How to convert KML or KMZ to DXF
- Drop your KML, or the KMZ exactly as Google Earth exported it.
- Set the project's coordinate system, a UTM zone or a national grid.
- Choose DXF and convert, and write down the system you chose, because the DXF itself does not record it.
What changes when you convert KML or KMZ to DXF
| 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 colors, 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. |
| Starting from KMZ | Kept | A KMZ is opened in the browser and the KML inside is read the same way, so the output is identical from either file. Icons and overlay images packed in the archive are presentation, not vector data, and are not carried into DXF. |
Why convert KML or KMZ to DXF?
People sketch site boundaries, access routes and placemarks in Google Earth, saved as a KML or as the zipped KMZ it exports by default, but engineers and surveyors work in AutoCAD, Civil 3D or MicroStation, and those tools speak DXF. Converting brings that field-traced geometry into a drawing as editable linework: a proposed access road drawn over satellite imagery drops onto an engineering plan, organized on layers the way CAD expects. Layers follow the folder structure of the source, so group features into folders before converting, for example Boundary, Access and Utilities, and they stay separated in CAD. A file drawn without folders puts everything on one layer.
Coordinate system handling
KML and KMZ are always WGS84 longitude and latitude, so the source side needs no guessing, whichever file you drop. The decision is the output: a DXF written in raw degrees is almost never what a CAD drawing wants.
Set the project's projected coordinate system before converting, the correct UTM zone or national grid, and the geometry is reprojected so the DXF arrives in meters or feet at real-world size. Tell whoever opens the drawing which system you picked, since the DXF cannot say.
What to check when converting KML or KMZ to DXF
The coordinate system is the thing to watch: KML and KMZ always store longitude and latitude in WGS84 degrees, while CAD drawings run in local or engineering units such as meters or feet. Opened raw, degree values read as a tiny drawing, so set a projected system, the correct UTM zone for example, and the DXF arrives at real-world size. DXF also has no attribute table: placemark names may land as text entities, but description balloons stay behind, and overlays or photos packed inside a KMZ are dropped.
Troubleshooting KML to DXF
- The drawing is microscopic or lands nowhere near the site plan. The geometry is in raw WGS84 degrees, so convert again with the project's projected system set, a UTM zone or a national grid, and the DXF is written in meters or feet and snaps against the survey.
- Placemark descriptions are missing in CAD. DXF has no attribute table, so balloon text and ExtendedData have nowhere to go; names arrive as text entities at best. A CSV export of the same file carries those fields for the recipients.
- The KMZ converts but the overlay imagery is gone. Overlays and icons are pictures packed in the archive, and a DXF stores no images. Only the traced geometry converts; keep the KMZ if the imagery matters.
About the formats
KML holds what you drew in Google Earth, placemarks, paths and polygons in WGS84, and a KMZ is that document zipped, sometimes with icons and overlay images beside it. DXF is Autodesk's open interchange format, organized around lines, polylines, arcs, text and layers rather than feature tables. The conversion rewrites each point, path and polygon as CAD entities on a drawing layer, which is exactly what AutoCAD and Civil 3D expect to measure, dimension and build on; the rich Google Earth presentation has no slot in a drawing and is left out.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my curves made of short segments?
KML has no arc entity, so curves are already stored as many straight pieces. Redraw true arcs in CAD where you need them.
The recipients also need the placemark data. How do I send it?
Export the same file to CSV and send it with the DXF, because names and descriptions have no slot in a drawing.
Which programs open the result?
The result opens in AutoCAD, Civil 3D, BricsCAD, MicroStation and QGIS. Confirm the drawing units match your project before you build on the linework.
Can I drop a KMZ directly, or only a plain KML?
Either. A KMZ is an ordinary zip holding the KML, and the converter opens it in the browser and reads the document inside, so the DXF is identical from either file.
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