Convert KMZ to Shapefile
A KMZ is a zipped Google Earth file. Drop one here and the archive is opened, the KML inside is read and you get back a zipped shapefile set (.shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj and .cpg) in a single step. It all happens in your browser, with no upload and no size limit.
Drop your KMZ here
or
Your file is converted inside this tab and never uploaded. No size limit, no sign-up.
What happens to your data
KMZ and Shapefile store different things, so some parts of your file translate exactly and others cannot. Here is the whole picture before you convert, rather than after.
The archiveChanged
The KMZ is opened and the doc.kml inside it is read. You do not need to rename it to .zip or extract it yourself first.
Points, lines and areasChanged
A shapefile holds one geometry type, so a mixed KMZ comes back as two or three layers inside one zip instead of losing all but one.
Attribute tableChanged
Names, descriptions and ExtendedData fields become .dbf columns, shortened to the 10 characters the format allows. The full rename list comes with the result.
Custom icons and imagesNot carried over
The pictures packed inside a KMZ are styling, and a shapefile stores none. They are listed in the result so you know what was in the archive.
Ground overlaysNot carried over
An overlay is a picture draped on the map rather than a map feature, so it has no shapefile equivalent. You are told when one was found.
ElevationKept
Altitudes become PointZ, PolyLineZ or PolygonZ shapes, so heights recorded in Google Earth survive into your GIS.
Coordinate systemKept
KMZ is always WGS 84 longitude/latitude. A matching .prj is written, and you can project to a UTM zone instead if you need metres.
How to convert KMZ to Shapefile
- 1
Choose your KMZ file
Drag a .kmz onto the box above. There is no need to rename it to .zip or unpack it; that is handled for you.
- 2
Pick a coordinate system
WGS 84 matches what the KMZ already holds. Pick a UTM zone if you need coordinates in metres for area or distance work.
- 3
Convert and download
You get one .zip containing the complete shapefile set, plus a list of anything in the archive that could not be carried across.
- 4
Open it in your GIS
Drag the zip straight onto the QGIS map canvas. For ArcGIS, unzip into a folder first and add the .shp from there.
A KMZ is a zip, and that is the whole trick
KMZ stands for KML, zipped. Rename a .kmz to .zip and open it and you will find a doc.kml at the root, usually with a folder of icon images beside it. That is the entire format.
Knowing that explains what can and cannot survive the conversion. The doc.kml holds your actual map data (placemarks, paths, polygons and their attributes), and all of it converts. The images beside it exist only to draw custom icons and overlays, and a shapefile has nowhere to put them.
You do not have to do any of that unpacking by hand. Drop the .kmz and the archive is opened here.
Why you may get more than one shapefile back
Google Earth files are usually a mix: a site boundary as a polygon, a flight path as a line, markers as points. A shapefile is strictly one geometry type per file, so there is no way to write that mix into a single layer.
Instead of silently keeping the polygons and discarding everything else, the conversion writes one layer per type, named with a _points, _lines or _polygons suffix, and puts them all in one zip. Everything you had comes back, arranged the way the format requires.
What gets left behind, stated plainly
If your KMZ contains custom icon images or a ground overlay (a scanned site plan draped over the terrain, for example), those cannot become a shapefile. A shapefile stores geometry and an attribute table, and nothing else.
Rather than dropping them without a word, the result lists what the archive held so you know exactly what did not come across. If an overlay image is the thing you actually need, extract it by renaming the .kmz to .zip and opening it.
Your file stays on your computer
The archive is opened and converted by JavaScript running in this tab. Nothing is uploaded, which means no size limit, no waiting for a transfer and no copy of your data on anyone's server.
Load the page, disconnect from the internet, and convert a file; it still works. That is the simplest proof that the conversion really is local.
KMZ and Shapefile, briefly
KMZZipped Keyhole Markup Language
A KML file and its images, icons and overlays packed into a single zip with a .kmz extension. Smaller to send, and the one file carries everything it needs to draw.
ShapefileEsri Shapefile
The format every GIS reads. Not one file but a set: .shp for geometry, .dbf for the attribute table, .shx for the index and .prj for the coordinate system, which travel together in a zip.
Questions people ask
Do I need to unzip the KMZ before converting it?
No. Drop the .kmz as it is and the archive is opened for you, the KML inside located and converted in one step. Renaming it to .zip and extracting the doc.kml by hand is a common piece of advice, but it is not necessary here.
Is this KMZ to SHP converter free, and are there limits?
It is free with no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on file size or number of conversions. Because the work happens in your browser rather than on a server, there is nothing for us to meter.
Is my KMZ uploaded to a server?
No. The file is opened and converted entirely inside your browser tab. Nothing is transmitted or stored. You can verify it by turning off your internet connection once the page has loaded and converting a file anyway.
What happens to the images inside my KMZ?
Custom icons, overlay pictures and other images packed into the archive are styling rather than map data, and the shapefile format has no way to store them. They are not carried across, but the result lists what was found so you know. To pull the images out, rename the .kmz to .zip and open it like any other archive.
Why did one KMZ become three shapefiles?
Because a shapefile can only hold one geometry type. If your KMZ mixes placemarks, paths and polygons, each becomes its own layer with a _points, _lines or _polygons suffix, and all of them are placed in the same zip. This preserves everything instead of keeping only the first type encountered.
What coordinate system does the shapefile use?
WGS 84 longitude and latitude by default, since that is what KMZ always stores, and a matching .prj file is written so your GIS recognises it. If you need to measure areas or lengths in metres, choose a UTM zone before converting and the coordinates are projected for you.
Will the attribute data from Google Earth come through?
Yes. Placemark names, descriptions and any ExtendedData fields become columns in the .dbf attribute table. Column names are shortened to the 10 characters a shapefile permits, and the complete list of renames is shown with your result.
I have a KML rather than a KMZ. Does that work?
Use the KML to Shapefile converter for that. The two formats hold the same document (a KMZ is just a zipped KML), so the result is identical either way.
Other conversions
Need a combination that is not listed? The universal converter handles every format this tool reads and writes.