Convert KMZ to KML
Free, private and fast: everything runs in your browser and your KMZ file is never uploaded.
KMZ to KML: why convert
A KMZ is a KML file packed in a zip archive, often together with icons, photos or image overlays. Google Earth Pro saves places as KMZ by default, but some websites, GPS apps and GIS tools only accept plain KML. This page unpacks the KMZ in your browser and gives you the KML inside exactly as it is. Nothing is converted, so styles, folders, descriptions, time stamps and network links all stay intact. A map preview shows what the file contains before you download it. Your file is not uploaded, which makes the tool safe for private locations and unpublished plans.
How to convert KMZ to KML
- Drop your .kmz file in the box, or click to choose it.
- Check the preview on the map and the list of folders.
- Click Extract KML and download the file.
What changes when you convert
Icons and photos packed in the KMZ
A KMZ can carry images that the KML points to with relative paths such as files/icon.png. A KML file on its own cannot hold them. If the KMZ contains only the KML, you get a single .kml file. If it also contains other files, you get a zip with the KML and those files in their original folders; keep them together so custom icons and photos keep showing. Icons linked from the web, such as Google's standard pushpins, work either way.
The KML is copied, not rewritten
The KML is taken out byte for byte, so whatever Google Earth shows from the KMZ it also shows from the KML, provided the packed files stay next to it. Inside the KMZ the file is usually called doc.kml; you get it named after your KMZ, so trip.kmz becomes trip.kml.
Which KML is the main one
By convention the main file is doc.kml. If there is none, the first KML in the top folder of the archive is used. Extra KML files that the main one links to are included in the zip with their folders.
Image overlays
Ground overlays such as scanned maps, and screen overlays such as logos, are images in the KMZ. They come along in the zip, but the map preview here only draws placemarks, paths and polygons.
KMZ files that are not zipped
Some programs save plain KML text with a .kmz ending. The page notices this and gives you the file as a .kml.
About the formats
KMZ
KMZ is a zipped KML file, often with icons and images packed alongside it. Google Earth saves KMZ by default, so it is the format most people get when they export from Google Earth.
- The main file inside the zip is usually doc.kml.
- Images and icons inside the KMZ are not geodata, so they are left out when converting to formats such as GeoJSON or Shapefile.
KML
KML (Keyhole Markup Language) is the XML format behind Google Earth and Google My Maps, and an OGC standard since 2008. Besides geometry it can hold styles, icons, folders and descriptions in HTML.
- Always WGS84 longitude, latitude and optional altitude.
- Folders group placemarks; each folder can become its own layer when converting.
- Styles (colors, line widths, icons) are specific to KML and Google Earth.
Frequently asked questions
Can I just rename the .kmz to .zip?
Yes. A KMZ is an ordinary zip archive, so renaming it and unzipping it with your system works too. This page saves you the renaming, names the KML after the KMZ and shows a preview first.
Why did I get a zip instead of a KML file?
Your KMZ contains images or other files besides the KML. They are kept with the KML in a zip so the links inside it keep working. The KML is at the top of the zip.
Can I convert a KMZ to GeoJSON or a shapefile?
Yes. Use the KMZ to GeoJSON converter for web maps. For a shapefile, extract the KML here and use the KML to Shapefile converter.
Is my KMZ uploaded?
No. The archive is unpacked by your browser on your own computer.