Convert shapefile to KML or KMZ
Open a zipped shapefile and download it as KML or KMZ for Google Earth, Google My Maps or any map program. Positions are converted to latitude and longitude and every data column comes along. No signup and nothing to install.
Drop a zipped shapefile here
or choose one from your computer or phone
KML · KMZ · GPX · GeoJSON · Shapefile. A copy is sent to us to improve the viewer and is deleted after one day.
How to convert a shapefile to KML
1. Open the shapefile
Drop the .zip on the box above, or choose the .shp file together with its .dbf, .prj and .cpg files.
2. Check it on the map
Make sure the shapes land where you expect. Click any of them to see its row from the data table.
3. Download KML or KMZ
Click Download KML, or open the menu next to it and choose KMZ for a smaller, zipped file. Both open in Google Earth.
From shapefile to Google Earth
Google Earth and other KML readers expect every position in latitude and longitude. Shapefiles often use a local coordinate system instead, such as a UTM zone or a state plane, measured in meters or feet. That is why a shapefile cannot simply be renamed or repackaged as KML.
The converter reads the .prj file, works out where each position really is, and writes the KML in latitude and longitude. The columns of the data table become data fields in the KML, which Google Earth shows when you click a shape.
KML or KMZ?
A KMZ file is a KML file that has been zipped. It holds exactly the same map and is usually much smaller, which helps with large shapefiles and with email. Pick KML when another program needs to read or edit the text, and KMZ when you just want to open the map or send it on.
What the KML file keeps
The KML file holds the same shapes as the shapefile, ready for Google Earth.
Every shape, in folders
Points, lines and areas, including holes and multi-part shapes. When the zip holds several shapefiles, each one becomes its own folder.
Every column as data
Each column from the .dbf file is saved as a data field on its shape. A column called Name is used as the name shown in Google Earth.
Positions in latitude and longitude
UTM zones, US state planes and national grids such as the British National Grid are converted, and heights are kept with each position.
Your own colors
A shapefile has no colors, so Google Earth draws the shapes in its default style. Change the style in Google Earth once the file is open.
Other ways to convert a shapefile to KML
QGIS
Open the .shp file in the free QGIS program, right-click the layer, choose Export, then Save Features As, and pick Keyhole Markup Language (KML).
Google Earth Pro
Open the .shp file from File, then Open, with the ESRI Shape file type. Then right-click it in the Places list and choose Save Place As to save a KMZ.
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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