Extract text from geographic data files (KML)
To convert KML map files to another format, you need Google Earth or other GIS software.
To convert other file formats to the "Geographic Data Format" file type, you need software like Google Earth or a similar tool.
The .KML file extension stands for Keyhole Markup Language. It is an XML-based (specifically UTF-8) file format used to display geographic data in an Earth browser such as Google Earth or Google Maps. Developed originally by Keyhole, Inc. (acquired by Google in 2004), the format is now an open international standard maintained by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). .KML files store points, lines, polygons, 3D models, image overlays, and descriptive text to map locations directly onto a virtual 3D globe.
While .KML is excellent for visual presentations, it has strict limitations for data analysis and interoperability. The format is heavily optimized for the Google ecosystem. Complex .KML files containing thousands of detailed polygons or heavy 3D structures often crash web browsers or cause severe lag. Furthermore, extracting raw coordinates or tabular data from the deeply nested XML nodes can be tedious without specialized tools like QGIS or ArcGIS.
If you need to analyze the mapping data, extract specific coordinates, or deploy the routes to a GPS device, you must convert it. For physical GPS navigation devices like Garmin, convert .KML to GPX. For modern web mapping applications and developers, convert to GeoJSON. For simple data extraction and spreadsheet editing, convert to CSV.
Convert.Guru analyzes your KML file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted KMZ, TCX, SHP, GPS, GPX, GEOJSON, PDF, JPG, ZIP, GIS, CPG, POI and CSV files.
If you want to convert KML file to SHP, GPX, CSV, KMZ, DWG, GEOJSON, PDF, DXF, TOPOJSON, TIF, TIFF or ECW, you can use Google Earth or similar software from the "Geographic Data Visualization" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LAZ, KMZ, DTM, CSV, DEM, PRJ, LAS, GPX, DSM, SHP, DBF or IMG files to KML, try Google Earth or another comparable tool in the "Geographic Data Visualization" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our KML converter.