How to convert KML or KMZ to Shapefile
- Drop the KML, or the KMZ as it is; the archive is opened in the browser and the KML inside is read.
- Check the preview and note whether the file mixes points, lines and polygons.
- Choose Shapefile and convert, then unzip the download and keep all five parts in one folder.
What changes when you convert KML or KMZ to Shapefile
| 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 colors, 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 | KML is always WGS84, and that is what the output records in its .prj file unless you choose another EPSG code. |
| 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. |
| 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 Shapefile. |
Why convert KML or KMZ to Shapefile?
KML and KMZ are what Google Earth speaks: people trace placemarks, paths and boundaries over satellite imagery and share them by email or link, with KMZ simply being the zipped form the program exports by default. Desktop GIS work needs a sturdier vector format, and the shapefile remains the exchange format that ArcGIS, QGIS, GeoServer and MapInfo all read. Converting moves that field-drawn data into serious mapping tools, where points captured over imagery become editable layers you can measure, query and join. Drop either file; a KMZ is opened in the browser and the KML inside is read the same way.
Coordinate system handling
KML and KMZ are always WGS84 longitude and latitude by the Google Earth specification, so the converter knows where every placemark belongs without being told, whichever file you drop.
On output the coordinate system is written into the shapefile's .prj. The data stays in WGS84 by default, or you can pick another EPSG code, a UTM zone for example, and the geometry is reprojected on the way out so it lines up with projected survey data.
What to check when converting KML or KMZ to Shapefile
A shapefile is really several files that have to travel together, which is why the converter hands it back as a .zip; the .shp, .dbf and .shx are useless apart. Google Earth files mix points, paths and polygons freely while a shapefile holds one geometry type, so a mixed KML comes back as separate point, line and polygon shapefiles in the same zip; open them as separate layers and the data is complete. Starting from a KMZ, the icons, photos and ground overlays packed in the archive are presentation rather than vector data and are not carried.
Troubleshooting KML to Shapefile
- The zip holds two or three shapefiles instead of one. The source mixed geometry types, and a shapefile holds one type per file, so points, lines and polygons were written separately. Load each as its own layer; nothing was lost.
- The KMZ converts but my overlays and photos are gone. Ground overlays and images are pictures packed in the archive, not vector features, and a shapefile cannot store them. The placemarks, paths and polygons all convert; keep the original KMZ for the imagery.
- The layer loads but sits unstyled in gray. That is expected: a shapefile carries no symbology, so the GIS applies defaults. Style the layer in ArcGIS or QGIS; the attribute table has the names and fields to label and categorize by.
About the formats
KML is where a map often starts life, sketched and styled over satellite imagery in Google Earth, and a KMZ is the same document zipped, often with icons and overlays beside it. The Shapefile is where that map becomes analysis-ready: a set of files (.shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj and .cpg) in which every feature has a row of attributes and a declared coordinate system. The conversion rewrites each placemark as a feature, turns names and ExtendedData into .dbf columns, and records WGS84 in the .prj, so ArcGIS and QGIS treat the result as a proper layer.
Frequently asked questions
My field names collided in the .dbf attribute table. What happened?
The .dbf format caps field names at 10 characters, so two long ExtendedData keys can shorten to the same name. Rename long properties in the KML before converting if the exact labels matter downstream.
Why is my description column full of HTML tags?
Google Earth balloons hold HTML, and it is kept so links and line breaks are not lost. Clean the column in the QGIS field calculator or a spreadsheet if you only want the text.
Can I get a projected shapefile instead of WGS84?
Yes. Enter an EPSG code, such as a UTM zone, before converting, and the geometry is reprojected on the way out. Left at the default, the .prj records WGS84 longitude and latitude.
Can I drop a KMZ directly, or do I have to extract the KML first?
Drop the KMZ as it is. The archive is opened in your browser and the KML document inside is read directly, so the output is identical whichever file you start from.
Why does the download arrive as a single .zip file?
A shapefile is not one file but a set that must stay together: .shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj and .cpg. The zip bundles them so nothing gets separated, and QGIS or ArcGIS reads the parts as one layer once they sit in the same folder.
Related converters
Working from the same file? You can also switch between KML and KMZ, 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.
Ready to convert?
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