KML to GPX: convert a KML file for free
Drop a .kml file exported from Google Earth or Google My Maps: you see it on the map, then download the GPX that watches and hiking apps read. This page is part of the site’s GPX converter, which also reads KMZ, FIT and TCX.
Drop your KML file here
KML to GPX. Also accepts KMZ, FIT, TCX and GPX, up to 100 MB
Your file stays in your browser: it is not sent to any server.
- Distance
- Elevation gain
- Elevation loss
- Lowest point
- Highest point
- Duration
Tracks in the file
Waypoints
How to convert KML to GPX
1. Drop the KML
Drag the file into the frame or pick it on your device. A KML exported from My Maps or Google Earth works as is.
2. Check it on the map
Each line in the KML becomes a track, each placemark a waypoint. The list of tracks and their distances appears below the map.
3. Download the GPX
The .gpx file keeps the KML’s name. Import it into Garmin Connect, your watch’s app or your hiking app.
KML and GPX: what is the difference
Both formats are XML, but different tools read them. KML describes a map to display; GPX describes a track to follow with a GPS.
| KML | GPX | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Keyhole, then Google; OGC standard since 2008 | TopoGrafix, version 1.1 in 2004 |
| Read by | Google Earth, Google My Maps, GIS software | GPS watches and bike computers, hiking and cycling apps |
| Contents | lines, placemarks, polygons, styles, folders, images | tracks, routes, waypoints |
| Elevation and time | elevation possible; time only in gx:Track paths | elevation and time for every point |
What is kept and what is lost
What is kept
- lines (LineString, MultiGeometry and gx:Track paths), one GPX track per line, in the same order;
- each placemark’s name, which becomes the track or waypoint name, and its description;
- point elevation when the KML has it, and point times from a gx:Track path.
What is lost
- colours, line widths and icons (GPX has no styles);
- the folder tree: tracks follow one another, each with its name;
- polygons (areas) and image overlays, which have no GPX equivalent.
Frequently asked questions
How do I export a KML from Google My Maps?
In the map menu (the three dots next to the title), choose “Export to KML/KMZ”. Tick the .kml option to get a KML; otherwise My Maps produces a KMZ, which this tool also reads.
My KML has several routes. What happens to them?
Each route becomes a track in the same GPX file, with its name. Most watches and apps then show the list of tracks and let you pick one.
Will the GPX have elevation?
Only if the KML had it. A route drawn by hand in My Maps often has none: the map shows, but with no profile and no elevation gain.
Is my file uploaded to a server?
No. The conversion runs in your browser; the KML and the GPX never leave your device.
Other conversions
Your tracks, on your Mac too
GPX Path for Mac opens the GPX you get here, makes it editable point by point and keeps downloaded maps on your disk. €24.99 a year.