GPX viewer: open and view a GPX file online

Drop a .gpx file and the track appears on a topo map with its distance, elevation gain, profile and waypoints. Nothing to install, no account, and the file never leaves your browser.

Drop your GPX file here

Also reads KML, KMZ, FIT and TCX files, up to 100 MB

Your file stays in your browser: it is not sent to any server.

How to open a GPX file online

1. Drop the file
Drag the .gpx into the frame or click “Choose a file”. On a phone, the button opens your files and your downloads folder.
2. Read the track
The map centres on the route. Distance, elevation gain and loss, lowest and highest points appear below, plus the duration when the file has timestamps.
3. Follow the profile
Hover over or tap the elevation profile: an orange dot shows the matching spot on the map, with the distance covered and the altitude.

What opens a GPX file on a computer or a phone

A GPX file is a text file: any text editor opens it, but all you see is a list of coordinates. To see the route, you need software that draws it on a map.

On a computer (Windows, Mac, Linux)

A web browser is enough: this page reads the file with nothing to install. Google Earth Pro, which is free, also opens GPX files (File menu, then Open). On a Mac, the GPX Path app opens the file so you can edit it and take it offline.

On a phone (Android, iPhone)

Open this page in your phone’s browser and pick the file from your downloads: it reads the same way as on a computer. To follow the track outdoors, import it into a hiking or navigation app that accepts GPX, or send it to your watch from its maker’s app.

What a GPX file contains: tracks, routes, waypoints

GPX (GPS Exchange Format) is an open XML format published by TopoGrafix. The version in use, 1.1, dates from 2004. A file can hold three kinds of element:

tracks (trk tag): the recorded or drawn line, made of points with latitude, longitude, and often elevation and time;
routes (rte tag): a series of points to reach in order, which the GPS device fills in itself;
waypoints (wpt tag): single places with a name, such as a hut, a spring or a car park.

The viewer draws tracks and routes in orange and waypoints as white dots, with their name on hover. When every point carries its time (a file recorded by a watch or a phone), it shows the duration between the first and the last point.

Your files stay on your device

The file is read by your browser, on your device. It is not sent to any server, ours or anyone else’s, and nothing is kept once you close the page.

Only the map images (OpenTopoMap tiles) come from the internet, as with any online map. Loading them tells the map server which area is on screen, not what your file contains.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to install software or create an account?

No. The file is read in your browser, on a computer or a phone, with no sign-up and no email address.

Why is the elevation gain different from my watch?

Every tool smooths elevation its own way. Here, elevations are averaged over 100 m, then a climb or a descent only counts once it exceeds 5 m, as in the GPX Path app for Mac. Without smoothing, small GPS variations inflate the gain. A gap of a few per cent with Garmin Connect or Strava is normal.

My file won’t open. What can I do?

The tool reads GPX 1.0 and 1.1, as well as KML, KMZ, FIT and TCX, up to 100 MB. If a message says the file is unreadable, open it again in the app that created it and export it once more.

Can I view several tracks?

You open one file at a time. If it holds several tracks, they all appear on the map, with a list of the tracks and the length of each.

Can I edit the track?

The viewer is for reading and exporting (GPX or KML). To move points or reroute a section, the GPX Path app for Mac makes an imported track editable point by point.