A novel route was proposed to synthesize gold nanoplates using a commercial gold plating solution as the reactant. Single-crystalline gold nanoplates can be successfully synthesized by reacting gold plating solution with HCl. The as-prepared nanoplates are from several micrometers to tens of micrometers in size. The effects of reactant concentration and temperature on the morphology of the gold products were investigated. The size of the gold nanoplate increases with the decrease of the amount of gold plating solution, while irregular gold nanoparticles are formed as the HCl concentration becomes low. When the reaction temperature is as low as room temperature, nanoplates with a concavity form. Specifically, it is found that the Cl- plays an important role for the formation of these gold nanoplates. The formation mechanism of the gold nanoplates is studied in detail.