Convert KMZ to Shapefile (SHP)
This free converter unpacks a Google Earth KMZ and turns the KML inside into shapefiles for ArcGIS Pro or QGIS, with .prj and .cpg files, in one step. The KMZ is processed in your browser and is not uploaded. Points, lines and polygons become separate shapefiles, each KML folder becomes its own shapefile, field names are cut to 10 characters, and colors are kept as fields plus a .qml style for QGIS. Packed icons are left out; scanned map overlays come along as pictures with a world file.
Did a file not convert correctly? E-mail [email protected], ideally with a small sample file, and it will be fixed.
Key facts
- Input: KMZ (.kmz). Output: Shapefile (.shp).
- Your files are not uploaded: the work is done in your browser, on your own device.
- File size: no fixed limit; very large files are limited by your device's memory.
- Needs a current browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari) on a computer, tablet or phone; nothing to install.
- Free to use, with no sign-up.
KMZ to Shapefile: why convert
KMZ is what Google Earth Pro saves by default, and many agencies, utilities and engineering firms publish their map data as KMZ downloads. A KMZ is a zipped KML, often with icons or photos packed alongside, and ArcGIS Pro and older GIS tools want a shapefile instead. Usually that means unzipping the KMZ, finding the doc.kml inside and converting it in a second step. This converter does both at once: it opens the KMZ in memory, reads every KML file in it and writes shapefiles you can add directly in ArcGIS Pro, QGIS or AutoCAD Map 3D. Everything runs in your browser with GDAL, the library QGIS uses, so the file is never uploaded.
How to convert KMZ to Shapefile
- Drop your .kmz file in the box, or click to choose it.
- Check the placemarks on the map and, if you need meters, choose a coordinate system such as a UTM zone.
- Click Convert and download a .zip with the shapefiles.
What changes when you convert
No need to unzip first
The KMZ is unpacked in memory. The main doc.kml and any other KML files in the archive are read, so a KMZ that splits its data over several KML files gives one complete set of shapefiles. Some programs save plain KML text with a .kmz ending; the page notices this and reads it as KML.
Points, lines and polygons are split
A KML can mix placemarks of every type, but a shapefile can only hold one geometry type. You get one shapefile per type and per KML folder, for example Wells_points.shp and Pipes_lines.shp, together in one .zip. Placemarks that are not in any folder form a layer of their own.
Icons are left out, overlays become pictures
Icons and photos packed in a KMZ are not geographic features, so they are not part of the shapefile; a description that shows a photo keeps its HTML text, cut to 254 characters. Scanned maps and drone photos placed as ground overlays are copied into the zip unchanged, each with a world file (.jgw or .pgw), a .prj and an .aux.xml in WGS84, so QGIS and ArcGIS show them in the right place under the shapefiles. A rotated overlay keeps its rotation; one with four free corners (gx:LatLonQuad) is left out, and the page says so.
Colors become fields and a QGIS style
A shapefile cannot store colors, so the icon, line and fill colors of each placemark are written as the fields icon_color, line_color and fill_color (#rrggbb), with line_width, line_opac and fill_opac. A .qml file next to each shapefile makes QGIS draw every placemark in its own color as soon as you add the layer; in ArcGIS you can use the fields for symbology.
Field names, descriptions and coordinates
Field names are cut to 10 characters, so "Description" becomes "Descriptio", and text longer than 254 characters is cut off. ExtendedData from My Maps becomes fields, and the HTML tables that ArcGIS writes into descriptions are split into one field per row. KML is always WGS84, so the shapefile gets a .prj for EPSG:4326 unless you choose a projected system; text is saved as UTF-8 with a .cpg file.
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.
Shapefile
The Esri Shapefile is the most widely used GIS vector format. A single "shapefile" is really a set of files with the same name: .shp holds the geometry, .shx an index, .dbf the attribute table, and the optional .prj the coordinate system and .cpg the text encoding.
- Needs at least .shp, .shx and .dbf. Select them together or as one .zip.
- Field names are limited to 10 characters and text values to 254 characters.
- Each shapefile holds one geometry type only: points, lines or polygons.
- Without a .prj file the coordinate system is unknown.
Frequently asked questions
Which files do I get in the zip?
For every shapefile you get .shp (geometry), .shx (index), .dbf (attributes), .prj (coordinate system) and .cpg (encoding), plus a .qml style when the placemarks have colors. Keep them together.
Can I open the result in ArcGIS Pro?
Yes. Unzip the download and add the .shp file. ArcGIS Pro also has the KML To Layer tool, which reads a KMZ but saves to a geodatabase; this page gives you plain shapefiles you can hand on to anyone.
Does the altitude from Google Earth survive?
Yes. Coordinates with altitude are written as 3D shapefiles (PointZ, PolylineZ, PolygonZ). Whether a height was measured from the ground or from sea level cannot be stored in a shapefile.
Is my KMZ uploaded?
No. The KMZ is unpacked and converted by your browser, and nothing leaves your computer. The limit is your browser's memory; files up to about 200 MB normally work.