Convert Shapefile (SHP) to KMZ
This converter turns a shapefile into a KMZ file for Google Earth or Google My Maps: a zip with the KML stored as doc.kml, reprojected to WGS84, with the attributes kept as placemark data. The shapefile is processed in your browser and is not uploaded. You choose which field becomes the placemark name. A shapefile has no colors, so points get the standard pushpin and lines and outlines are red.
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: KMZ (.kmz).
- 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.
Shapefile to KMZ: why convert
KMZ is the format Google Earth saves by default, and the one many people expect when they ask for "the Google Earth file": a compressed KML that is often five to ten times smaller than the KML itself, which matters when a parcel map or a road network has to go by e-mail or be uploaded to a portal with a size limit. This page writes the KML from your shapefile with GDAL, the open-source library behind QGIS, and packs it as doc.kml in a KMZ, directly in your browser. It reads the .prj, so a shapefile in a UTM zone, State Plane or a national grid lands in the right place, keeps the .dbf attributes as data on each placemark and puts several shapefiles from one .zip in one KMZ with a folder each.
How to convert Shapefile to KMZ
- Drop a .zip with your shapefile, or select the .shp, .shx, .dbf and .prj files together.
- Choose the field to use for placemark names, or keep Automatic.
- Click Convert to KMZ and open the downloaded file in Google Earth or import it into My Maps.
What changes when you convert
KMZ or KML?
The content is the same: a KMZ is a zip with the KML inside as doc.kml. Google Earth, Google My Maps, QGIS and ArcGIS open both. Choose KMZ for a smaller file to send or upload; choose KML if you want to open the file in a text editor or a program that only reads plain KML, or use the shapefile to KML converter.
Always reprojected to WGS84
KML coordinates are longitude and latitude on WGS84 by definition, so the shapefile is reprojected from the coordinate system in its .prj. The original projection is not stored in the KMZ, so keep the shapefile if you need it later. If the .prj is missing and the coordinates are in meters, the page stops and suggests systems that fit, or you enter the EPSG code, for example 32633 for UTM zone 33N.
Choosing the placemark name
Google Earth labels each placemark with its name, but shapefiles rarely have a field called Name. Automatic uses a field called Name if there is one, then a text field with name, title or label in it, then the first text field. You can pick any other field, or No names. The other attributes are shown as a data table in the placemark balloon, and Google Earth shows every value as text.
Default styles
A shapefile has no colors; the symbols you see in QGIS or ArcGIS live in the project or a .qml/.lyr file, which is not read. Points get Google Earth's standard pushpin, and lines and polygon outlines are drawn in red with polygons unfilled. In Google Earth Pro, right-click the folder, open Properties (Get Info on a Mac) and set the style, then save the KMZ again.
Large shapefiles
The KMZ is small, but Google Earth still has to draw every vertex once it is unpacked. A detailed parcel or contour layer with hundreds of thousands of vertices makes Google Earth slow, and My Maps limits how many features one layer can hold. Simplify the layer or split it by area in QGIS first if it is too heavy.
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Can I import the KMZ into Google My Maps?
Yes. In My Maps, add a layer, click Import and choose the KMZ. My Maps uses the placemark name as the title and shows the other attributes in the details.
Why is the KMZ so much smaller than the shapefile?
KML text compresses very well, and the KMZ holds only one copy of the data in longitude and latitude. The shapefile's .shx index and .prj are not needed in a KMZ.
What happens to polygons with holes and multipart features?
Holes are written as inner boundaries and multipart features as a KML MultiGeometry, so they look the same in Google Earth as in your GIS.
Is my shapefile uploaded?
No. GDAL runs in your browser and the KMZ is written on your own computer. Nothing is sent to a server.
Can I convert the KMZ back to a shapefile?
Yes, with the KMZ to shapefile converter. The attributes come back as fields of the shapefile.