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Convert Excel to GeoJSON

By , GIS & remote-sensing practitioner · Reviewed

Convert Excel to GeoJSON to move a coordinate workbook into web maps without exporting to CSV first. The .xlsx is parsed directly in your browser and never uploaded.

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KML, KMZ, SHP (.zip), GeoJSON, GPKG, GML, GPX, DXF, CSV, Excel, and more

No uploadNo trackingOpen standards (GDAL/OGR)Works offline once loaded

No Excel file to hand? Download a sample Excel file (100 points) and drop it above to see the conversion.

How to convert Excel to GeoJSON

  1. Drop the .xlsx file into the converter box.
  2. Confirm the location columns; WKT is used when available, and latitude/longitude pickers handle plain point sheets.
  3. Choose GeoJSON and convert; remaining columns are carried over as feature properties.

What changes when you convert Excel to GeoJSON

Every format stores different things, so a conversion is never perfectly loss-free. Here is exactly what carries over when you convert Excel to GeoJSON, and what to watch for.

WhatExcel → GeoJSON
GeometryKeptPoints, lines and polygons are preserved exactly, including multi-part shapes.
AttributesKeptEvery column and full field name moves from Excel into GeoJSON untouched.
Styling & labelsKeptNeither Excel nor GeoJSON stores visual styling, so there is nothing to lose, the geometry and data carry straight over.
Coordinate systemChangesExcel carries no coordinate system, so values are read as WGS84 longitude/latitude (EPSG:4326), which GeoJSON requires. Set a source CRS if your data is in metres.
Elevation (Z)KeptExcel is 2D, so there is no elevation to carry (add a Z/elevation column if you need one).
File structureKeptA single, self-contained .geojson file you can move around on its own.

What your spreadsheet needs first

You do not need to be a GIS expert to convert Excel to GeoJSON. Your sheet needs just two things: a column of latitudes and a column of longitudes, and each row then becomes a GeoJSON point feature for your web map. Everything else, names, notes, dates, ID numbers, rides along as attributes on each point.

A correctly formatted Excel spreadsheet for mapping: a name column plus latitude and longitude columns in decimal degrees, one row per place
A mappable sheet: latitude and longitude columns in decimal degrees, one row per place.

The columns that matter

Store the coordinates as plain decimal degrees, like 33.6844 and 73.0479. If your values look like 33°41'04"N instead, convert them first with the coordinate converter. Excel to GeoJSON works with .xlsx, .xls, .csv and Google Sheets exports, and if the wrong column is picked you can fix it from the dropdowns before converting.

Why convert Excel to GeoJSON?

People keep collecting data in Excel because it is easy to type, sort, and share with non-GIS colleagues. However, a web map cannot read an XLSX workbook. GeoJSON is the fix. It is the default vector format of the modern web-mapping stack, so Leaflet, Mapbox GL, and OpenLayers all speak it natively. Converting turns your rows of typed columns into real features with attributes. Then you can render points on a map, pass features through a web API, or version-control the map data as plain text, since GeoJSON is just readable JSON.

Coordinate system handling

A spreadsheet has no coordinate system of its own. Excel rows are read as WGS84 longitude/latitude (EPSG:4326) unless you tell the tool otherwise. If your coordinates are projected, for example UTM eastings and northings in metres, pick the matching CRS before converting so the points land in the right place instead of near Null Island.

GeoJSON is defined in WGS84 (EPSG:4326), so the output is reprojected to longitude/latitude, exactly what Google Earth and web maps expect. A quick CRS check before you download saves the classic "my Excel data is in the wrong place" surprise; the guide on coordinate systems and EPSG codes goes deeper.

What to check when converting Excel to GeoJSON

Only cell values cross over, so Excel formulas convert at their computed result, while charts and formatting are dropped. Make sure your sheet has clean latitude and longitude columns, or no geometry is built. Also, RFC 7946 GeoJSON is defined in WGS84, and coordinates go longitude then latitude. So check your columns are decimal degrees, not projected meters.

Which software opens the result

Excel files typically come out of Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice, Google Sheets. Once you convert to GeoJSON, the file opens in web maps built on Leaflet, Mapbox GL or OpenLayers, and desktop tools like QGIS. The GeoJSON output follows the standard specification exactly, so those programs read it without any special import settings.

Troubleshooting Excel to GeoJSON

About the formats

A lot of location data starts life in Excel. Someone types addresses, sensor readings, or survey points into a workbook, with latitude and longitude sitting in their own columns. GeoJSON is where that same data has to land before a web map will draw it. This conversion reads each row, pairs your two coordinate columns into a point, and carries the other columns across as feature properties. In practice it turns a desk spreadsheet into something Leaflet or Mapbox GL can render.

Frequently asked questions

Which Excel columns become the GeoJSON geometry?

You need latitude and longitude columns in your sheet. Those coordinate pairs build the point geometry for each GeoJSON feature, and your other columns become feature properties.

Can I drop the GeoJSON straight into Leaflet or Mapbox GL?

Yes. GeoJSON is the native vector format for Leaflet, Mapbox GL and OpenLayers, so you can add the output directly as a data layer. It also opens cleanly in QGIS.

Which sheet and columns become the GeoJSON?

The first populated sheet is read, and you tell the tool which columns hold latitude and longitude. Those two build each point, while the remaining columns ride along as feature properties. Rows without valid coordinates are dropped rather than placed at a wrong spot.

Can Excel rows produce lines or polygons?

No. Each row carries a single coordinate pair, so it becomes one point feature. GeoJSON can hold lines and polygons, but the tool cannot stitch ordered vertices out of flat rows. Number cells convert to numeric properties, so IDs and measurements stay usable in Leaflet or OpenLayers popups.

What can open a GeoJSON file after converting?

A GeoJSON file opens in web maps (Leaflet, Mapbox, OpenLayers) and QGIS. Because the output follows the standard specification, any tool that supports GeoJSON will read it without special settings.

Does converting Excel to GeoJSON lose any data?

No conversion is perfectly loss-free because each format stores different things, but geometry and attributes are preserved; only presentation-level styling (which GeoJSON does not store) is left behind.

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