live compass
Your phone is the compass.
Grant sensor access and this page turns your phone into a precise digital compass — 360° dial, smooth needle, and both magnetic and true north readings.
heading
Demo mode
Scan with your phone to open this page
https://accurateonlinecompass.com/compass/
Calibration needed
how to read it
The needle's red end always points north. Rotate your body until the fixed top marker meets the direction you want — the heading reads at the top.
true vs magnetic
Toggle between headings. True north applies your location's magnetic declination so maps, navigation, and bearings all line up.
accuracy
The status pill shows your live sensor source and estimated drift. If readings wobble, follow the calibration steps below the dial.
the online compass tool
Find north online — instantly, from your browser
An online compass is a digital compass that works directly in your web browser. No app store, no download, no account — you open this page, grant sensor access, and your phone becomes a free online compass with a live 360° heading readout. It is the fastest way to find north online whether you are at home, hiking, camping, or just trying to figure out which way your apartment faces.
The compass reads your device's sensors in real time. The red end of the needle always points north — 0° or 360° at the top of the dial — and the heading appears below in degrees alongside the compass point (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW). As you turn, the dial rotates with you, so the online compass direction you are facing is always visible at a glance.
True north vs magnetic north on an online compass
Most phone compasses show magnetic north — where the needle is pulled by Earth's magnetic field. But maps, GPS, and navigation all use true north, the geographic North Pole. The angle between them, called magnetic declination, varies from roughly −30° to +30° depending on where you are on the planet. In some cities the gap is a few degrees; in others it is more than fifteen. Ignore declination and your bearings can be off by a significant margin.
This online compass tool handles that for you. It applies the World Magnetic Model using your location, so switching between magnetic and true north is one tap. When you toggle to true north, the heading aligns with the grid on a map — essential for navigation, geocaching, aligning a dish, or following a bearing you calculated elsewhere. For the most accurate result, tap "Use location for declination" so the correction is computed for your exact coordinates rather than a rough estimate.
How accurate is a browser compass?
Phones contain a magnetometer, accelerometer, and gyroscope. A good online compass fuses those sensors to produce a tilt-compensated heading — meaning it stays reasonably steady even when you are not holding the phone perfectly level. This page shows an accuracy indicator and the live sensor source, so you can see how confident the reading is.
To get the best results: hold the phone flat away from your body, keep it away from metal, speakers, and electronic gadgets, and trace a figure-eight motion a few times if the needle drifts. Calibration takes seconds and makes a real difference. Indoors, expect a few degrees of wobble; outside, away from metal, a free online compass like this one routinely agrees with a physical compass within a degree or two.
When you need an online compass free tool
Orienting a map, aligning solar panels, checking window orientation for plants, sanity-checking a photo direction, teaching geometry, or practicing navigation — all without carrying a physical compass.
What makes this compass different
No install, no ads, no tracking, and nothing uploaded. Everything runs locally on your device, and the readings are corrected for true north automatically.
Every way to use an online compass
The uses go far beyond knowing which way north is. Hikers and trail runners use an online compass to orient a map before they set off. Photographers use it to plan where the sun will rise and set. Campers use it to face their tent for the morning sun. Property professionals check which way a room faces, and gardeners align raised beds for maximum light. Students use this online compass for geometry to see angles come alive on a dial. And with the fullscreen button, you can hold the dial at arm's length and line it up with a distant landmark — exactly like a handheld compass.
Because everything is computed in your browser, you can use this online compass live from anywhere in the world — and it corrects for magnetic declination wherever you are, so true north is always accurate. That combination of a free online compass to find north, live heading, declination correction, and privacy is hard to find anywhere else.
Combine the compass with the rest of the toolkit
This compass is one part of a complete navigation suite. Use theGPS coordinates toolto capture your exact position, thebearing calculatorto plan a course between two points, theQibla finderto face the Kaaba, and thesun position calculatorto track the solar path. Every tool works together, and every tool is private, free, and works on any phone with a browser.
Ready to find north? Grant sensor access above, follow the calibration steps if the needle drifts, and enjoy one of the most accurate online compass tools available — without installing a single thing.