.kml.kmz.gpx
KML, KMZ and GPX files: what they are and how to open them
KML, KMZ and GPX files hold places, routes and tracks. Open one as an offline map in Universal File Opener on Android or Windows, or drop it on this page, without Google Earth or GPS software.
Drop your KML, KMZ, GPX file here
Opens on this device. Nothing is uploaded. Any other file works too.
What is a KML, KMZ, GPX file?
KML, short for Keyhole Markup Language, is an XML file of placemarks, lines and polygons. Google Earth made it popular and it is now an Open Geospatial Consortium standard. KMZ is a KML zipped with its icons and overlay pictures. GPX is a separate XML format for GPS waypoints, routes and tracks, used by hiking apps and sports watches.
The apps draw the features as vectors on a plain canvas with a scale, and no street map underneath. They read each feature’s attributes and layers and work with no network. Use a mapping app when you want streets under a track.
What is inside
In KML a Placemark holds a name, a description and a Point, LineString or Polygon. Coordinates are written longitude first, then latitude, then optionally height. A KMZ is a ZIP whose main file is usually doc.kml, with icons beside it.
A GPX file has waypoints (wpt), routes (rte) and tracks (trk). A track holds segments of points, each with latitude and longitude attributes and optional elevation and time. With Pro, the apps can trim a GPX range, remove points or split a track, and save the result as a new copy.
trip.kml└─ Document └─ Folder "Day 1" ├─ Placemark "Campsite" │ └─ Point -122.42,37.77,0 └─ Placemark "Ridge trail" └─ LineString coordinates …How to open a KML, KMZ, GPX file
Windows
- Google Earth ProFree desktop app from Google. Opens KML and KMZ and imports GPX over its satellite globe. Downloads end June 25, 2027.
- Universal File Opener for WindowsOursDraws places, routes and tracks offline with their attributes. No network or map tiles.
Mac
- Google Earth ProFree. Opens KML and KMZ and imports GPX. Downloads end June 25, 2027.
Android
- Organic MapsFree. Imports KML, KMZ and GPX over an offline street map.
- Universal File OpenerOursDraws places, routes and tracks offline with their attributes. Free to open; saving a trimmed GPX track needs Pro.
In a browser
- Google My MapsImports KML, KMZ and GPX files into a map stored in your Google account.
- Universal File OpenerOursDrop a KML, KMZ or GPX file on this page to open it in the browser on this device. Nothing is uploaded.
Won’t open?
There is no map under my track
The apps draw the features only and fetch no map tiles. Use a mapping app such as Organic Maps for streets under the track.
Overlay pictures or remote links are missing
The apps never fetch remote images or links. A KML overlay’s outline can still be drawn, but its picture is omitted with a notice. KMZ icons must be local PNG files up to 256 pixels.
Features sit in the wrong place
KML and GPX use longitude and latitude on the WGS 84 globe. Files with another or unknown coordinate system draw in their own units and can only export snapshots.
A big file is refused or partly drawn
Files over 32 MiB are refused. A map with more than 20,000 features shows the complete features read before the limit, with a notice.
Convert a KML, KMZ, GPX file
- To GPX, KML or GeoJSONOpen the map in the Android or Windows app and use Convert; saving the copy needs Pro. Polygon boundaries turn into tracks in a GPX.
- To a pictureIn the Android or Windows app, save a PNG or SVG snapshot of the map as drawn. Saving needs Pro.
KML, KMZ, GPX files in our apps
Universal File Opener draws KML, KMZ and GPX files offline on Android and Windows, and opens them in the browser on this device. See places, routes and tracks with their attributes, with no map tiles or network.
All Android tools and limits for KML, KMZ, GPX files
- Draws points, lines and polygons with attributes and layers on an offline canvas with a scale. With Pro, GPX tracks can be trimmed, thinned or split into a new copy.
Limits
- No street map is drawn under the features. Remote links and overlay pictures are never fetched.
- KMZ icons must be local PNG files up to 256 pixels. Files with an unknown coordinate system draw in their own units.
- Files over 32 MiB are refused. Maps with over 20,000 features show what was read with a notice.