add data to enable fit to data. ## Choose `Use current position and zoom` If you want viewers to land on a specific centre and zoom: 1. Open the map, and pan and zoom to the view you want viewers to see. 2. In the sidebar, click `Configuration`. Do not reload the page: the `Configuration` page reads the position from the map you just left. 3. Select `Use current position and zoom`. It saves on click. 4. Click `Set to current position`. MangoMap saves the map's centre and zoom as the initial view, and the `Current:` line below the button shows the saved values. Map details section of the Configuration page with Use current position and zoom selected, the Set to current position button, and the line Current: 10.0000, 20.0000 (zoom 2) If you open the `Configuration` page from a link or reload it, `Use current position and zoom` and `Set to current position` are off, and the page shows `Preview map not available. Open the map to set position.` Open the map, then come back through the sidebar. ## Re-capture the position later To change the saved position, open the map, pan and zoom to the new view, click `Configuration` in the sidebar, then click `Set to current position` again. It overwrites the previous values. The radio choice and the saved coordinates are independent: switching from `Fit to data` to `Use current position and zoom` doesn't lose the coordinates if you'd already set them, and switching back to `Fit to data` doesn't clear them. ## Verify the result Open the map's link in a new private browser window to see it as a visitor. With `Fit to data`, expect a tight bounding box around the data. With `Use current position and zoom`, expect the exact centre and zoom you saved: World Atlas as a visitor sees it when it opens, centred on Africa and Eurasia at zoom 2, with the Legend panel open A [feature permalink](/docs/map-access/use-feature-permalinks) doesn't use the initial view. It opens the map zoomed to its feature.