CSV to KML Converter

How to convert a CSV file to KML

1. Prepare your CSV. Make sure the first row holds column headers and that latitude and longitude are in two separate columns as decimal degrees, for example 48.8584 and 2.2945.
2. Load the file. Drop the CSV onto the box above or click it to browse. You can also paste CSV text. Semicolon, tab and pipe separated files are detected automatically.
3. Check the columns. The converter guesses the latitude, longitude and name columns from their headers. Change any of them in the drop-downs if the guess is wrong.
4. Download KML or KMZ. Choose KML for a plain text file or KMZ for a compressed file. Both open in Google Earth, and every other column is kept as pop-up data on each point.

What your CSV needs to look like

The only hard requirement is two numeric columns: one for latitude and one for longitude, in decimal degrees (WGS84, the same system GPS devices and Google Earth use). Any other columns are optional and become the pop-up text on each point.

name,lat,lon,category
Eiffel Tower,48.8584,2.2945,Landmark
Louvre Museum,48.8606,2.3376,Museum
Notre-Dame,48.8530,2.3499,Cathedral

Recognised header names include lat, latitude, y, lon, lng, long, longitude and x. Anything else can be picked by hand from the drop-downs.

Rows with a blank, text or out-of-range coordinate are skipped, and the tool tells you how many before you download. Coordinates written as degrees-minutes-seconds (such as 40°41'21"N) must be converted first: use the DMS to decimal degrees converter, which accepts a whole list at once.

Common problems and how to fix them

Points land in the wrong place or in the ocean

The most frequent cause is swapped columns. KML stores each point as longitude, latitude, while people usually write latitude first. This tool reads the columns you select and writes them in the correct KML order, so if the points look mirrored, swap the two drop-downs.

Accented characters look broken

Save the CSV as UTF-8 before converting. The converter reads the file as UTF-8 and writes UTF-8 KML, which Google Earth displays correctly.

Decimal commas

Files exported from some European spreadsheet settings write 48,8584 and separate fields with semicolons. A semicolon-separated file with decimal commas is read correctly.

My file has hundreds of thousands of rows

Because the work happens in your browser, very large files depend on your computer's memory. For big datasets with styling, categories or Shapefile input, use the full KML Studio wizard instead.

KML or KMZ: which should I download?

KML is a plain-text XML file. KMZ is the same KML compressed into a zip container, which is smaller and easier to email. Google Earth opens both. Pick KML if you want to read or edit the file in a text editor; pick KMZ when file size matters.

When to use the full KML Studio instead

This page is the quick route: one table in, one KML out. If you need different icons or colors per category, folders, custom pop-up designs, a Shapefile, GeoJSON or GeoPackage as input, or an existing KML you want to restyle, open KML Studio, the full seven-step styling wizard.