Keep getting "anonymoys uploads are not allowed" error on Google Maps? Try these potential workarounds

If you’ve ever spent hours organizing data for a custom Google Map only to hit a wall with the “anonymous uploads are not allowed” error, you’re not alone. Over the past few months, users worldwide have reported this frustrating roadblock when trying to import files into Google My Maps. The issue seems to pop up randomly, even for those who’ve uploaded files countless times before.

One user shared their struggle on Google’s support forums after an Excel sheet that worked perfectly weeks earlier suddenly triggered the error. “We tried downloading the file again from Teams and restarting My Maps. Nothing helped,” they wrote. Others described similar headaches, like Blair Fay, who hit the same wall while using Excel. In a separate post, one user claimed they couldn’t add photos to map markers anymore, getting the same anonymous uploads message despite being logged in.

The good news? A few workarounds have kept projects moving. Rossana Vidal found that uploading files directly from Google Drive instead of a computer did the trick. “I uploaded the file from the Google Drive (the one with the same email as the Map) instead of my computer. That fixed the problem,” she said.

Another user discovered a quirky fix by simply opening Google Sheets in another tab while logged into the same account. “No need to actually do anything in google sheets, just open it in a tab,” they explained. Here’s how they described it:

On the problem computer, using the “google apps” icon near the right end of the gmail toolbar, open google sheets. Then switch back to the maps window and the import works. It continues to work after closing the google sheets tab. (No need to actually do anything in google sheets, just open it in a tab). Speculating the issue is some kind of “I’m logged in” cookie that maps wants to see but gmail doesn’t necessarily set on login.

Several people confirmed this worked instantly, with one relieved user posting, “OMG, this worked for me! Thank you!”

Not every solution is one-size-fits-all. Some found success by clearing browser cookies or switching to Microsoft Edge. “Upload with edge. For some reason chrome has issues,” advised a Reddit user. Others joked about the irony of needing non-Google tools to fix a Google problem.

That said, from what I could deduce by reading several comments, it seems the workaround involving opening Google Sheets in a tab worked for everyone who tried it. So give that a shot first.

While these aren’t official fixes, it’s clear that they do help get things back on track. In the meantime, we’ll have to wait and see how long it takes Google to address the issue that has been bothering users for over a couple of months now.