Splügen Pass to Italy 🇮🇹
The Splügen Pass connects Switzerland and Italy, linking Splügen with Chiavenna. At 2,113 meters (6,929 feet), it provides a direct route through the Alps, offering impressive views of the surrounding mountains and valleys.
Free SHP to KML converter online Convert shapefiles to KML for Google Earth in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Turn a shapefile into KML
for Google Earth.
Drop the zip from your GIS, or pick the .shp together with its .dbf and .prj. The .prj is used to reproject to lat/lon, every attribute column goes into the placemark, and you download one .kml. All of it runs in this tab.
Want to see it on terrain first? The 3D preview is one click, and optional.
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Miles0mi0mi
Free onlineSHP to KML01
How to convert a shapefile to KML online
Four steps. The only one that can go wrong is forgetting a sidecar file.
Step 1
Open the converter
This page. No account, nothing to install.
Step 2
Drop in the shapefile
Drag the zip onto the page, or select the .shp, .dbf and .prj together. No .dbf means no names. No .prj means the coordinates are taken as lat/lon.
Step 3
Check what was found
You get the outline, the total length and the number of features. If the outline is a dot or sits in the wrong place, a sidecar file is missing.
Step 4
Download the KML
Click Download KML File. Open it in Google Earth, or import it into Google My Maps.
02
Shapefile and KML:
what happens on the way
What's in a shapefile?
A shapefile is a set of files that only make sense together. The .shp holds the shapes, the .shx indexes them, the .dbf is a table with one row of attributes per shape, and the .prj names the coordinate system. GIS software writes them side by side, which is why the easiest thing to drop here is the zip your GIS exported.
You can drop the .shp on its own. You'll get the geometry and nothing else: no names, and the coordinates taken at face value as latitude and longitude.
What ends up in the KML?
Every shape becomes a Placemark. Points stay points, polylines become LineStrings, polygons become Polygons with their holes. If the .dbf has a column called name, title or label, that's the placemark name; a description column becomes the description. Every other column is written as ExtendedData, which Google Earth shows in the balloon when you click a feature.
The output is always WGS84. If the .prj says the shapefile is in UTM or a national grid, the coordinates are reprojected on the way. Without a .prj they're assumed to be lat/lon already, and a file in metres will land in the Gulf of Guinea. That is the sign to go and find the .prj.
03
SHP vs KML: key differences
What each format can hold, so you know what to expect on the other side.
| Feature | Shapefile | KML |
|---|---|---|
| Files | .shp + .shx + .dbf + .prj | One .kml |
| Format | Binary geometry plus a dBase table | XML, plain text |
| Geometry per file | One type per file | Any mix of points, lines, polygons |
| Attributes | Columns in the .dbf, names up to 10 characters | Name, description, ExtendedData |
| Styling | None. The GIS applies its own. | Icons, colours, overlays, tours |
| Coordinate system | Anything, declared in the .prj | Always WGS84 |
| Typical software | QGIS, ArcGIS, GeoPandas | Google Earth, Google My Maps |
Other free GPS file tools
Same idea on every page: the file is read in your browser and nothing is uploaded unless you open the 3D preview.
KML to GPX converter
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KMZ to GPX converter
KMZ in, GPX out, in your browser.
GPX to KML converter
GPX in, KML out, in your browser.
GPX to KMZ converter
GPX in, KMZ out, in your browser.
KMZ to KML converter
KMZ in, KML out, in your browser.
KML to KMZ converter
KML in, KMZ out, in your browser.
KML to SHP converter
KML in, a zipped shapefile out, for QGIS and ArcGIS.
KMZ to SHP converter
KMZ in, a zipped shapefile out, for QGIS and ArcGIS.
GPX viewer
Open a GPX and see the track, its length and where it starts and ends.
KML viewer
Open a KML or KMZ and see what is inside before you use it elsewhere.
KMZ viewer
Unzip a KMZ in the browser and see the paths and placemarks it holds.
GeoJSON viewer
Open a GeoJSON file and see its features drawn and measured.
FIT file viewer
Open a Garmin, Wahoo or COROS .fit file, see the ride or run, and download it as GPX.
Turn the shapefile into a 3D map video in the AvoMap editor
A shapefile of a trail or a survey line looks like any other layer in QGIS. The AvoMap editor lays the same line over satellite terrain, flies a camera along it and exports an MP4 in up to 4K.
The editor is free to use. You pay per exported video.
Videos Made With AvoMap
Explore the full range of AvoMap features in action with these videos, all created using the easy-to-use editor.
Splügen Pass to Italy 🇮🇹
The Splügen Pass connects Switzerland and Italy, linking Splügen with Chiavenna. At 2,113 meters (6,929 feet), it provides a direct route through the Alps, offering impressive views of the surrounding mountains and valleys.
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Frequently asked questions
Is the SHP to KML converter free?
Yes. Converting, the stats and the 3D preview cost nothing. AvoMap charges for exported videos, and that pays for the free tools.
Does my shapefile get uploaded?
No. The zip is unpacked, the shapes read and the KML written in your browser. Two things do leave the tab: the first and last coordinate, to look up the place names you see, and the route itself if you click Open 3D Preview. Skip the preview and the data stays put.
Can I drop just the .shp?
Yes. The geometry lives in the .shp alone. You lose the attribute table, which is in the .dbf, and the projection, which is in the .prj. If you have the zip, drop the zip.
My shapefile is in UTM. Does that work?
Yes, as long as the .prj is included. The definition in it is used to reproject every coordinate to WGS84, which is the only thing KML accepts. Without the .prj the numbers are taken as degrees and end up in the wrong place.
Google Earth opens the KML but shows nothing, or the wrong spot
Almost always a missing .prj. Metre coordinates read as degrees land near the equator off West Africa, or fail to draw at all. Find the .prj that came with the .shp and convert again.
Where do the attribute columns go?
Into ExtendedData on each placemark. Google Earth shows them in the balloon when you click a feature. A column called name, title or label becomes the placemark name.
Is there a SHP to KMZ converter?
Not as a separate page. A KMZ is a zipped KML, so open the download in Google Earth and choose Save Place As with KMZ as the type, and you have one.
How do I get the zip out of QGIS?
Right-click the layer, Export, Save Features As, and pick ESRI Shapefile. QGIS writes the .shp, .shx, .dbf and .prj next to each other. Select the four and compress them, then drop the zip here.