rooot viewer

Convert KML to Shapefile

Free, in-browser conversion from KML (.kml) to Shapefile. Drop a file below — the converted output downloads automatically. No account, no software install, no upload retention for direct conversions.

Or open the full viewer to preview on a 3D map first.

About KML

KML (Keyhole Markup Language) is an OGC-standard XML format originally created for Google Earth. It supports points, lines, polygons, styling, and 3D extrusion, and is widely used for sharing geospatial annotations.

Typical producers: Google Earth, Google My Maps, QGIS, OGR/GDAL.
Typical consumers: Google Earth, Google Maps, ArcGIS Earth, Marble.

About Shapefile

Esri's Shapefile is the most widely supported GIS exchange format, despite its multi-file inconvenience and 2 GB per-file ceiling. It carries one geometry type per layer plus a dBase attribute table.

Upload the .shp, .shx, .dbf (and .prj / .cpg if present) bundled in a single .zip.

Typical producers: ArcGIS, QGIS, OGR/GDAL, Natural Earth.
Typical consumers: ArcGIS, QGIS, PostGIS, GeoServer, MapInfo.

How to convert KML to Shapefile

  1. Drop your KML file (.kml) on the area above, or click to browse.
  2. The file is parsed server-side — geometries are normalised to a GeoJSON FeatureCollection internally, then written out as Shapefile.
  3. The converted file downloads automatically. No retention; nothing is kept on the server.

Want to inspect the geometry before converting? Use the full 3D viewer instead — it renders the file on a MapLibre globe with toggleable layers, then lets you convert from the same toolbar.

Related conversions

FAQ

Is the KML to Shapefile converter free?

Yes. rooot viewer is free and requires no account. There are no per-conversion charges.

Do I need to install software?

No. The conversion runs server-side, the result is delivered as a download. Works in any modern browser.

Are my files kept after conversion?

Direct conversions through this page (the form above) do not persist files at all — the bytes are parsed in memory and the result returned. Persistence only happens when you use the main viewer's Open in roooute button, and persisted files are deleted within 24 hours.

What is the maximum KML file size?

50 MB per file.

Does the converter preserve attribute properties?

Yes — feature properties round-trip through the canonical GeoJSON intermediate. Schema differences between source and target formats may force lossy coercions (e.g. shapefile DBF column-name length limits), but rooot viewer applies sensible defaults.