Google Earth Pro is a free program Google offers so you can view the Earth by “flying” over a virtual globe via satellite images and high-resolution graphics.
If you’re getting errors while using Google Earth, you can fix it using some of the solutions below.
Fix Google Earth Pro errors
Use Repair Tool
If you’re having issues with Google Earth, you can start by clearing cache, but if that doesn’t help, use the Google Earth Repair tool. To do this:
- Open Google Earth Pro
- Click Help>Launch Repair tool>Google Earth Pro
- Close it and leave Repair Tool open
- Select how you want to fix: clear disk cache, turn on Safe mode or turn on atmosphere, restore default settings, delete My Places, or Switch between OpenGL and DirectX for Windows only.
Log in with Google account
If you’re on Google Earth 7.1.4 or earlier, go to your browser and upgrade to the newest version. You can check the version you’re on by clicking Help>About Google Earth (Windows), and click Google Earth>About Google Earth for Mac.
Fix outdated or blurry imagery
Google Earth may serve up errors if the images didn’t finish streaming or there’s no high-res imagery for the specific area. You can fix this by doing the following:
- Turn off all layers in your Places panel
- Clear cache by going to Preferences>Cache>Clear disk cache (Windows)
- Turn off Anisotropic filtering: Tools>Options>3D view
- Check the status bar below the image. If its 100 percent and the image is still blurry, there’s no high-res data for the location. If its incomplete, check your internet connection, video card driver or firewall settings
Graphics display issues and crashes
To resolve these issues, do the following:
- Click Help>Launch repair tool>Google Earth Pro
- Close it and leave repair tool open
- Click Clear disk cache
Turn off atmosphere by opening Google Earth>View>Deselect Atmosphere
Remove myplaces.kml file: Click Help>Launch Repair Tool>Google Earth Pro. Close the app and leave repair tool open then click Delete my places>Delete. You can recover the deleted saved places by opening myplaces.repairtoolbackup.kml file.
Switch Graphics displays (Windows)
OpenGL or DirectX are used in Windows to display 3D images in Google Earth. The former shows higher quality images, but won’t work with specific driver software or graphics hardware. If some parts or images don’t display correctly, do the following:
- Click Help>Launch Repair Tool>Google Earth Pro
- Leave Repair tool open
- Close the app
- Click Switch between OpenGL and DirectX
Update your graphics card drivers if the problem persists.
Elsier is an avid tech writer, who loves mobile apps, games, music, and cars. When she’s not catching up on the latest in tech, she’s binging on reruns of her favorite series.
