What Is My Location

Online Compass

A real compass in your browser: the dial reads your phone's magnetometer through the device-orientation API and points north — corrected to true north using your local magnetic declination when you allow location. No app install, works offline. Tap Focus mode for a clean full-screen dial.

N E S W
—° Point your phone

Works offline · nothing leaves your device · magnetic → true north corrected with your local declination when location is allowed.

Why an online compass instead of a compass app?

Compass apps in app stores overwhelmingly monetise with ads and location data — a sensor readout wrapped in trackers. This page uses the same magnetometer through your browser: identical needle, zero installation, zero data collection. Once you have installed this site as an app (optional, 10 seconds), the compass works with no internet at all — in airplane mode, on a mountain, anywhere. The minimal interface is deliberate: a compass should be a dial, not a dashboard.

Magnetic north vs true north

A magnetometer points at magnetic north, which drifts and currently sits well off the geographic pole. The difference — magnetic declination — ranges from 0° to over 20° depending on where you stand. Maps are drawn to true north. This compass corrects automatically using a built-in declination model for your coordinates (shown after you allow location); the toggle lets you switch back to raw magnetic north for matching a physical compass. Full walkthrough and calibration guide: how to use the online compass.

The correction itself comes from the World Magnetic Model (WMM2025, the NOAA/British Geological Survey model that GPS receivers, aviation and defence all use), evaluated for your coordinates in your browser. It is valid to 2030, after which the next edition supersedes it — the same schedule your paper map's margin note follows.

Frequently asked questions

Does the online compass work without installing an app?
Yes — it reads your phone's magnetometer straight from the browser. Tap Start, approve the motion prompt (iPhone), hold the phone flat, and the dial points north.
Why is the compass inaccurate or stuck?
Calibrate by waving the phone in a figure-8, move away from magnets (cases, car mounts, laptops), and make sure you're on the phone — most laptops have no compass sensor.
Is this true north or magnetic north?
Both: it reads magnetic north from the sensor and corrects to true north using your local magnetic declination when you allow location. A toggle switches modes.
Does it work offline?
Completely — install the site as an app and the compass runs in airplane mode. The sensor and math are all on your device.
Who invented the compass?
China, in stages. Lodestone “south-pointers” were used for divination under the Han dynasty, around the 2nd century BC; the earliest clear description of a magnetised needle used for navigation comes from Shen Kuo in 1088, who also noted that it did not point exactly south — the first known record of declination. The instrument reached Europe by the late 1100s, and the dry pivoting compass card familiar today appeared there around 1300.
Related tools
How to Use the Online Compass How to use a compass in your phone's browser: enable motion access, calibrate with a figure-8, understand true vs magnetic north, and fix common issues. GPS Speedometer Free GPS speedometer with walk, run, cycle, drive and boat modes: live speed or pace, splits, auto-pause, distance, and GPX track export. Nothing is uploaded. Distance Calculator Calculate great-circle distance and initial bearing between two coordinates. Km, miles, and compass direction — instant and free. True North vs Magnetic North Your compass doesn't point at the North Pole: what magnetic declination is, why it drifts by place and year, and how phone compasses correct for it. Top Hiking Destinations in the World The world's great treks compared — permits, best seasons, do's and don'ts, and key hiking points with GPS coordinates, from Everest Base Camp to Milford.