Getting Started with the Driving Distance Calculator

Before You Begin

The Driving Distance Calculator uses a Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) model. This means you need a personal Google Maps API key to use the tool. Your key connects directly to Google's servers, so your usage and billing stay in your own Google Cloud account.

Why BYOK?

• You control your own API costs and usage limits
• Google provides $200/month in free credits - more than enough for most users
• Your address data stays in your own Google account, not ours

You will set up your API key once during account setup. After that, it works automatically every time you use the tool.

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Step-by-Step: Getting Started

Step 1: Create a Custom Web Tools Account

1. Go to customwebtools.com and click Get Started or Sign Up
2. Enter your name, email address, and a password
3. Click Create Account
4. Check your email for a verification link and click it to verify your address

Screenshot placeholder: Registration form with name, email, and password fields highlighted

Step 2: Set Up Your Google Maps API Key

Before you can start a trial or use the tool, you need to configure a Google Maps API key. This is a one-time setup that takes about 5-10 minutes.

1. From the tool page, click Complete Setup or navigate to the setup prompt
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to create a Google Maps API key in Google Cloud Console
3. Paste your API key into the setup form and click Save

For a detailed walkthrough of this process, see How to Set Up Your Google Maps API Key.

Screenshot placeholder: Setup required banner on the tool page with a "Complete Setup" button

Step 3: Start Your Free Trial

Once your API key is configured:

1. Navigate to the Driving Distance Calculator tool page
2. Click Start Free Trial
3. Your 14-day free trial activates immediately - no credit card required
4. You will see a confirmation message and the trial expiration date

Screenshot placeholder: "Start Free Trial" button and trial activation confirmation screen

Step 4: Calculate Your First Batch

With your trial active, you are ready to calculate driving distances.

Option A: Type or paste address pairs directly

In the input box, enter one address pair per line in this format:

Origin Address [TAB] Destination Address

Example:

123 Main St, Chicago, IL 60601    456 Oak Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202
100 Peachtree St, Atlanta, GA     200 Magnolia Blvd, Birmingham, AL

Option B: Use comma or pipe separators

If your data uses commas or pipes to separate origin and destination, the tool will detect this automatically:

123 Main St Chicago IL, 456 Oak Ave Milwaukee WI
1600 Pennsylvania Ave Washington DC | 350 Fifth Ave New York NY

Select your distance unit:

• Choose Miles or Kilometers from the dropdown before submitting

Submit your batch:

1. Review your input to make sure each line has an origin and a destination
2. Click Calculate Distances
3. Wait a few seconds while the tool processes each pair (larger batches take longer)
4. Results appear in the table below the input

Screenshot placeholder: Input textarea with sample address pairs, unit selector, and Calculate button

Step 5: Review and Export Results

After processing, a results table appears showing:

• Origin and Destination as entered
• Distance (e.g., "87.4 mi" or "140.7 km")
• Duration (e.g., "1 hr 23 min")
• Status (OK, or an error code if the address could not be found)

To save your results, click Export to CSV. The file downloads immediately and can be opened in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet application.

Screenshot placeholder: Completed results table with distance, duration, and status columns, with Export to CSV button highlighted

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Trial and Subscription Details

After your trial ends, subscribe to continue using the tool. Your API key setup and preferences are saved and carry over to your paid subscription.

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Next Steps

• How to Set Up Your Google Maps API Key - Detailed API key configuration walkthrough
• Input Formatting and Best Practices - How to format addresses for best results
• Exporting and Using Your Results - Working with CSV exports in Excel and Google Sheets

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Need Help?

If you run into issues during setup or while using the tool, visit our Help Center or contact support.