Qibla finder, wherever you are.

This practice diagram shows how a bearing and the way you are facing combine into a turn. Pick an example city, then move the practice heading slider. The diagram shows the shortest turn, left or right, in degrees.

Each example uses an approximate city centre and the same calculation as the finder. From London (51.5074, −0.1278), the Qibla bearing is 119.0° from true north. If you were facing a practice heading of 0°, you would turn right by 119.0°.

The slider is a lesson only. It does not read your phone, and it does not change the location in the finder.

Each method sets the starting point for the calculation. None of them can tell which wall you are facing.

The Qibla is the direction towards the Kaaba in Makkah. The finder calculates the initial great-circle bearing, which is the direction in which the shortest route over a spherical Earth leaves your chosen point. The route ends at a published reference point for the Kaaba at 21.4225241, 39.8261818. That point falls within the mapped Kaaba footprint, although this project has not surveyed it independently.

The bearing starts from your point, so it changes with location, and Qibla is not always west. From central Toronto it is about 54.6°, roughly north-east. From central London it is about 119.0°, a little south of east. Read the number rather than guessing from a country or from a straight line on a flat world map. The route line on the finder’s map gives geographic context, but it does not show which wall to face.

The bearing is measured from true north. A magnetic compass points to magnetic north instead, and the two differ by the local magnetic declination. Match your reference before you turn. The diagram below shows these angles side by side.

The result is geographic guidance. It is not a measured alignment of your room or a religious ruling. Several things affect how closely you face the bearing: your position uncertainty, your north reference, your phone’s sensors and any nearby metal. Extra decimal places or a small uncertainty radius do not remove those factors. Read how the bearing is calculated for the formula, the Earth model and the limits.

How do I find the Qibla from my current location?

Select Use my location and allow the request when your browser asks. The browser makes one position request and reports the position with an uncertainty in metres. The finder does not keep following you afterwards. Then read the bearing clockwise from true north.

Can I find the Qibla without location permission?

Yes. You can search the city presets, enter decimal latitude and longitude under Enter coordinates instead, pick a point with Use map centre, or open a shared link. The finder asks for location permission only when you select Use my location.

What does the Qibla bearing in degrees mean?

It is the angle from true north, counted clockwise: 0° is north, 90° is east, 180° is south and 270° is west. It is a calculated direction to the Kaaba reference. It is not a reading of where your phone points.

An ordinary magnetic compass needs a single correction for your local magnetic declination. A compass already set to true north uses the bearing as shown. The guide explains how to apply the bearing with a separate compass.

Do I need an app or a phone compass?

No. The finder runs in your web browser, so there is nothing to install. The bearing, the north-up arrow and the map need no phone sensor. The live compass is an optional extra for compatible phones on a secure connection, and not every phone or browser provides a usable heading.

How do I use the live compass on my phone?

Choose a location first, then select Enable live compass. If your browser asks for motion or orientation access, allow it. Location permission alone does not turn the compass on.

Hold the phone flat or nearly level, with the screen in portrait orientation, then turn slowly. Some pointer movement while you turn is normal. Guidance pauses in landscape. It also pauses if the phone tilts more than about 5° from front to back or from side to side.

The finder accepts only a heading with a known magnetic north reference, and it corrects that heading once to true north with its bundled magnetic model. It never treats a heading measured from an unknown starting direction as north. Where the model cannot give a valid correction, live alignment is withheld. You can still use the bearing and the map with another north reference. The model cannot remove interference from magnets or metal, so keep away from them. Select Stop compass when you have finished.

Is my location saved or shared?

Only if you choose. Remember this location on this device is off the first time you use the finder. It may already be ticked if you turned it on before. Avoid using it on a shared device.

Reset finder clears the current point but keeps an earlier saved one. Clear saved location, or unticking Remember, removes the saved point where your browser allows. If removal fails, clear this site’s data in your browser settings. Neither option erases your browser history or links you have already shared.

A coordinate link shows its coordinates, label and any uncertainty to anyone who has it. A city link shows only the city name and country. The calculation runs on your device, and the site uses no analytics, ad scripts or accounts. As with any website, your browser still connects to the site’s host when the page loads. See location and sharing privacy for the details.

What should I do if the compass or location fails?

Carry on without it. Choose a city or enter coordinates, then use the north-up bearing with a north reference you trust, or open the map. For step-by-step fixes, see compass and location help.

Why is no arrow shown near the Kaaba?

Very close to the Kaaba reference, or close to the point on the opposite side of the globe, a few metres can swing the direction widely. For this reason, the finder shows no bearing within 25 metres of either point. If your stated position uncertainty is larger than 25 metres, it uses that distance instead. A blank uncertainty field still uses 25 metres, and it does not mean your point is exact. The finder also shows no bearing at the geographic poles. These cases are a cautious product limit. They are not a religious boundary or a guarantee, so check the direction locally. The methodology explains why.