Convert KMZ to KML
Open a KMZ file and download the KML file inside it, ready to edit or to load into a program that only takes KML. You see the map first, so you know you have the right file. No signup and nothing to install.
Drop a 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 KMZ to KML
1. Open the KMZ file
Drop it on the box above or choose it from your computer or phone.
2. Check it on the map
Make sure it is the file you want. Click any pin, line or area to see its name and details.
3. Download KML
Click Download KML. You get the KML file from inside the KMZ, saved with the same name and a .kml ending.
Why turn a KMZ into a KML?
A KMZ file is a KML file that has been zipped, often together with the pictures and icons the map uses. The KML file inside is usually named doc.kml. Google explains the layout in its guide to KMZ files.
Zipping keeps the file small and in one piece, which is why KMZ is the usual way to send a finished map. But some programs and websites only accept KML, and a KML file can be opened and edited in any text editor. That is when you need the KML on its own.
What you get in the KML file
In most cases, exactly what was inside the KMZ.
The KML as it was written
The folders, styles, descriptions and data fields come out unchanged. If the file has small mistakes that stop other programs from reading it, such as a missing prefix declaration, they are fixed.
Pictures stay behind
A KML file cannot hold pictures, so icons and pictures packed in the KMZ are not included. A picture laid over the ground, such as a drone map, will be missing when you open the KML elsewhere.
Maps split over several files
Some KMZ files spread the map over more than one KML file, sometimes several levels deep. The viewer follows those links, up to 100 files, and joins them into one KML file, which keeps every pin, line and area but not their colors.
DJI waypoint missions
A DJI mission KMZ keeps its waypoints in a separate file inside. The KML you download has the flight route and the numbered waypoints as plain KML that any map program can show.
Other ways to get the KML out of a KMZ
Unzip it yourself
Change the file ending from .kmz to .zip, then unzip it with the tools built into Windows or macOS. The KML file is inside, usually named doc.kml.
Google Earth Pro
Open the KMZ in Google Earth Pro, right-click it in the Places list, choose Save Place As, and pick KML as the file type.
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
DroneBundle turns a KML or KMZ site outline into a project, shows the FAA airspace around it, and keeps flights, pilots and aircraft for the whole team in one place.
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