Drop a KML or KMZ file from Google Earth or Google Maps and convert it to Shapefile, GeoJSON, CSV, Excel, GPX, DXF, DGN, GeoPackage, GML, MapInfo, SQLite or WKT, free, in your browser, with nothing uploaded. Popup / description data is pulled into proper attribute columns.
A KML/KMZ converter turns Google Earth placemark files into GIS, spreadsheet or GPS formats, letting anyone reuse the mapped points, lines and areas in QGIS, ArcGIS, web maps or Excel without opening Google Earth.
Drop a file here, or click to browse
a KML or KMZ file (Google Earth / Google Maps)
No KML file to hand? Download a sample KML file (100 points) and drop it above.
How the formats in this family differ, so you can pick the right target before converting.
| Format | What it is | Geometry | Styling | CRS | Opens in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KML .kml | KML is the XML-based format Google Earth and Google Maps use to describe points, lines, … | Points, lines, polygons | Yes | WGS84 only | Google Earth, Google Maps, QGIS |
| KMZ .kmz | A KMZ file is simply a KML document compressed into a ZIP archive, optionally bundling i… | Points, lines, polygons | Yes | WGS84 only | Google Earth, Google Maps, QGIS |
| Shapefile .shp | The Shapefile is the long-standing Esri vector format and remains the lingua franca of d… | One type per file | No | Any (stored) | ArcGIS, QGIS, GeoServer |
| GeoJSON .geojson | GeoJSON is an open, JSON-based standard (RFC 7946) for encoding vector features and thei… | Points, lines, polygons | No | WGS84 only | Leaflet, Mapbox GL, OpenLayers |
| GPX .gpx | GPX is the open XML standard that GPS devices and fitness apps use to record waypoints, … | Points & lines | No | WGS84 only | Garmin, Strava, Komoot |
| GeoPackage .gpkg | GeoPackage is an open OGC standard that stores vector features (and optionally raster ti… | Points, lines, polygons | No | Any (stored) | QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, GDAL |
Which output you want depends on where the data is headed. To load Google Earth placemarks into desktop GIS, convert KML to a shapefile or reach for GeoPackage when you need long field names and multiple layers. For a web map, turn KML into GeoJSON. To read placemark tables in a spreadsheet, export KMZ to CSV, and for a handheld GPS you can convert KML to GPX waypoints and tracks.
A .kml file is plain XML: placemarks, coordinates and style rules you can read in a text editor. A .kmz file is just that KML zipped up, renamed with a .kmz extension. Unzip one and you find a doc.kml at the root plus a files/ or images/ folder carrying the custom icons, ground overlays and photo thumbnails the map references. The converter opens either kind directly, reads doc.kml out of the archive, and works entirely in your browser, so the icons and overlays never need to be uploaded anywhere.
Google Earth defines all KML and KMZ coordinates in WGS84 longitude/latitude (EPSG:4326), so there is no projection guesswork on the way in. When you convert to a format that can hold any CRS, such as Shapefile or GeoPackage, the output stays in EPSG:4326 unless you deliberately reproject it, for example to Web Mercator (EPSG:3857) for a web tile workflow.
KML stores presentation: line colours, fill opacity, icon images and the HTML description balloon that pops up on click. Data formats do not. Shapefile, GeoJSON, CSV and GPX carry geometry and attributes but no styling, so colours and custom icons are dropped in those exports. KMZ-to-KML and KML-to-KMZ round-trips keep the styling because both sides speak the same language.
The useful part of a description balloon is rescued as data. Any structured <ExtendedData> fields, and the name and description of each placemark, are pulled into proper attribute columns, one row per placemark. That is what makes a CSV or shapefile export genuinely useful rather than a bag of unlabelled points.
A KML file is plain, readable XML holding your placemarks and styling. A KMZ file is that same KML zipped into one compressed archive, usually with a doc.kml plus a folder of custom icons and overlays. KMZ is smaller and tidier to share; KML is easier to open in a text editor. This converter accepts both.
Only if you convert between KML and KMZ, which both store styling. Data formats like Shapefile, GeoJSON, CSV and GPX have no concept of colours or icons, so that styling is dropped. What is preserved is the actual data: the geometry and every attribute field.
Yes. Each placemark's name and description, plus any structured ExtendedData fields, are read out and written as attribute columns, one row per placemark. So a KML-to-CSV or KML-to-Shapefile conversion gives you a proper table you can sort and filter, not just anonymous points.
KML and KMZ are always WGS84 longitude/latitude (EPSG:4326) by the Google Earth specification. Output that can carry a CRS stays in EPSG:4326 unless you choose to reproject, for instance to Web Mercator (EPSG:3857) for web tiles or a local UTM zone.
Shapefile is the universal choice and opens everywhere, but remember it allows only one geometry type per file and truncates field names to 10 characters. GeoPackage avoids both limits, keeps multiple layers in a single file, and is read natively by current QGIS and ArcGIS Pro.
The placemark geometry and attributes are converted. Image content bundled in a KMZ, such as ground overlays and custom icon graphics, is presentation rather than vector data, so it is not carried into formats like Shapefile, GeoJSON or CSV, which store no imagery.
No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser using GDAL/OGR compiled to WebAssembly. Your file, including everything inside a KMZ archive, is read locally and never leaves your device. Only the optional basemap for the preview loads from OpenStreetMap.
Partly. GPX only supports waypoints, routes and tracks, so points and lines convert cleanly but polygons have no true equivalent and their outlines are approximated as tracks. GPX also keeps a fixed set of fields (name, description, elevation, time), so most extra attributes are left behind.
