Free KML and KMZ file viewer
Open a KML or KMZ file and see every pin, line and area on a map. Measure them, read the details and save the file as KML, GeoJSON, GPX or a spreadsheet. No signup and nothing to install. The file opens right in your browser.
Drop a KML or KMZ file here
or choose one from your computer or phone
KML · KMZ · GPX · GeoJSON. A copy is sent to us to improve the viewer and is deleted after one day.
What this KML viewer shows you
A KML or KMZ file is hard to judge until it is on a map. The viewer lays it out, tells you how big everything is and lets you take it with you in another file type.
Everything on a map
Pins, lines and areas are drawn in the colors saved in the file, over satellite imagery or a street and terrain map.
Folders and names
The folders in the file are kept as they are. Click any name to zoom to it, or search by name in a long list.
Sizes worked out for you
Area in acres or hectares, perimeter, line length and exact latitude and longitude, for each item and for the whole file. Turn on Outer boundary to draw one outline around everything and see the size of the whole site.
Descriptions and data
Read the notes and the data fields attached to each item, such as parcel numbers or survey attributes.
Images in a KMZ
Pictures packed inside a KMZ, such as a site plan or a drone map laid over the ground, are placed where the file puts them.
Save as another type
Download what you opened as KML, GeoJSON, GPX or a spreadsheet, ready for another map program.
What is a KML file?
KML stands for Keyhole Markup Language. A KML file is a plain text file that describes places on the Earth: pins, lines, areas, pictures laid over the ground, and the folders and names that keep them in order. Its file name ends in .kml.
The KML file format was created by Keyhole, the company whose Earth Viewer became Google Earth after Google bought it in 2004. In 2008 the Open Geospatial Consortium adopted KML as an open standard, which is why mapping and GIS programs from many makers can read and write it.
Every position in a KML file is written as longitude, then latitude, then an optional altitude in meters. That order trips people up, because most maps and GPS units show latitude first. The viewer shows each position the usual way round, latitude first.
What is a KMZ file?
A KMZ file is a KML file that has been zipped. Inside is one main KML file, usually named doc.kml, along with any pictures and icons the map uses. Its file name ends in .kmz.
Zipping makes the file smaller and keeps the map and its pictures in one piece, so a KMZ is the usual choice for sending a finished map to someone else. Google describes the layout in its guide to KMZ files.
KML vs KMZ
| KML | KMZ | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | One plain text file | A zip file with a KML file inside |
| File size | Larger | Smaller, because it is zipped |
| Pictures and icons | Linked from somewhere else | Can be packed inside the file |
| Open in a text editor | Yes | Only after unzipping it |
| Good for | Editing, and moving data between programs | Sending a finished map in one piece |
How to open a KML or KMZ file
There are four common ways. The first one works on any computer or phone with a browser.
1. In your browser, with this viewer
Drop the file on this page or choose it from your computer or phone. The map appears in a second or two, with a list of everything in the file. There is nothing to install and no account to create.
2. In Google Earth
Google Earth opens both KML and KMZ files on the web, on a computer and on a phone. It is the program the format was made for, so it also plays tours and shows 3D models that most other viewers skip.
3. In Google Maps
Google Maps itself does not open KML or KMZ files. Use Google My Maps instead: create a map and import the file as a layer. The map is then saved to your Google account and shows up in Google Maps.
4. Without any map program
A KMZ file is a zip file. Change the ending from .kmz to .zip and unzip it, and you will find the KML file inside, usually named doc.kml. A KML file is plain text, so any text editor shows what is in it.
Convert a KMZ to KML, GeoJSON, GPX or CSV
Once a file is open, the download menu above the map saves it as another type. The conversion happens in your browser.
KMZ to KML
Takes the KML file out of the KMZ and saves it as it is. Pictures packed in the KMZ are not included.
KML or KMZ to GeoJSON
Every pin, line and area with its name, description, folder and data fields, for web maps and GIS programs.
KML or KMZ to GPX
Pins become waypoints, and lines and area outlines become tracks, for GPS units and outdoor apps.
KML or KMZ to CSV
One row per item with its name, type, folder, latitude, longitude, length, area and perimeter, plus the full shape in a column GIS programs can read.
KML and KMZ files in drone work
A job site often arrives as a KML or KMZ file. For example, a client sends the outline of a solar farm, a surveyor sends a parcel boundary, or a utility sends the route of a power line. Before quoting or flying, you want to know where the site is and how big it is.
The viewer answers that in a few seconds. For the job itself, DroneBundle takes the same file as the area of a project, shows the FAA airspace around it, checks the forecast for the day, and keeps the pilots, aircraft and flights for the whole team in one place.
What happens to your file
The viewer opens the file inside your browser, so it shows up right away. A copy is also sent to us, so we can find and fix files the viewer gets wrong. It is scheduled to be deleted automatically after one day, and until then our team may look at it to improve the viewer. Nothing is added to an account.
Questions
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Tell us what would save you time. We read every request.
From a site outline to a finished job
DroneBundle turns a KML or KMZ outline into a project, shows the FAA airspace around the site, and keeps flights, pilots and aircraft for the whole team in one place.
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