Turn KML placemarks, paths and polygons into a Shapefile that opens in any desktop GIS. Free, private and processed right in your browser.
Three steps, no software to install. Works on Windows, macOS, Linux and mobile.
01
Drop a .kml file into the converter, or click to browse. Files up to 100 MB are supported.
02
Click Convert to Shapefile. The file is processed locally, so your data is never uploaded to a server.
03
The Shapefile file downloads straight to your device. Need another format? Pick a converter below.
Converted your KML file? Upload it to GISCARTA and turn it into an interactive map your team or clients can actually use.
Colour by attribute, cluster thousands of points, switch on 3D.
Charts and key numbers next to the map, updated as you filter.
Animate dated features and compare how places change.
Publish a read-only map, embed it on your site, or keep it private with role-based access.
No credit card. No GIS degree. Upload your data and start mapping in minutes.
KML is built for viewing and sharing in Google Earth. Shapefile is built for exchange with ArcGIS and other desktop GIS.
KML
KML (Keyhole Markup Language) is an XML format created for Google Earth and adopted as an OGC standard in 2008. It stores placemarks, paths and polygons together with their styles and descriptions.
KML is the easiest way to show geographic data to people who don't use GIS software, but it is built for display rather than analysis.
Shapefile
The Shapefile is Esri's vector format from the early 1990s. One dataset is a set of files — .shp (geometry), .shx (index), .dbf (attributes) and .prj (coordinate system) — usually shared as a .zip.
It is still the most widely supported GIS format, but it has hard limits: one geometry type per file, field names of up to 10 characters and a 2 GB size cap.
Your KML file
KML styles (icons, colours) describe how features look; attributes kept in descriptions or extended data may need tidying after conversion.
The Shapefile output
Shapefile field names are limited to 10 characters, so longer names are shortened, and each file holds a single geometry type.
Your file never leaves your device: conversion runs in your browser, for files up to 100 MB.
Hand over KML data in the format every ArcGIS and QGIS user can open.
Many government agencies and clients still ask for Shapefile deliverables — send KML data the way they expect.
Use the KML data in geoprocessing tools and older workflows built around Shapefiles.
Every converter runs in your browser and keeps your files on your device.
