How to convert Shapefile to KML or KMZ
- Zip the .shp with its .dbf, .shx and .prj and drop the zip, keeping the files at the top level of the archive rather than inside a folder.
- Check the preview map, then pick KML or KMZ as the output.
- Convert and download; both files open in Google Earth with a double-click.
What changes when you convert Shapefile to KML or KMZ
| What | Shapefile → KML | |
|---|---|---|
| Geometry | Kept | The layer's geometry type (points, lines or polygons) is carried over exactly, including multi-part shapes. |
| Attributes | Kept | Every column and full field name moves from Shapefile 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 only accepts WGS84 (EPSG:4326), so data stored in another system is reprojected to longitude/latitude on the way out. |
| Elevation (Z) | Kept | 3D Z values carry from Shapefile into KML wherever the source records them. |
| File structure | Kept | A single, self-contained .kml file you can move around on its own. |
| KMZ instead of KML | Kept | Identical content zipped into one .kmz: the same placemarks, attributes and coordinates, usually several times smaller, and a single attachment to email. |
Why convert Shapefile to KML or KMZ?
A shapefile is where GIS teams keep parcels, boundaries, utility networks and survey layers, edited in ArcGIS or QGIS, yet most of the people who need to see that work never open desktop GIS. Converting hands them the same layer in the format Google Earth reads on a laptop or a phone. Choose KML when the file may be edited or loaded into another tool, and KMZ when it has to travel as one small attachment; in the site's 10,000-point benchmark a 5.18 MB KML became a 0.33 MB KMZ, about 16 times smaller.
Coordinate system handling
A shapefile records its coordinate system in the .prj sidecar, and the converter reads it automatically, so a layer in State Plane feet, a UTM zone or a national grid is reprojected without any setting on your side. If the .prj is missing, choose the source coordinate system before converting, otherwise the numbers are taken as WGS84 degrees and a projected layer flies thousands of kilometers away.
KML and KMZ are fixed to WGS84 longitude and latitude (EPSG:4326) by the Google Earth specification, so the output is always written in that system. There is no coordinate system to pick for the output; the only decision is making sure the input one is known.
What to check when converting Shapefile to KML or KMZ
Look at the .prj before anything else, because a shapefile often sits in State Plane feet or a UTM zone while KML and KMZ hold only WGS84 longitude and latitude. The .prj in the zip lets the converter reproject automatically; without it the numbers are read as degrees and the layer flies thousands of kilometers away, so choose the source coordinate system by hand when the file is missing. Keep the .shp, .dbf and .shx together in the archive, and expect the result to arrive with Google Earth's default colors, since a shapefile stores no symbology.
Troubleshooting Shapefile to KML or KMZ
- The zip is rejected or the layer will not load. The converter needs the .shp, .dbf and .shx together, with the .prj alongside. Zip the sidecars at the top level of the archive rather than inside a folder, and drop that zip, not the bare .shp.
- Everything lands in the wrong country or in the sea. The .prj is missing or wrong, so projected meters were read as degrees. Put the correct .prj in the zip, or choose the source coordinate system before converting, and the layer will reproject to WGS84 correctly.
- Polygons come out in one flat color and lines are all white. A shapefile carries no styling, so Google Earth draws its defaults. Adjust color, width and opacity on the layer inside Google Earth, or edit the Style elements in the KML before passing it on.
About the formats
A Shapefile is a set of files that work as one layer: geometry in the .shp, the attribute table in the .dbf, an index in the .shx and the coordinate system in the .prj. KML is the plain-text XML that Google Earth reads, with placemarks, paths and polygons that carry a name and a description balloon, and KMZ is that KML compressed into a single archive. The conversion rewrites each shapefile record as a placemark, turns the .dbf fields into balloon data, reprojects everything to WGS84 and, for KMZ, zips the result so a five-part layer becomes one file that opens with a double-click.
Frequently asked questions
Will my ArcGIS or QGIS symbology come through to Google Earth?
No. A shapefile stores no styling, so the layer arrives with Google Earth's defaults. Right-click the layer in Google Earth to change color, width and opacity, or edit the Style elements in the KML.
Why are some text values cut short or showing odd characters?
Text longer than 254 characters was already truncated by the shapefile format, so the missing tail never reached the converter. Accented text needs the .cpg file in the zip so the encoding is read correctly.
My KMZ arrived in email renamed as a .zip file. What now?
Some mail apps rename or block .kmz files on the way through. Rename the file back to .kmz, share it through a file link, or send the KML instead; the content is unchanged either way.
Do my shapefile attribute fields carry over into the balloon?
Yes. The values from the .dbf table become placemark data, so clicking a feature in Google Earth shows them in its balloon. Shapefile field names are already capped at 10 characters, so they carry through exactly as written.
Will a shapefile in State Plane feet or a UTM zone line up in Google Earth?
Yes, as long as the .prj travels in the zip. The converter reads that projection and reprojects the coordinates to WGS84 longitude and latitude, which is what KML and KMZ require.
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