Convert KML to DXF to carry features sketched in Google Earth into AutoCAD and other CAD environments. The geometry is rewritten locally by an in-browser GDAL build, with no server in the loop.
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KML, KMZ, SHP (.zip), GeoJSON, GPKG, GML, GPX, DXF, CSV, Excel, and more
No KML file to hand? Download a sample KML 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 KML to DXF, and what to watch for.
| What | KML → DXF | |
|---|---|---|
| Geometry | Kept | All geometry is redrawn as CAD entities (points, polylines and closed polylines) on drawing layers. |
| Attributes | Dropped | DXF stores drawing geometry, not a data table, so attribute columns are not carried across. Export a CSV alongside if you need the data. |
| Styling & labels | Dropped | KML colours, icons and description balloons are presentation, not data. DXF stores the underlying features, so styling is dropped (the geometry and attributes remain). |
| Coordinate system | Changes | DXF stores raw coordinates without a CRS tag, so note the coordinate system separately for whoever opens the file. |
| Elevation (Z) | Kept | 3D Z values carry from KML into DXF wherever the source records them. |
| File structure | Kept | A single, self-contained .dxf file you can move around on its own. |
People convert KML to DXF to move features out of Google Earth and into CAD. KML holds placemarks, paths and polygons that someone marked up over satellite imagery. However, engineers and surveyors work in AutoCAD, Civil 3D or MicroStation, and those tools speak DXF. So a KML sketch of a site boundary or a field-traced route becomes drawing linework you can edit, dimension and combine with a base plan. For example, a proposed access road drawn in Google Earth can drop straight onto an engineering drawing. DXF keeps that geometry on layers, ready for CAD.
KML is already defined in WGS84 longitude/latitude (EPSG:4326), so no guessing is needed on the way in.
DXF stores raw coordinates without a CRS tag, so make a note of the coordinate system for whoever opens the file next. A quick CRS check before you download saves the classic "my KML data is in the wrong place" surprise; the guide on coordinate systems and EPSG codes goes deeper.
Watch the coordinate system. KML always stores longitude and latitude in WGS84 degrees. DXF, however, is usually drawn in local or engineering units like meters or feet. If you open the DXF and the drawing looks tiny or lands far from your survey, the CAD file is sitting in raw degrees. So set or reproject to your project CRS before you snap it against real site plans.
KML files typically come out of Google Earth, Google Maps, QGIS, ArcGIS. Once you convert to DXF, the file opens in AutoCAD, BricsCAD, Civil 3D and MicroStation, plus QGIS for a quick look. The DXF output follows the standard specification exactly, so those programs read it without any special import settings.
KML holds what you drew in Google Earth: placemarks, paths and polygons in WGS84 lon/lat. DXF is where a drafter picks that geometry up, inside AutoCAD or Civil 3D. Converting bridges a field sketch and a CAD drawing. For example, a site boundary traced over satellite imagery becomes editable linework. The pairing makes sense because CAD teams rarely open Google Earth files directly, and DXF is the interchange format their tools already expect.
Geometry transfers as CAD entities on layers, but DXF is drawing-centric and has no attribute table like GIS. Point names and description text may be simplified or dropped, so keep the original KML if you need those details.
Yes. DXF is Autodesk's open interchange format, so AutoCAD, Civil 3D and MicroStation all read it. Just confirm the drawing units and coordinate system match your project before you build on the linework.
DXF is drawing-centric, so it has no attribute table the way a GIS layer does. Folder or document structure can map onto CAD layers, but the rich description text attached to each placemark is not preserved. A placemark name may land as a text entity rather than a queryable field.
KML stores coordinates as longitude and latitude in degrees, so every point falls within a narrow range close to 0,0. That reads as millimetre-scale geometry in a CAD drawing. Set a projected CRS, such as the correct UTM zone, before converting so the DXF uses metres and real-world dimensions.
A DXF file opens in AutoCAD, BricsCAD, Civil 3D and QGIS. Because the output follows the standard specification, any tool that supports DXF will read it without special settings.
No conversion is perfectly loss-free because each format stores different things, but CAD formats store geometry rather than a data table, so attribute columns are dropped while the shapes are kept exactly.
