One of Roll20’s highest-requested features of all time, Map Pins, are now available to all Roll20 users, including free accounts! Our open beta builds on an Early Access period, during which Pro and Elite subscribers provided critical feedback to the Roll20 team, resulting in hugely beneficial usability improvements and feature updates:
- Create pins from scratch (no handout required)
- Ability to override linked pin content with custom Image, Player Notes, and GM notes
- Scrollable, more readable tooltips with Player/GM note tabs
- Deemphasized in-line pin controls in handouts to reduce visual clutter
- Enabled Pin resizing
- Better support for purchased/published modules (like D&D adventures)
It’s never been easier for GMs to organize information and support their players in-session!
What Are Map Pins? (ICYMI)
Map Pins let GMs stash information directly onto desired map locations on the virtual tabletop. They can be linked to handouts and have settings that control player visibility, allowing GMs to organize their own resources while deciding what to leave as accessible breadcrumbs for their party members. The best part? No longer having to sift through journal tabs and folders! Use Map Pins to:
- Keep campaign prep organized
- Deliver the exact player-facing information you want to share, when you want to share it
- Reduce stress and responsibilities while running games
- Run published adventures with less friction
To learn more about Map Pins, check out our article on the Help Center.
Who Can Use Them?
We’ve officially opened the beta to all users, including non-subscribers, so Map Pins are accessible to GMs in any non-Legacy game (existing or new)!
What’s New Since Early Access?
Your feedback over the last few weeks has been invaluable in helping us build the best version of Map Pins for as many people as possible. Each update helps bring more clarity, control, and flexibility to your games:
Better Support for Published Adventures
Blockquote formatting is commonly used in D&D and other systems’ official adventure Modules, designed to signal information to be shared with players by GMs. Now, pins created from Anchors (headers within Handouts) have an option in the Tooltip section of Edit Pin Settings: Use blockquote as player flavor text.
When checked, this setting automatically designates the first blockquoted section under that header as information to share with players, and displays it in the pin’s tooltip. Any remaining text under that header is treated as GM Notes. This means less manual cleanup when using published adventures, and clearer separation between what players should see and what GMs prefer to remain private.
Pin Resizing for More Map Control
GMs can also customize the size of Map Pins based on map style, grid scale, and personal preference! This is especially useful for ensuring important locations stand out, while minor details stay unobtrusive.
How to Resize a Pin
- Choose a size from the available options
- Select a Pin on your map
- Open Edit Pin
- Go to the Customization tab
Less Distraction in Handouts
We’ve deemphasized inline pin controls to keep handouts readable and minimize visual clutter. “Drag to add Pin to Board” and “Copy Header Link” only appear on hover (or tap on mobile).
“Go to Pin” appears as a static icon only when a pin is linked.
All can be changed to always display in VTT Settings > Accessibility > Show Pin Controls in Handouts.
More Usable Tooltips
We’ve expanded tooltip display functionality and improved readability, meaning no more cramped or cut-off information in-game.
- A more responsive layout stays readable when viewed on smaller screens
- Tooltips show more text and now include scrollbars
- There are separate tabs for Player Notes and GM Notes
New Ways to Create and Customize Pins
By popular demand, you can now create pins that aren’t auto-linked to Handouts. Create pins directly by using the Place Pin tool found on the left toolbar or by right-clicking your map. Once placed, edit to add a title, notes, link (or not link) a handout, and more.
Plus, you can now choose Custom instead of From Handout in the tooltip section of pins to override images and GM notes for specific pins (previously only available for Player Notes). Tailor your Map Pins to the exact moment or location without needing to edit the original handout.
Clearer Player Feedback
Players now see a pop-out icon on pins when they have permissions to view the linked handouts. This works alongside the existing double-click behavior and provides a better visual indicator, so players know what’s interactive and available for them in-game.
What’s Next?
We’re still in beta, so your feedback is welcome and encouraged! Tell us how else we can make Map Pins work for you, and we’ll continue chipping away behind the scenes as we work toward public launch. Some of the things we have in progress now are:
- Multi-selection
- Bulk Pin Editing
- More customization options (icons, colors, shapes, and text)
- Mod Script (API) support… in QA now!
Report any issues that arise during your games so our team can address them, and let us know if you have specific thoughts about the direction you’d like to see Map Pins continue to develop (outside of the list above). Feel free to share on our Forums, on social (X/Twitter, Bluesky, Instagram), in our Discord Server, or via our direct feedback form.
Found a bug? Let us know by reporting it within the VTT or here!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! All users (including free) will have access to Map Pins when they come out of beta. We may release advanced features requested by subscribers in the future, but that information isn’t available at this time.
Yes! Use the Place Pin button from the left toolbar or the right-click menu to make a pin from scratch. You may also unlink a pin created by dragging a handout/anchor.
You can currently customize the size of pins and their tooltips. We’re currently developing more customization options. In the meantime, let us know what types of customization you’d like to see here.
The “Go to Map” button currently works only for pins created from anchors.
No. Making a pin visible only allows players to see a preview excerpt of the handout content via its tooltip. If you want to give players full access to the handout, you’ll need to share it with their journals separately. You retain full control over what’s revealed and when.
Support for this is in development and coming VERY soon! Follow our social media for updates.
For more information, please see our Help Center. Happy gaming!!
The awesome maps used in the images and videos in this blog are from D&D Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.