GPX to KML Converter
Turn a GPX track into a KML file you can drop straight into Google Earth or Google My Maps. Preview the route and elevation first, then download.
All processing happens in your browser — your files never leave your device.
How to use the GPX to KML Converter
- Drop your .gpx file onto the box above.
- Review the stats card — distance, elevation and the route outline — to confirm it is the right track.
- Read the note under the button: heart rate and cadence are dropped because KML has no field for them.
- Click Download to get a .kml file.
- In Google Earth choose File → Import, or in Google My Maps create a layer and import the KML.
Why convert GPX to KML?
GPX is the language of GPS devices; KML is the language of Google's maps. If you want to see a hike draped over 3D terrain in Google Earth, embed a route on a web page, or build a shareable map in Google My Maps, you need KML. Converting is the bridge between the file your watch produced and the map you want to show people.
What TrackKit puts in the KML
Your track becomes a styled line on the map. When your GPX has timestamps, TrackKit writes a gx:Track element so the time information rides along and Google Earth can animate the route through time. When there are no timestamps, it writes a plain LineString. Waypoints in your GPX become individual placemarks with pins, and coordinates are written in KML's longitude,latitude,elevation order — a classic source of bugs in hand-rolled converters that TrackKit handles for you.
What gets dropped, and why
KML is a mapping format, not a fitness format. There is no standardised place to store heart rate or cadence inside a KML line, so those values are not carried over. TrackKit tells you this explicitly before you download rather than pretending the data survived. If you need to keep heart rate and cadence, convert to GPX or CSV instead. Latitude, longitude, elevation and time are all preserved, so the geometry you see in Google Earth is exactly the geometry from your GPX.
Round-trip safe
Coordinates are written to seven decimal places (roughly one centimetre). If you later convert the KML back to GPX with TrackKit, the latitude, longitude and elevation of every point come back unchanged — the round trip is lossless for geometry.
Your location stays private
Here is something most online converters gloop over: a route file is a map of your life. The start and end of a run is usually your front door. A "morning loop" repeated fifty times is your home address with a timestamp. That is exactly why TrackKit does the whole conversion inside your browser using the File API. The bytes are read into memory, transformed, and handed back as a download. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is logged, and there is no server that could be breached or subpoenaed. You can open the network tab in your browser and watch: not a single request leaves the page after it loads.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open the KML in Google Earth?
In Google Earth Pro (desktop) choose File then Import and select the .kml file. In Google Earth on the web, use New then Import KML file. The route appears as a line you can fly along.
Can I use the KML in Google My Maps?
Yes. In Google My Maps create or edit a map, click Import on a layer, and upload the KML. Your track becomes an editable line you can share.
Why is my heart rate missing in the KML?
KML has no standard field for heart rate or cadence, so a mapping file cannot store them. TrackKit warns you before download. Convert to GPX or CSV if you need to keep those metrics.
Does the elevation survive?
Yes. Elevation is written into the KML coordinates, so terrain profiles and 3D draping in Google Earth reflect your original data.
Will converting back to GPX change my route?
No. Coordinates are preserved to about one centimetre, so a KML created here converts back to GPX with identical latitude, longitude and elevation.
TrackKit converts your files as faithfully as each format allows, but formats are not identical and some data cannot survive every conversion (see the notes above each download). Distance and elevation figures are computed from the points in your file and are estimates for general use, not survey-grade measurements. Always keep your original file as a backup.