Convert DGN files to KML, online and free. GISConverter reads your DGN data locally in the browser and writes a KML file so you can open and view it in Google Earth or Google Maps, nothing is uploaded, and your data never leaves your computer.
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KML, KMZ, SHP (.zip), GeoJSON, GPKG, GML, GPX, DXF, CSV, Excel, and more
Every format stores different things, so a conversion is never perfectly loss-free. Here is exactly what carries over when you convert DGN to KML, and what to watch for.
| What | DGN → KML | |
|---|---|---|
| Geometry | Kept | Points, lines and polygons are preserved exactly, including multi-part shapes. |
| Attributes | Changes | DGN is a CAD format with no attribute table, so the output carries geometry with only the fields the drawing exposes (typically a layer name). |
| Styling & labels | Changes | KML supports styling; features are written with clean default styling and a name label you can restyle in Google Earth. |
| Coordinate system | Changes | DGN carries no coordinate system, so values are read as WGS84 longitude/latitude (EPSG:4326), which KML requires. Set a source CRS if your data is in metres. |
| Elevation (Z) | Kept | 3D Z values carry from DGN into KML wherever the source records them. |
| File structure | Kept | A single, self-contained .kml file you can move around on its own. |
DGN is a CAD/engineering format, so it isn't always the format the next tool expects. Converting it to KML lets you open and view it in Google Earth or Google Maps without redrawing or re-collecting anything.
DGN drawings usually sit in a local or engineering coordinate system rather than latitude/longitude, and the file rarely records which one. If the drawing is georeferenced, set its CRS before converting; otherwise the geometry keeps its drawing coordinates.
KML is defined in WGS84 (EPSG:4326), so the output is reprojected to longitude/latitude, exactly what Google Earth and web maps expect. A quick CRS check before you download saves the classic "my DGN data is in the wrong place" surprise; the guide on coordinate systems and EPSG codes goes deeper.
DGN files typically come out of Bentley MicroStation, AutoCAD, QGIS. Once you convert to KML, the file opens in Google Earth Pro on the desktop, Google Earth for web, and Google Maps (via My Maps), as well as QGIS and ArcGIS Pro. The KML output follows the standard specification exactly, so those programs read it without any special import settings.
DGN (.dgn): DGN is Bentley MicroStation's CAD format, used heavily in civil engineering, transportation and infrastructure projects. Like DXF it is organised around drawing levels and elements rather than GIS feature tables, and can hold very precise engineering geometry.
KML (.kml): KML is the XML-based format Google Earth and Google Maps use to describe points, lines, polygons, labels and styling. Because it is plain text it is easy to read, edit and share, and it stores coordinates in WGS84 longitude/latitude by default.
KML is the XML-based format Google Earth and Google Maps use to describe points, lines, polygons, labels and styling.
DGN is Bentley MicroStation's CAD format, used heavily in civil engineering, transportation and infrastructure projects.
A KML file opens in Google Earth (desktop and web), QGIS and ArcGIS. Because the output follows the standard specification, any tool that supports KML will read it without special settings.
No conversion is perfectly loss-free because each format stores different things, but geometry and attributes are preserved; only presentation-level styling (which KML does not store) is left behind.
