How to use Qibla Direction
- Tap "Use my location", or pick your city from the list.
- Read the Qibla as degrees from true north and as a compass direction, such as west-southwest.
- On a phone, tap "Use phone compass", hold the phone flat and turn until the arrow points to the top. The arrow turns green when you face the Kaaba.
- When you can, check the direction against the mihrab of a nearby mosque: phone compasses can be a few degrees out.
Why use Qibla Direction
Exact bearing
The shortest path to the Kaaba over the Earth's true shape (the WGS84 ellipsoid, GeographicLib), not a sphere: exact to a thousandth of a degree.
Live phone compass
On phones with a compass, the dial turns with you and is corrected from magnetic to true north for your location (World Magnetic Model 2025).
Anywhere
Use your location anywhere in the world, or choose from more than 40 cities.
Private
Your location stays on your device.
About this tool
The Qibla is the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah, which Muslims face in prayer. It follows the shortest route over the globe, which is why the Qibla from North America points northeast rather than southeast as a flat map suggests. From Doha it is 252.7° from true north, from Karachi 267.8° and from London 118.9°. The route is calculated on the Earth's true shape, an ellipsoid flattened at the poles, with the same algorithm surveyors use (GeographicLib); calculators that treat the Earth as a sphere differ by up to 0.2°.
Degrees are measured clockwise from true north. A phone's sensor follows magnetic north, which differs from true north by the magnetic declination: two or three degrees in the Gulf and Pakistan, but more than 10° in parts of North America. The compass here adds that difference for your location (World Magnetic Model 2025), so the dial points at the Kaaba itself. Keep the phone flat and away from metal, and when in doubt, follow the direction of a nearby mosque's mihrab.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Qibla direction calculated?
From your coordinates and those of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), along the shortest path between them on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the Earth's true shape. The result is the angle clockwise from true north, checked against GeographicLib's reference to a millionth of a degree.
Why does the compass on my phone disagree?
Phone sensors point to magnetic north; this page corrects that to true north for your location, but the sensor itself is easily disturbed by metal, magnets, speakers and phone cases. Hold the phone flat, move away from metal, and wave it in a figure-eight to recalibrate. Other apps that skip the correction differ by the local declination.
Why is the Qibla from America to the northeast?
The shortest path over the globe from North America to Makkah curves north. On a flat map it looks southeast, but the true direction is northeast.
Does it work without "Use my location"?
Yes. Pick your city and the Qibla is shown for the city centre, which is accurate to a fraction of a degree anywhere in that city.
Is my location sent anywhere?
No. It is used on your device to calculate the direction and is never sent to a server.
Can I use the Qibla compass online without an app?
Yes. The Qibla compass works online in your phone's browser: allow the compass and your location, hold the phone flat and turn until the arrow points to the Kaaba. On a computer it shows the direction as a bearing and on a map.