# How to create a postcode sales territory map

Official GBMaps guide for the classic map maker. VectorMaps has a different interface.

Source: https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=territory-recipe
Updated: 2026-09-29

Choose a postcode area, district or sector map, add your territory names in START HERE, then select a name in the key and click the polygons it should contain. You can colour territories by hand or import a postcode-to-team spreadsheet. This guide takes you from a blank map to a saved, printable result.

[Watch tutorial video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSoytGAOJg0)

Some videos show an earlier layout. The written instructions below describe the current controls; this is a guide, not a video transcript.

## 3. Choose the next zone

![York team is now selected in the legend. Its postcode shapes around York are blue, while the North team territory remains green.](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/help/images/example-two-zones.png)

Select York team in the legend, then click its shapes on the map. They turn blue; the existing North team shapes remain green. If you click a shape already owned by another zone, you move it into the zone you have selected.

## After hiding

![The same Yorkshire map at the same scale, with surrounding unassigned shapes and labels hidden. The two coloured territories and their relevant map detail remain.](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/help/images/example-unassigned-after.png)

Hide unassigned areas keeps the assigned territory and the useful detail within it, including relevant place labels and parts of wider boundaries. It hides the surrounding artwork rather than deleting it. Use the same control again to restore the full map.

## 1. Choose enough boundary detail

Use districts or sectors if broad postcode areas cannot describe the territories accurately. Create the team names in START HERE and give them distinct colours.

[Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=territory-recipe#territory-recipe--choose)

## 2. Build the territories

Click a team’s zone name in the legend, then click inside each map shape you want to colour for that team. Select the next team in the legend before clicking its shapes. Watch Colour: as you zoom. Keep individual district assignments when the whole-area warning appears unless you really intend to replace them.

[Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=territory-recipe#territory-recipe--assign)

## 3. Remove the unused country

Turn on the useful labels and boundaries in Map details, then choose Hide unassigned areas. Adjust Regions & Insets if an inset or region is unnecessary for this map.

[Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=territory-recipe#territory-recipe--focus)

## 4. Make the key useful

Add a clear title, arrange the key and add contact details if needed. Resize the key so a person can read it in the final document, not just when zoomed in.

[Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=territory-recipe#territory-recipe--explain)

## 5. Save and check the download

Save a named editable version. Export PDF for print, PNG for a document, or PowerPoint for a presentation. Open the downloaded file and check the edges, labels and key before sharing it.

[Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=territory-recipe#territory-recipe--deliver)

## Related guides

- [START HERE: names, colours & territories](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=colouring)
- [Show only your assigned territories](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=hide-unassigned)
- [Extra text beneath key entries](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=legend-details)
- [How to download your map as PDF, PNG, SVG or PowerPoint](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=downloads)