Extract text from ArcGIS map files (MAPX)
To convert MAPX maps to another format, you need ArcGIS Pro or other GIS software.
To convert other file formats to the "Geospatial Layout File" file type, you need software like ArcGIS Pro or a similar tool.
A .MAPX file is most frequently a map definition file created by ArcGIS Pro. Unlike self-contained map packages (.MPKX), a .MAPX file is typically a lightweight JSON text file that describes map layers, symbology, and layout properties, but references external geospatial data rather than containing it. This creates a significant problem: if you email a .MAPX file to a colleague without the underlying shapefiles or geodatabases, they will open an empty map with broken data links. To share the visual map reliably without requiring the recipient to have an expensive Esri license or access to your local network drives, the best practice is converting the map layout to a portable PDF, JPG, or PNG image.
Alternatively, a .MAPX file may be a topographical map or historical atlas used by Bible study software like e-Sword or Laridian PocketBible. These are often SQLite containers or proprietary formats locked to the specific application, making them inaccessible to standard image viewers or GIS tools. In scientific settings, .MAPX can also refer to HDF5-based microscopy data generated by Thermo Fisher Scientific instruments. Regardless of the origin, users often struggle to view these files without specialized software. Converting them to standard document or image formats is the only way to ensure universal accessibility for archiving, printing, or web publishing.
Convert.Guru analyzes your MAPX file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MPKX, MAP, SD, SOS and 3DD files.
If you want to convert MAPX file to SHP, KML, KMZ, GPX, GEOJSON, TOPOJSON, TIF, TIFF, ECW, SID, IMG or DEM, you can use ArcGIS Pro or similar software from the "GIS Map Definition" 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 KML files to MAPX, try ArcGIS Pro or another comparable tool in the "GIS Map Definition" 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 MAPX converter.