Free Qibla Finder
Find the Qibla direction from your location as a great-circle bearing to the Kaaba, with the distance in km and miles, a compass dial and a live phone compass where supported.
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How to find the Qibla direction from your location
Find the direction of the Kaaba from anywhere as a bearing from true north, with the distance and a compass dial you can follow on a phone.
- Choose your city, tap Use my location, or enter your latitude and longitude.
- Read the Qibla bearing in degrees clockwise from true north, with the compass point such as ENE or ESE.
- On a phone, tap Start live compass and allow motion access if asked. Hold the phone flat and turn until the screen says you are facing the Qibla.
- Without a live compass, use the bearing with a hand compass or line it up on a map, remembering the difference between magnetic and true north.
- Copy the result to keep the bearing and distance.
When to use a Qibla finder
Muslims face the Kaaba in Makkah for prayer. At home people usually know the direction, but in a hotel room, an office, a new house or on a trip it is easy to be unsure. The Qibla Finder gives the direction as a precise bearing, so you can set up a prayer space or check the arrow on a prayer mat.
The distance to the Kaaba is shown as well, which is useful for travel planning and as a quick check that the location you chose is the one you meant.
Worked examples from around the world
From New York the Qibla is about 58.5° from true north (east-northeast) and the Kaaba is about 10,306 km (6,404 miles) away. From London it is about 119° (east-southeast), 4,794 km away. From Madrid it is about 104°, and from Mexico City about 46.6°, northeast.
In Asia and Australia the direction swings to the west: from Karachi it is about 268°, almost due west, from Jakarta about 295° (west-northwest) and from Sydney about 277.5°.
How the direction is calculated
The tool uses the great-circle bearing, the initial direction of the shortest path over the Earth's surface from your location to the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. This is the method used by most mosques, apps and Islamic organisations today. The formula is θ = atan2(sin Δλ · cos φ₂, cos φ₁ · sin φ₂ − sin φ₁ · cos φ₂ · cos Δλ), where φ are latitudes and Δλ is the difference in longitude.
The distance comes from the haversine formula with a mean Earth radius of 6,371 km. On a flat world map the great-circle direction can look surprising, because maps such as Mercator distort long distances; that is why the Qibla from North America points northeast.
Common mistakes to avoid
A hand compass points to magnetic north, not true north. The difference, called magnetic declination, ranges from almost nothing to more than 15° depending on where you are, so look up your local declination before using the bearing with a hand compass.
Phone compasses are easily disturbed by magnets in cases, speakers, car mounts and metal furniture. If the arrow jumps or disagrees with the map, calibrate the phone and try again a little away from metal.
Useful tips and limitations
- Calibrate a phone compass by moving it in a figure-of-eight, and keep it away from magnets, speakers, laptops and metal tables.
- Indoors, check the bearing against a landmark you can see from a window, such as a street that runs in a known direction.
- Mark the direction once with tape or a small sticker so you do not need to check it every time.
- In a hotel, compare the bearing with the street layout on a map rather than relying on the phone alone.
Common questions
What is the Qibla direction from New York?
About 58.5° from true north, which is east-northeast. The shortest path to Makkah crosses the North Atlantic, so it points northeast rather than southeast.
Does the Qibla Finder need GPS or the internet?
No. The bearing is calculated in your browser from coordinates. GPS is used only if you tap Use my location, and the live compass uses your phone's own sensors.
Why does the Qibla Finder not show a live compass on my laptop?
Most laptops and desktops have no magnetometer, and some browsers do not share compass data. Use the bearing with a separate compass or a map instead.
Is the Qibla Finder direction from true north or magnetic north?
From true north. Phone compasses usually correct for magnetic declination automatically; with a hand compass, add or subtract your local declination.
Why does iPhone ask for motion access in the Qibla Finder?
Safari on iPhone and iPad only shares the compass after you tap a button and allow motion and orientation access. If you denied it, allow it in the browser's website settings and tap Start live compass again.
Your location and settings are used only in this browser. If you tap Use my location, the coordinates come from your device and are not sent to ToolWorld Online or any other service.