Google Maps
Review Collector

Requirements

The collector runs entirely in your browser as a Chrome extension. No server account, API key, or external service is required. Before installing, make sure your environment meets the following:

• Browser: Google Chrome version 120 or later. Other Chromium-based browsers (Edge, Brave, Whale) typically work but are not formally tested.
• Operating System: Windows 10/11, macOS 12+, or any recent Linux distribution.
• Disk space: Less than 5 MB for the extension itself; collected data is exported as Excel files to a location of your choice.
• Network: A stable internet connection to load Google Maps pages during collection.

Download

Download the latest packaged extension. The file is a standard ZIP archive containing the extension's manifest, scripts, and assets.

Installation

Because this extension is distributed for research use rather than through the Chrome Web Store, it is loaded as an unpacked extension. The process is the same on all platforms.

1. Open Chrome's extensions page

   In your address bar, type chrome://extensions and press Enter. This opens the extension management page.

   Screenshot

   Chrome extensions page

2. Enable Developer mode

   In the top-right corner of the extensions page, toggle the Developer mode switch on. New buttons will appear in the top-left.

   Screenshot

   Developer mode toggle (top right)

3. Load the unpacked extension

   Click Load unpacked, then navigate to and select the folder where you unzipped the collector. Chrome should now show "Google Maps Review Collector" as an installed extension.

   Screenshot

   Load unpacked dialog

4. Pin the extension (optional but recommended)

   Click the puzzle-piece icon in Chrome's toolbar, find the collector, and click the pin icon. Its icon will then sit in your toolbar for quick access during collection sessions.

   Screenshot

   Pin extension to toolbar

How to use

Step-by-step collection

1. Open Google Maps and search for the place you want to study (e.g., a hotel, restaurant, museum).
2. Click the place's listing to open the side panel showing reviews.
3. Scroll the reviews panel briefly to make sure reviews are loaded.
4. Click the collector's icon in your Chrome toolbar.
5. (Optional) Set a date range ??only reviews within this range will be collected.
6. Click Start collection. The extension auto-scrolls and gathers reviews.
7. When complete, click Export to Excel.

Collection tips

• Pace yourself. Avoid collecting many places back-to-back in rapid succession; treat the tool as a research instrument, not a scraper.
• Verify the panel. Make sure you are on the right place's review panel before starting ??the collector reads from the active panel.
• Stable connection. A flaky network may interrupt the auto-scroll. If collection stops early, simply re-run on the same place.

Output format

Each collection produces a single .xlsx file with one row per review and the following columns:

• place_name ??the place as displayed on Google Maps
• reviewer_name ??public display name of the reviewer
• rating ??star rating (1??)
• review_text ??full text of the review
• review_date ??relative or absolute date as shown
• language ??language detected for the review text
• collected_at ??timestamp of when the row was collected

The file is ready to import into R (openxlsx, readxl), Python (pandas), SPSS, or any tool that reads Excel.

Troubleshooting

The extension doesn't appear after loading

Make sure you selected the folder that directly contains manifest.json, not a parent folder. If you unzipped and got a nested folder, point Chrome to the inner one.

"Start collection" does nothing

Confirm you are actively viewing a Google Maps place panel with reviews loaded. The collector activates only when it detects the right page structure.

Collection stops mid-way

This is usually caused by the page being scrolled away or network hiccups. Re-running on the same place from the start is the simplest fix; the tool always re-collects from the top.

Excel file fails to download

Check Chrome's download permissions for the page. Some corporate Chrome profiles block downloads from non-whitelisted origins.

Citation

If you use this tool in research that leads to publication, please cite the project. A formal citation entry will be added once the accompanying methodological paper is published. For now, you may reference the tool as:

Questions or feedback? Contact the lab via the addresses listed on the main site.