You planned a route in Google Earth and now want it on your watch. Or you recorded a ride on a Garmin and want to show it to someone who only has Google Earth. Those two situations account for most KML–GPX conversions, and both run in your browser with the KML to GPX converter — no account, no upload.
KML and GPX Are Built for Different Things
Both are XML, and both describe geographic features, but their priorities diverge:
| KML | GPX | |
|---|---|---|
| Designed for | Visualisation and presentation | GPS recording and navigation |
| Core elements | Placemark, LineString, Polygon | Waypoint (wpt), Route (rte), Track (trk) |
| Styling | Rich — colours, icons, line widths | None |
| Timestamps per point | Optional, rarely used | Standard in recorded tracks |
| Elevation | Optional third coordinate | First-class, in its own element |
| Polygons | Yes | No |
| Read by | Google Earth, GIS software | Garmin, Strava, Komoot, AllTrails, hiking apps |
Converting KML to GPX
Open the converter, drop in a .kml or .kmz, convert, and download. The mapping is:
- Point placemarks become waypoints (
<wpt>). - LineStrings become tracks (
<trk>), one track segment per line. - Polygons also become tracks. GPX has no closed-area type, so each polygon ring is written as a closed track segment — the shape survives, but your device treats it as a path to follow rather than an area.
- Styling is dropped. GPX carries no colour or icon information; devices apply their own display rules.
Elevation transfers when your KML includes a third coordinate value. Google Earth paths often do; hand-drawn placemarks usually do not, in which case the resulting GPX has no elevation data and your device will show a flat profile.
Converting GPX to KML
Going the other way is the usual route for sharing. A GPX from Strava, Garmin Connect, Komoot, or AllTrails becomes a KML that anyone can open in Google Earth and drape over satellite imagery and 3D terrain — considerably more legible to someone who does not use a mapping app.
Tracks become LineStrings and waypoints become Placemarks. Per-point timestamps in a recorded track do not survive, since KML has no equivalent element on a LineString vertex; if you need the timing data, convert to GeoJSON instead, which keeps it as a property.
Once converted you can use the Download as KMZ button for a compressed archive, or the dedicated KML to KMZ converter. For a long ride, the compressed file is dramatically smaller.
Getting the GPX Onto a Device
Most devices and platforms accept a GPX file directly: Garmin via Garmin Connect or by copying the file into the /GPX/ folder over USB, Strava via its route upload, Komoot and AllTrails via their import options, and Gaia GPS or OsmAnd via a plain file import. The GPX produced here is standards-compliant GPX 1.1, so it is accepted anywhere GPX is.
Check the Route First
Before loading anything onto a device you are relying on, plot it. The GPX viewer shows tracks, routes, and waypoints on an interactive map, and the elevation profile viewer plots the climb — a fast way to catch a route that was drawn in the wrong direction or a track missing its elevation data.
Everything Runs Locally
Parsing and conversion happen entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your route is never uploaded, which is worth noting given that a GPS track from a recorded activity typically starts and ends at your home.
Related Tools
Other conversions from the same file: KML to GeoJSON for web mapping, KML to CSV for spreadsheets, GPX merge and split for stitching or trimming tracks, and the FIT to GPX converter if your device produced a .fit file rather than GPX.
FAQ
Can I convert a KMZ file to GPX?
Yes. Drop the .kmz in directly — it is unzipped in your browser and the KML inside is converted the same way as a plain .kml file.
What happens to polygons when converting KML to GPX?
GPX has no native polygon element, so each polygon ring is converted to a closed track segment. The geometry is preserved, but it is treated as a path rather than an area.
Does elevation data survive the conversion?
Yes, when the KML coordinates include a third elevation value. Many hand-drawn KML placemarks omit it, in which case the GPX has no elevation data.
Will the GPX work on my Garmin?
Yes. The output is standards-compliant GPX 1.1, accepted by Garmin Connect, Strava, Komoot, AllTrails, Gaia GPS, and OsmAnd.
Do timestamps carry over from GPX to KML?
No. KML has no per-vertex timestamp element on a LineString. Convert to GeoJSON instead if you need to keep the timing data.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. Parsing and conversion happen entirely in your browser.
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