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Convert Excel to KMZ

By , GIS & remote-sensing practitioner · Reviewed

Convert Excel to KMZ to get a compressed Google Earth file straight from a workbook of coordinates. Parsing, conversion and zipping are all handled inside your browser.

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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 KMZ

  1. Drop the workbook into the box at the top of the page.
  2. Assign the location columns if the automatic detection needs correcting.
  3. Select KMZ and convert; the single compressed file is ready to email or drop into Google Earth.

What changes when you convert Excel to KMZ

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

WhatExcel → KMZ
GeometryKeptPoints, lines and polygons are preserved exactly, including multi-part shapes.
AttributesKeptEvery column and full field name moves from Excel into KMZ untouched.
Styling & labelsChangesKMZ supports styling; features are written with clean default styling and a name label you can restyle in Google Earth.
Coordinate systemChangesExcel carries no coordinate system, so values are read as WGS84 longitude/latitude (EPSG:4326), which KMZ 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 structureKeptOne compact .kmz (a zipped KML), easy to email and quick to open in Google Earth.

What your spreadsheet needs first

You do not need to be a GIS expert to convert Excel to KMZ. Your sheet needs just two things: a column of latitudes and a column of longitudes, and each row then becomes a Google Earth placemark inside one compact file. 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 KMZ 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 KMZ?

Lots of location data lives in Excel. Site visits, asset lists and survey points sit in typed columns and separate sheets. However, a spreadsheet cannot show those points on a globe. So people convert Excel to KMZ to see each row as a placemark in Google Earth. KMZ zips the map into one small file. Then you can email the whole thing to a colleague, custom icons and overlays included. It is the tidy way to turn a working sheet into a shareable Google Earth map without keeping the spreadsheet open.

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.

KMZ 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 KMZ

Your Excel sheet needs real latitude and longitude columns. Rows without valid coordinates get skipped, so no placemark appears for them. Also, only computed cell values are read. If a coordinate comes from a formula, check the result before converting. Remember KMZ stores points as WGS84 longitude and latitude, so keep your numbers in decimal degrees, not projected metres or degrees-minutes-seconds text.

Which software opens the result

Excel files typically come out of Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice, Google Sheets. Once you convert to KMZ, the file opens in Google Earth Pro and Google Earth for web by a simple double-click, plus QGIS and ArcGIS Pro. The KMZ output follows the standard specification exactly, so those programs read it without any special import settings.

Troubleshooting Excel to KMZ

About the formats

Excel is usually where the point list begins. A team keeps sites, sensors or survey stops in a workbook, one row each, with latitude and longitude columns alongside the notes. KMZ is the packaged form of that same list for Google Earth. Converting turns every row into a placemark, then zips the resulting KML so the finished map ships as one small file. In practice a colleague double-clicks it and sees your Excel table sitting on the globe.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my Excel export a .kmz file instead of a .kml?

KMZ is just a KML document zipped into a ZIP archive. This converter writes the KML from your rows, then compresses it, which gives you one smaller file that Google Earth opens by default.

Will my other Excel columns show up when I open the KMZ in Google Earth?

Yes. Non-coordinate columns become attributes on each placemark, so you can click a point in Google Earth and read its details. Charts and cell formatting are dropped, since only cell values are converted.

Which columns from my worksheet end up in the Google Earth popup?

The header row drives everything. Your latitude and longitude columns build each placemark, and the remaining columns ride along as attributes shown in the balloon when someone clicks a point. Give those columns clear, short headers so the popup reads cleanly in Google Earth.

My workbook has several sheets, and I need lines, not just dots. What happens?

Only one sheet of values is read, so place your coordinate table on the first sheet. Because the rows are a flat lat/long list, each one becomes a single placemark. That means points, not routes or polygons; a spreadsheet cannot describe connected linework the way native Google Earth drawing can.

What can open a KMZ file after converting?

A KMZ file opens in Google Earth by double-click, plus QGIS and ArcGIS. Because the output follows the standard specification, any tool that supports KMZ will read it without special settings.

Does converting Excel to KMZ 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 KMZ does not store) is left behind.

Related converters

Prefer editable output? You can convert Excel to KML instead, or map the sheet straight to a shapefile. To go the other way, turn a KMZ back into Excel. New to it? The guide on converting Excel to KMZ for Google Earth walks through every step, and the Spreadsheet to map tool handles CSV too.

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