To convert UTM to latitude and longitude, enter the zone, the hemisphere, the easting and the northing in metres. The converter returns decimal degrees and degrees-minutes-seconds on the WGS84 datum, accurate to far better than a millimetre, and converts whole lists at once. Your coordinates never leave your browser.
- Free, no signup
- All 60 zones, both hemispheres
- Batch: paste a whole list
- Runs in your browser
Convert many coordinates at once
One point per line: zone, hemisphere or band letter, easting, northing, for example 18N 580735.74 4504706.93 or 43R 715980.29 3167204.82. A line with only an easting and a northing uses the zone and hemisphere set above.
How to convert UTM to latitude and longitude
- Enter the zone and hemisphere. Type the UTM zone number (1 to 60) and choose North or South. The zone is printed with the coordinates, for example
18Tor43 R; the number is the zone. The letter is either the hemisphere (N or S) or a latitude band: letters N to X are in the northern hemisphere and C to M in the southern. - Enter the easting and northing. Give both in metres. The easting is usually a six-digit number between 100,000 and 900,000 and the northing up to seven digits.
- Click Convert. The latitude and longitude appear in decimal degrees and in degrees-minutes-seconds, with a button to copy each and a link to open the point in Google Maps.
- Or convert a list. Paste many UTM coordinates, one per line, and download the results as a CSV.
How UTM coordinates work
UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) divides the world into 60 zones, each 6 degrees of longitude wide. Zone 1 starts at 180° W and the numbers increase eastward. Inside a zone, a position is given as a distance in metres:
- Easting: metres east of the zone's central meridian, plus a false value of 500,000 m so the number is never negative. The central meridian is therefore at 500,000.
- Northing: metres north of the equator in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere a false northing of 10,000,000 m is added, so values stay positive.
The scale along the central meridian is 0.9996, which spreads the distortion across the zone. The zone number, the hemisphere, the easting and the northing together identify one point. Dropping any of them leaves the position ambiguous.
Worked example
Take UTM zone 18, northern hemisphere, easting 580735.74 m, northing 4504706.93 m. The central meridian of zone 18 is 75° W. The easting is 80,735.74 m east of it, and the northing puts the point about 40.69° north of the equator. Converting with the transverse Mercator formulas on the WGS84 ellipsoid gives:
latitude = 40.689306 (40°41'21.50"N) longitude = -74.044500 (74°02'40.20"W)
That is the Statue of Liberty in New York harbour. Doing it by hand needs a series expansion of the projection, which is why a converter is the practical route.
Ways to write a UTM coordinate this converter understands
| You type | Read as |
|---|---|
18 N 580735.74 4504706.93 | Zone 18, northern hemisphere |
18N 580735.74 4504706.93 | Same |
18T 580735.74 4504706.93 | Zone 18, latitude band T, which is northern |
UTM 18T 580735.74mE 4504706.93mN | Same, with unit letters |
56 S 334368.63 6250948.35 | Zone 56, southern hemisphere |
56H 334368.63 6250948.35 | Zone 56, band H, which is southern |
zone 18 north easting 580735.74 northing 4504706.93 | Same, written out |
If a value cannot be read or is out of range, the tool says which line and why instead of guessing.
Common mistakes
- Wrong hemisphere. Choosing North for southern-hemisphere data puts the point a long way north of the equator, on the mirror side. A northing close to 10,000,000 m usually means southern hemisphere.
- Mixing up the band letter and the hemisphere. In
33Nthe N means northern hemisphere, but in33Uthe U is a latitude band. Bands C to M are south of the equator and N to X are north of it. If you only know the band, use the letter in the batch box. - Swapping easting and northing. Easting comes first and is normally six digits. A seven-digit first number is almost always a northing.
- Wrong zone. A wrong zone moves the point east or west by a multiple of about 6 degrees of longitude. Check it against the map or the source metadata.
- Datum. UTM numbers depend on the datum. This converter uses WGS84, the datum GPS uses. NAD83 is close to WGS84 (roughly a metre for most of North America), but older datums such as NAD27 can differ by tens of metres or more. For another datum use the CRS Converter.
What this converter does and does not do
- WGS84 only. Results are on the WGS84 ellipsoid. It does not change datum.
- UTM range only. UTM is defined from 80°S to 84°N. Points outside that band use the polar UPS grid, which is not covered here.
- Not MGRS. MGRS is a separate military notation built on UTM and is not read by this page.
- Accuracy. It uses a high-order series for the transverse Mercator projection. We checked it against the PROJ library on several thousand points around the world and the results agree to far better than a millimetre.
- Runs in your browser. No coordinates are sent to a server.
Related converters
To go the other way, use lat long to UTM. For degrees-minutes-seconds, see DMS to decimal degrees and decimal degrees to DMS. To reproject a whole shapefile to UTM, follow the guide Reproject a shapefile to UTM.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert UTM to latitude and longitude?
Enter the UTM zone, the hemisphere, the easting and the northing in metres, then click Convert. The page returns the latitude and longitude in decimal degrees and in degrees-minutes-seconds on the WGS84 datum.
What do easting and northing mean in UTM?
Easting is the distance in metres east of the zone's central meridian, with 500,000 m added so it is never negative. Northing is the distance in metres north of the equator, with 10,000,000 m added in the southern hemisphere.
How do I find my UTM zone?
The zone is printed with the coordinates, for example 18T or 43 R: the number is the zone. You can also work it out from the longitude: zone = floor((longitude + 180) / 6) + 1. India, for example, is mostly in zones 43 to 46.
Is the letter after the zone the hemisphere?
It can be either. N or S as the letter means the hemisphere. Any other letter from C to X is a latitude band: bands N to X are in the northern hemisphere and C to M in the southern. This converter understands both in the batch box.
Which datum does it use?
WGS84, the datum used by GPS. If your coordinates are on another datum such as NAD27 or a local datum, convert them with the CRS Converter instead, because the numbers will not match.
How accurate is the conversion?
The maths is exact to well under a millimetre for WGS84. We compared it with the PROJ library on several thousand points worldwide and found no meaningful difference. The accuracy of your result is limited by the accuracy of your input.
Can I convert a list of UTM coordinates?
Yes. Paste one point per line into the batch box, click Convert list, then copy the results or download them as a CSV. Lines that cannot be read are flagged with the reason.
What range can the easting have?
In a UTM zone, eastings run from about 166,000 m to 834,000 m at the equator and narrow toward the poles. This page accepts values from 100,000 m to 900,000 m and rejects anything outside that range.
Does it convert MGRS coordinates?
No. MGRS is a different notation built on UTM. This page converts UTM zone, hemisphere, easting and northing.
Why does my point land in the wrong place?
The usual causes are the wrong hemisphere, the wrong zone, easting and northing swapped, or a different datum. Check each of these against the source of your data.
Does it send my coordinates to a server?
No. The conversion runs in your browser, and once the page has loaded it needs no connection.
Related tools and guides
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Request a consultationLast updated 2026-10-14. Published by Sagarmekhla GIS Consultancy.