Data Import & Export

Fix Incorrect or Missing Places in Excel Geography Data

Rana Garcia Oct 14, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to correct missing or inaccurate geographical location mapping when using the Excel Geography data type.

How to Fix Incorrect or Missing Places in Excel Geography Data

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Converting location names into Geography data types in Excel to extract geographic information.
Observed behavior: Excel incorrectly matches certain locations to different countries (e.g., a Dutch town matched to South Africa) or completely fails to find geographic data for valid locations because of Bing Maps limitations.

Before you start

Ensure you have an active internet connection so Excel can communicate with Bing Maps services, and verify that there are no typographical errors in your location names.

Solution 1Recommended

Add Specific Context to the Location Name

Adding the specific province, state, or country name helps the Bing Maps engine correctly identify ambiguous locations.

Since the Excel Geography data type relies on Bing Maps, ambiguous town names may be matched to places in other countries that share the exact same name. Expanding the text string to include higher-level administrative regions forces the engine to look in the right area.

Select the affected cells

Click on the cells containing the location names that are missing or incorrectly matched.

Append the country or province name

Edit the cell text to include the province and country. For example, change 'Ermelo' to 'Ermelo, Gelderland, Netherlands'.

Reapply the Geography data type

Select the updated cells, go to the 'Data' tab on the ribbon, and click 'Geography' in the Data Types group to refresh the match.

Add Specific Context to the Location Name

Data Match Refreshed: A small map icon will appear next to the location name once Bing Maps successfully recognizes and matches the detailed geographic data.

Solution 2

Report Missing Bing Maps Data to Microsoft

If providing additional context does not resolve the issue, the location data is likely missing from the Bing Maps database and needs to be reported.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Use WPS Office for Reliable Spreadsheet Data Management

While external cloud data services in Microsoft Excel may occasionally experience mapping issues or missing records, WPS Office offers a highly compatible, stable, and offline-friendly alternative for managing your datasets and geographical lists without heavy subscription fees.

1. Download and Install WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website, download the free version, and follow the simple installation prompts.
2. Open Your Existing Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Spreadsheets and open your existing .xlsx files containing your location data directly.
3. Manage Data Freely: Organize, sort, and analyze your geographic data using powerful built-in spreadsheet formulas and filtering tools.

Highly compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .csv) formats.Free and lightweight alternative to Microsoft Office.Seamlessly manage large datasets and location lists without forced cloud dependencies.Familiar user interface with zero learning curve.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the Excel Geography data type match the wrong city?

Excel uses Bing Maps to resolve location names. If multiple cities worldwide share the exact same name, the service might guess incorrectly unless you provide additional context, such as adding the province or country name to the cell.

Will reinstalling Excel fix the missing location data?

No. Reinstalling or repairing Excel does not resolve missing Geography data because the mapping information is hosted externally on Microsoft's Bing Maps servers, not within your local application files.

How do I remove the Geography data type from my cells?

To remove the Geography data type, select the affected cells, right-click, choose 'Data Type' from the context menu, and then select 'Convert to Text'. This will revert the mapped items back to standard text.

Can I manually enter coordinates if Bing Maps fails to find a location?

The native Geography data type automatically pulls coordinates from Bing Maps and doesn't allow direct manual overrides inside the data card. However, you can create separate columns in your spreadsheet to manually type the specific latitude and longitude data for missing locations.

Excel & Data Problems