Free online KMZ to KML converter

Many GIS and mapping applications accept KML but not the compressed KMZ container, so users may need to extract the map before editing, inspecting, or importing it. Converting it to plain KML also helps when the XML must be version-controlled or shared with software that cannot read ZIP archives.

What the KMZ format is

KMZ is a ZIP archive that packages a KML document with related resources, including icons, image overlays, 3D models, screen overlays, and sometimes supporting folders. Google Earth and Google Earth Pro commonly create KMZ files when a place, project, or layer is saved with File → Save Place As. GIS software, GPS mapping tools, and geographic data portals use KMZ when one portable file is more convenient than a KML file with separate assets.

A standard KMZ normally contains a root-level file named doc.kml. The KML usually refers to archived images, models, and icons through relative paths, so the archive's folder structure matters.

What the KML format is

KML is an XML-based geographic markup format used for placemarks, points, paths, polygons, folders, descriptions, camera views, styles, time-based data, ground overlays, and network links. It is supported by Google Earth, Google Earth Pro, QGIS, ArcGIS, NASA WorldWind, and other mapping applications.

Plain KML is easier to inspect in a text editor, modify with XML tools or scripts, and compare in version-control systems. It is not necessarily smaller than KMZ: KMZ compresses the KML and its associated resources, while the extracted KML and resource files can occupy more space.

How to convert KMZ to KML

Extracting the archive is usually the most faithful method. It changes the container without rewriting the KML XML or geographic data.

1. Make a backup of the original file, such as map.kmz.
2. Open it with an archive utility such as 7-Zip, WinZip, or the built-in archive manager. You can also copy the file and rename the copy from .kmz to .zip; renaming alone does not perform the conversion.
3. Extract the complete archive into a new folder. Do not extract only the first visible file.
4. Find the root-level doc.kml. If the archive uses another KML filename, choose the KML document containing the main map data.
5. Copy or rename that document to a useful name, such as map.kml.
6. Keep the extracted resource folders beside the KML. A reference such as files/icon.png must remain at that relative path for the icon to render.

On Linux or macOS, extract the archive with:

unzip map.kmz -d map_kmz

The resulting map_kmz/doc.kml is the KML document. Open it in a text editor or mapping application to check that the XML is readable and the map displays correctly.

Using Google Earth Pro

1. Open the .kmz file in Google Earth Pro.
2. Find the imported item in the Places panel.
3. Right-click the item and select Save Place As.
4. Choose KML as the file type, select a destination, and save.

Google Earth Pro may rewrite XML, styles, and extensions while saving. Use direct archive extraction when preserving the original document structure is more important than editing the map through Google Earth.

Using the built-in converter

You can convert a KMZ file to KML for free on 101convert.com without installing software: upload the KMZ, select KML as the output format, start the conversion, and download the result. Use local extraction instead for confidential locations, private tracks, or files containing sensitive project data.

Compatibility and quality limits

Extracting a KMZ normally preserves coordinates and the KML elements exactly as stored. Moving only doc.kml can break local images, icons, models, and overlays because their referenced files are no longer available at the expected relative paths.

Some KMZ files contain network links instead of complete local data. Extracting them reveals the link but does not download the remote content. Rendering can also differ between applications for tours, advanced styles, 3D models, Google-specific extensions, and unsupported KML features.

Test the extracted KML in the application that will use it. If you need a single portable file after editing, retain the KML and all referenced resources, then package the complete folder as a KMZ rather than distributing the KML alone.