Convert KML to shapefile
Open a KML or KMZ file, check it on the map, and download it as a shapefile for QGIS, ArcGIS or any other GIS program. Points, lines and polygons come as separate shapefiles in one zip, with their names and data. No signup and nothing to install.
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.
How to convert KML to a shapefile
1. Open the KML or KMZ file
Drop it on the box above or choose it from your computer. GPX and GeoJSON files convert the same way.
2. Check it on the map
Make sure everything you expect is there before you convert it. Click any pin, line or area to see its data.
3. Pick US or metric
The length, area and perimeter columns in the shapefile use the units shown above the map: feet and acres, or meters and hectares.
4. Download the shapefile
Click Download Shapefile and unzip the file. Add the .shp files to QGIS or ArcGIS, and keep the other files with the same name next to them.
What is a shapefile?
A shapefile is the map data format Esri created for its GIS software in the early 1990s. It is still the most common way to pass map data between GIS programs, county offices, engineers and survey firms.
Despite the name, a shapefile is a set of files that share one name and have to stay together. The .shp file holds the shapes, the .shx file is an index of them, and the .dbf file holds the data for each shape. A .prj file names the coordinate system and a .cpg file names the text encoding. Esri describes the format in its shapefile technical description.
KML vs shapefile
| KML or KMZ | Shapefile | |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | Google Earth and web maps | GIS programs such as ArcGIS and QGIS |
| Files | One file | A set of files with the same name |
| Shapes in one file | Pins, lines and areas mixed | One kind of shape only |
| Colors and icons | Saved in the file | Not saved; set in the GIS program |
| Folders | Yes | No |
| Coordinate system | Always latitude and longitude | Any; named in the .prj file |
| Data column names | Any length | Up to 10 characters |
What is in the shapefile you download
A shapefile cannot hold everything a KML file can. This is how each part is carried over.
One shapefile per kind of shape
Pins go into a points shapefile, lines into a lines shapefile and areas into an areas shapefile, named after your file. Only the ones your file needs are in the zip.
Names, folders and data
Every shape keeps its name, its folder and its description, and the data fields from the KML become columns, up to the 255 a shapefile can hold. Column names are cut to 10 characters, the limit of the format.
Sizes worked out for you
Areas get area and perimeter columns, lines get a length column, and points get latitude and longitude columns.
Heights and holes kept
When the KML has heights, they are saved as Z values. Areas with a hole in them, such as a field around a pond, keep the hole.
Ready for any GIS program
The .prj file sets the coordinate system to WGS 84 latitude and longitude (EPSG:4326), and the .cpg file marks the text as UTF-8, so names in any language show correctly.
What is shortened or left out
Colors, line widths, icons and pictures laid over the ground are left out, because a shapefile has nowhere to keep them. Text longer than 254 bytes, or rows wider than the 4,000 bytes ArcGIS reads, are shortened. A note after the download tells you when that happens.
Other ways to convert KML to a shapefile
QGIS
Drag the KML into the free QGIS program, right-click the layer, choose Export, then Save Features As, and pick ESRI Shapefile. A KML with folders or mixed shapes opens as several layers, which you export one at a time.
ArcGIS Pro
The KML To Layer tool turns a KML or KMZ file into a layer in a file geodatabase. From there, the Export Features tool saves it as a shapefile.
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.
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From a site outline to a finished job
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