Convert GPX to KML and replay a hike, ride or survey route in Google Earth's 3-D terrain. This page does the conversion internally, on your machine, so the track log is never handed to a server.
Drop a file here, or click to browse
KML, KMZ, SHP (.zip), GeoJSON, GPKG, GML, GPX, DXF, CSV, Excel, and more
No GPX file to hand? Download a sample GPX file (100 points) and drop it above to see the conversion.
Every format stores different things, so a conversion is never perfectly loss-free. Here is exactly what carries over when you convert GPX to KML, and what to watch for.
| What | GPX → KML | |
|---|---|---|
| Geometry | Kept | Points, lines and polygons are preserved exactly, including multi-part shapes. |
| Attributes | Kept | Every column and full field name moves from GPX into KML untouched. |
| 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 | KML is defined in WGS84 (EPSG:4326), so data is reprojected to lon/lat on the way out. |
| Elevation (Z) | Kept | 3D Z values carry from GPX into KML wherever the source records them. |
| File structure | Kept | A single, self-contained .kml file you can move around on its own. |
GPX is the language of GPS receivers and fitness apps, so your hikes, rides and waypoints often start there. However, GPX is built for navigation, not for showing off a route on satellite imagery. That is where KML comes in. KML drives Google Earth and Google Maps, so it renders points, lines and polygons with labels and styling. So people convert a track exported from Strava, Komoot or a Garmin device into KML to drape it over terrain and imagery. Then you can share the map by email or a simple link, and colleagues open it in Google Earth without any GPS software.
GPX is already defined in WGS84 longitude/latitude (EPSG:4326), so no guessing is needed on the way in.
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 GPX data is in the wrong place" surprise; the guide on coordinate systems and EPSG codes goes deeper.
Check your attributes before you rely on them. GPX carries limited fields, so heart rate, cadence and custom notes may already be simplified in the source file. Those extras will not appear as rich data in KML. Also, GPX stores tracks as ordered points. In Google Earth those become paths, so confirm your waypoints, routes and tracks all landed as the right geometry, not merged into one line.
GPX files typically come out of Garmin, Strava, Komoot, QGIS, GPSBabel. 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.
A GPX file is what your watch or handheld records after a hike, run or ride: waypoints, a planned route and the track you actually followed. KML is how Google Earth draws that same line draped over satellite imagery. Both are plain-text XML in WGS84 lon/lat, so the coordinates carry across without reprojection. In practice, converting turns a raw recording into something you can spin on the globe and hand to a friend.
Yes. A GPX track is an ordered list of points, and the KML output turns it into a path, so Google Earth draws it as a continuous line rather than scattered dots.
No. GPX already stores coordinates in WGS84, and KML also uses WGS84 longitude and latitude, so the positions carry over directly with no reprojection needed.
Each recorded track and planned route becomes a KML path, so the line you followed stays intact. Waypoints turn into clickable placemarks. In Google Earth every item lists separately in the sidebar, so you can toggle the track and its markers on their own.
Elevation values on trackpoints carry into the KML coordinates, so the path can sit at height in Google Earth. Standard KML geometry has no slot for per-point timestamps or cadence-style extensions, so those are typically dropped. Keep the original GPX if you need the full time series.
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.
