Guides
Stuck on a file that will not open, or data that lands in the wrong place? These GIS guides are written by someone who converts these files every day. Each one answers a single question in plain English, in 2 to 6 minutes, and links to the free tool that does the job.
Start with your problem
- My data is in the wrong place: why GIS data shows in the wrong place
- I was sent a KMZ: how to open a KMZ file
- I have a spreadsheet of coordinates: CSV or Excel to Google Earth and Excel to KMZ
- I have a GPS track: convert a GPX file to KML, Shapefile or CSV
- I need a shapefile in Google Earth: convert a Shapefile to KML
- I cannot upload this file: convert GIS files privately and verify that nothing is uploaded
Understand a format
Understand coordinates
Latest guide
How to verify that GISConverters never uploads your file
A two-minute check anyone can run: open the browser's network tab, convert a file, and see that nothing is uploaded. What you will see, and why.
How to convert Excel to KMZ for Google Earth
Convert Excel to KMZ for Google Earth in 4 steps. Each row of coordinates becomes a placemark in one small file. Free, in your browser, no upload.
GIS file format sizes compared: 1 dataset, 8 formats
The same 10,000 points saved as KML, KMZ, Shapefile, GeoPackage, GPX, CSV, Excel and GeoJSON: measured sizes, and what each format kept or dropped.
How to convert GIS files privately in your browser
Convert KML, Shapefile or CSV without uploading it. How in-browser GIS conversion works, why it matters, and how to check any tool's privacy claim.
Coordinate systems, EPSG and WGS84, without the jargon
What WGS84, EPSG codes and projections mean, in plain English. Learn EPSG:4326, EPSG:3857 and UTM, and how to reproject data in your browser.
What is a shapefile? (and why it's really several files)
A shapefile is not one file. Learn what the .shp, .dbf, .shx, .prj and .cpg parts do, the 3 limits that catch people, and when to switch format.
GeoJSON explained: the format that runs the web map
What GeoJSON is, how features and properties work, why longitude comes first, and how to make GeoJSON from KML, a shapefile or a CSV. Plain English.
KML vs KMZ: what's the difference?
KML is plain text; KMZ is the same file zipped, about 16 times smaller in testing. When to use each, and how to convert between them for free.
How to convert a Shapefile to KML (free, in your browser)
Convert a Shapefile to KML for Google Earth in 5 steps: zip the parts, drop the zip, pick KML. Keep the .prj so it lands in the right place. Free.
What is a DXF file? Using CAD drawings in GIS
What a DXF file stores, why CAD data lands in the wrong place in GIS, and how to set its coordinate system and convert it to KML or Shapefile.
GPX file explained: waypoints, routes and tracks
What a GPX file holds, the difference between waypoints, routes and tracks, how to open one, and how to convert it without losing your data.
How to convert CSV or Excel coordinates to Google Earth (KML)
Convert CSV to KML for Google Earth in 4 steps. Latitude and longitude columns become placemarks. Excel works the same way. Free, with no upload.
GeoPackage vs Shapefile: which should you use?
GeoPackage vs Shapefile compared on field names, layers, size and compatibility, with measured file sizes and a simple rule for picking one.
Why your GIS data shows in the wrong place (and how to fix it)
Layer in another country or out at sea? Three coordinate-system problems cause almost every case. Find which one you have and fix it in minutes.
How to open a KMZ file (and convert it to KML)
A KMZ is a zipped KML. Open a KMZ file three ways: in Google Earth, by unzipping it, or by converting it to KML, CSV or Shapefile. All free.
Latitude & longitude formats explained: DD, DMS and DDM
The same place written three ways. How to read decimal degrees, DMS and DDM, which tools use each, and how to convert between them in seconds.
How to convert a GPX file to KML, Shapefile or CSV
Your GPS app exports GPX and the next tool wants something else. Convert a GPX file to KML, Shapefile or CSV in 4 steps. Free, private, no upload.
Ready to convert?
Drop a file and download the result in seconds. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored.