Convert KML to shapefile to move Google Earth digitising into QGIS or ArcGIS as an editable layer. The in-browser GDAL engine writes the entire shapefile family and hands it to you zipped, and the KML never leaves your machine.
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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 Shapefile, and what to watch for.
| What | KML → Shapefile | |
|---|---|---|
| Geometry | Changes | Points, lines and polygons are all carried over, but a Shapefile holds a single geometry type per file. A layer that mixes types is written one type at a time. |
| Attributes | Changes | Every column is kept, but the Shapefile .dbf caps field names at 10 characters, so long names are shortened (values are untouched). |
| Styling & labels | Dropped | KML colours, icons and description balloons are presentation, not data. Shapefile stores the underlying features, so styling is dropped (the geometry and attributes remain). |
| Coordinate system | Kept | The CRS is written into the sidecar .prj file. Data is reprojected to WGS84 by default, or a CRS you choose. |
| Elevation (Z) | Kept | 3D Z values carry from KML into Shapefile wherever the source records them. |
| File structure | Changes | A working Shapefile is several files, so you download one .zip holding .shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj and .cpg. Keep them together. |
KML is what Google Earth speaks. People drop placemarks and paths into it, then share those simple maps by email or link. However, desktop GIS work needs a sturdier vector format. So converting KML to Shapefile moves that Google Earth data into serious mapping tools. A Shapefile is the long-standing Esri format and stays the lingua franca of desktop GIS. Once your placemarks become a Shapefile, you can load them into ArcGIS or QGIS, exchange layers with other packages, and publish boundaries, parcels or networks. For example, field points captured over satellite imagery become editable GIS layers.
KML is already defined in WGS84 longitude/latitude (EPSG:4326), so no guessing is needed on the way in.
On output, the coordinate system is written into the Shapefile .prj file. By default the data is reprojected to WGS84, or you can choose another EPSG code if your workflow needs one. 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.
A Shapefile is really several files that must travel together, so this converter hands it back as a .zip. Keep every part together, since the .shp, .dbf and .shx are useless apart. Also, field names get truncated to 10 characters, so long KML property names may collide. Finally, each Shapefile holds one geometry type. If your KML mixes points, lines and polygons, they split into separate layers.
KML files typically come out of Google Earth, Google Maps, QGIS, ArcGIS. Once you convert to Shapefile, the file opens in ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, MapInfo and GeoServer, the whole desktop-GIS world. The Shapefile output follows the standard specification exactly, so those programs read it without any special import settings.
KML is where a map often starts life, sketched and styled over satellite imagery in Google Earth. Shapefile is where that same map goes to become analysis-ready on the desktop. Moving from one to the other swaps placemarks and folders for the .shp, .dbf and .shx parts that ArcGIS and QGIS treat as a proper layer. In practice, field staff draw features in Google Earth, then hand them to analysts who expect a shapefile to run measurements and joins.
Yes, KML name and description fields map into the Shapefile attribute table (the .dbf). However, field names are cut to 10 characters, so very long property names may be shortened or merged.
A Shapefile is not one file but a set that must stay together, including .shp, .dbf, .shx and usually a .prj. The .zip bundles them so nothing gets separated. Just unzip it before loading into ArcGIS or QGIS.
No. A shapefile stores a single geometry type per file. Mixed KML is separated by geometry, so the zip may contain distinct point, line and polygon shapefiles. Load each one into QGIS or ArcGIS as its own layer.
Placemark names and any ExtendedData become columns in the .dbf table. Because shapefile field names are capped at 10 characters, longer keys get shortened. Rich HTML description balloons flatten to plain text, so Google Earth styling does not carry into MapInfo or ArcGIS.
A Shapefile file opens in ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, MapInfo and most desktop GIS. Because the output follows the standard specification, any tool that supports Shapefile will read it without special settings.
No conversion is perfectly loss-free because each format stores different things, but the only change to watch is that shapefile field names are shortened to 10 characters; your geometry, coordinates and values are all preserved.
Working from the same KML file? You can also convert KML to KMZ to shrink it for email, extract KML data to CSV for a spreadsheet, or turn KML into GeoJSON for a web map. Every pairing lives on the KML & KMZ converter hub, and more shapefile outputs on the Shapefile converter.
