Shapefile Converter
This shapefile converter opens a shapefile, shows it on a map with its attribute table, and saves it as GeoJSON, KML, GeoPackage, CSV or DXF. Everything runs in your browser with GDAL, so the files are not uploaded. It needs at least the .shp, .shx and .dbf, takes up to about 200 MB, and GeoJSON and KML are always written in WGS84.
Did a file not convert correctly? E-mail [email protected], ideally with a small sample file, and it will be fixed.
Key facts
- Input: Shapefile (.shp). Output: GeoJSON, KML, GPX, GeoPackage, CSV, DXF.
- 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.
All Shapefile conversions
From Shapefile to another format
- Convert Shapefile (SHP) to KML
- Convert Shapefile to GeoJSON
- Convert Shapefile (SHP) to DXF
- Convert Shapefile (SHP) to GPX
- Convert Shapefile to CSV
- Convert shapefile to GeoPackage
From another format to Shapefile
- Convert KML to Shapefile (SHP)
- Convert GeoJSON to Shapefile
- Convert KMZ to Shapefile (SHP)
- Convert DXF to Shapefile (SHP)
- Convert GPX to Shapefile (SHP)
- Convert GeoPackage to Shapefile
- Convert Excel (XLSX) to shapefile
More Shapefile tools
One converter for every shapefile format
A shapefile is not one file but a set of files with the same name: the .shp holds the shapes, the .shx an index, the .dbf the attribute table, the .prj the coordinate system and the .cpg the text encoding. That makes it awkward to send and impossible to open in many web tools, which is why it so often has to be converted. This page reads the whole set, as a .zip or as the separate files, and first shows you what is in it: the features on a map, the attribute table with every field, and the coordinate system from the .prj. Then you pick the output format. GeoJSON suits web maps and APIs, KML suits Google Earth and Google My Maps, GeoPackage is the single-file format QGIS uses by default, CSV opens the attribute table in Excel, and DXF brings the shapes into AutoCAD. The conversion uses GDAL, the open-source library behind QGIS, compiled to run in the browser, so client data and unpublished plans never leave your computer. If you already know the format you need, the pages linked below explain that one conversion in more detail.
How to convert a shapefile
- Drop a .zip with the shapefile, or select the .shp, .shx, .dbf and .prj files together.
- Check the map, the attribute table and the coordinate system shown in the summary.
- Choose the output format and its options, then click Convert to download the file.
What changes with each output format
GeoJSON and KML are always WGS84
Both formats store longitude and latitude in WGS84 by definition, so a shapefile in a UTM zone, a State Plane system or a national grid is reprojected using its .prj. GeoPackage, CSV and DXF keep the original coordinates unless you enter another EPSG code. If the .prj is missing and the coordinates are not degrees, you are asked which system the data uses.
Attributes do not survive in every format
GeoJSON, KML, GeoPackage and CSV keep every field of the .dbf table. DXF is a drawing format with no attribute table, so only the shapes and a CAD layer per shapefile, or per value of a field you choose, are kept. KML keeps the fields as placemark data, and you choose which field becomes the label in Google Earth.
Field names stay at 10 characters
The .dbf limits field names to 10 characters, so a field saved as population_2024 is already called population in the shapefile. Converting to GeoJSON or GeoPackage cannot bring the long name back; it only stops further shortening.
Several shapefiles at once
A .zip with several shapefiles becomes one GeoPackage with a layer per shapefile, one KML with a folder per shapefile, or one DXF with a layer per shapefile. GeoJSON and CSV hold one table per file, so you get a .zip with one file per shapefile.
Text encoding without a .cpg
Without a .cpg file the .dbf does not say how its text is encoded. The converter checks whether the text is valid UTF-8 and otherwise reads it as Windows-1252, which fixes most broken letters such as ø instead of ø. Check names with accents in the attribute table before converting.
About the formats
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
How do I convert a shapefile without ArcGIS or QGIS?
Drop the shapefile on this page as a .zip or as its separate files, pick the output format and click Convert. The conversion runs with GDAL inside your browser, so nothing needs to be installed and the files stay on your computer.
Which format should I convert a shapefile to?
GeoPackage if the data goes to another GIS user, because it keeps the coordinate system, the attributes and several layers in one file. GeoJSON for web maps and developers, KML for Google Earth and Google My Maps, CSV to open the table in Excel, and DXF for AutoCAD drawings.
Why does it ask for the .shx and .dbf as well as the .shp?
The .shp holds only the shapes. The .shx is the index that finds each shape and the .dbf holds the attributes, so a shapefile cannot be read without all three. The .prj is optional but needed to place the data correctly on the map.
Is there a size limit?
The converter takes files up to about 200 MB in total, which is roughly what browsers can hold in memory for a conversion. A shapefile itself cannot be larger than 2 GB per .shp or .dbf file. For larger data, use ogr2ogr from GDAL on your computer.
Can I convert other formats to a shapefile?
Yes. The list on this page links to the converters from KML, GeoJSON, GeoPackage, DXF and Excel to shapefile. They split mixed points, lines and polygons into one shapefile per geometry type and write a .prj and a .cpg with each one.