Midpoint Calculator
Find the point exactly halfway between two points: with the formula, substitution, and segment length shown.
Details
Your points
Point halfway between
(3, 5)
Halfway from A to B
This finds the point exactly halfway between two coordinates. Enter both points and it returns the midpoint.
It also gives the distance between them and can divide the line into several equal parts, not just two.
What a midpoint is
The midpoint is the point exactly halfway along the straight line between two others. It is the same distance from each end.
Finding it is easier than it looks: average the x values, then average the y values. That is the entire method.
It works because a midpoint is just the average position. Halfway between 2 and 8 horizontally is 5, and halfway between 3 and 7 vertically is 5, so the midpoint is (5, 5).
The two averages are worked out completely separately. The x values never interact with the y values, which is what makes this simpler than the distance formula.
What to enter
- First point
- The x and y of one end. Which point you call first makes no difference to the answer.
- Second point
- The x and y of the other end.
- How many midpoints
- Set it above one to divide the line into several equal segments rather than just halving it.
What this assumes
The points are on a flat coordinate plane. Midpoints on a curved surface, such as between two places on the globe, need a different method.
How to calculate the midpoint between two points
Average the x values, average the y values, and you are finished.
- (x₁ + x₂) ÷ 2
- The average of the two x values
- (y₁ + y₂) ÷ 2
- The average of the two y values
Add the x values and halve. For (2, 3) and (8, 7): 2 + 8 = 10, and 10 ÷ 2 = 5.
Add the y values and halve. 3 + 7 = 10, and 10 ÷ 2 = 5.
Write it as a point. The midpoint is (5, 5).
Check it looks right. The midpoint must sit between the two points on both axes. If it does not, one of the additions went wrong.
See a worked example: the midpoint and distance for (2, 3) and (8, 7)
- First point
- (2, 3)
- Second point
- (8, 7)
Midpoint x: (2 + 8) ÷ 2 = 5.
Midpoint y: (3 + 7) ÷ 2 = 5.
So the midpoint is (5, 5).
The distance is a different calculation, using Pythagoras: the sides are 6 and 4, so the distance is √52 = 7.21.
Midpoint (5, 5), distance 7.21
Frequently asked questions
Midpoint is a location: the point halfway between. Distance is a length: how far apart they are.
Midpoint uses averages and is simple. Distance uses Pythagoras, because it needs the diagonal rather than the middle. For (2,3) and (8,7) the midpoint is (5,5) and the distance is 7.21.
No. Addition works in either order, so (2+8) and (8+2) both give 10. You get the same midpoint whichever point you enter first.
This is unlike slope, where the order genuinely matters because subtraction is involved and reversing it flips the sign.
Yes to both, and neither is a mistake. The midpoint of (1,0) and (2,0) is (1.5, 0), which is a perfectly valid point that happens not to sit on a grid line.
Negative coordinates work exactly the same way. The midpoint of (−4, 2) and (2, −6) is (−1, −2).
Work backwards by doubling. If M is the midpoint of A and B, then B = (2 × Mx − Ax, 2 × My − Ay).
With A at (2,3) and the midpoint at (5,5): Bx = 10 − 2 = 8 and By = 10 − 3 = 7, giving (8,7). The logic is that the midpoint is the average, so the far point must be as far beyond it as the near point is short of it.
Yes, and it extends naturally: average the z values too, exactly as you did for x and y.
The same is true of any number of dimensions. Each axis is averaged independently, which is why the method scales so cleanly.
Problems people actually run into
Subtracting instead of averaging
Midpoint uses addition and division; slope and distance use subtraction. Working through several coordinate questions in a row makes it easy to carry the wrong operation across.
The check that catches it instantly: the midpoint must lie between the two points on both axes. A midpoint outside that range means a subtraction crept in.
Results are estimates for general information only and are not professional financial, medical, or legal advice. Read our full disclaimer.
Last updated: September 4, 2026