AvoMap Help Center
3 min read
Free file tools
In short
- Free converters and viewers for GPX, KML, KMZ, FIT and shapefiles, all running in your browser.
- Use them to turn a file the editor doesn't read into one it does.
- The 3D preview shows the track flying in the editor before you sign up for anything.
On this page
The editor imports .gpx, .kml, .kmz, .fit and .tcx files, which covers watches, bike computers, fitness apps and Google Earth. Mapping and GIS software often exports shapefiles or GeoJSON instead, and the editor reads neither.
The free tools at avomap.com/tools bridge that gap. They convert between the common track formats and show you what's inside a file, without an account and without a limit on how often you use them.
What they do
The converters go between GPX, KML, KMZ, shapefiles and GeoJSON in the combinations people actually need, one page per direction, each one saying what it keeps and what it drops.
The viewers open a GPX, KML, KMZ, FIT or GeoJSON file and draw the shape of the track, with its distance in kilometers and miles and the places it runs between. It's the quickest way to find out why a platform rejected an upload, or to check that a file really holds the ride you think it does.
Converting a FIT file writes the extras into the GPX as well, so heart rate, cadence and temperature survive the trip to a platform that reads them.
Your file stays with you
Conversion runs inside your browser. The file isn't uploaded, isn't stored on our servers, and doesn't need an account to touch it.
The exception is the 3D preview below, which can't work that way: to fly a camera along your route, our side has to know the route. The tools say as much under the button — the route goes to AvoMap, the file stays with you.
Preview in 3D
Once a file is open in a viewer or converter, Open 3D preview puts it in the AvoMap editor. Not a video or a screenshot — the actual editor, with your track laid on a 3D map. Press play and the camera flies the route. Switch the base map, try the terrain, see what the trip would look like as a video.
You can look around as much as you like. The first time you change something, AvoMap asks you to create a free account, and the map snaps back to how it was imported. Sign up and the route comes with you into a real project, right where you left it.
Previews are kept for two days. After that the link stops working and you'd import the file again, which takes seconds.
Getting a converted file into the editor
Download the converted GPX or KML, then start a new video and choose Import a GPS file, or drop the file straight onto the card. From there it's an ordinary route: extend it, reroute a leg, add pauses, all of it described on the Route page.
Tips
- Convert to GPX when in doubt. More apps read it than anything else, and it keeps timestamps.
- Look before you import. The viewer tells you how many points carry positions, which explains most "why is my route a straight line" surprises.
- Use the preview to decide. Watching your own track fly is a better test of whether AvoMap suits your trip than any description.
Frequently Asked Questions
My file isn't one the editor imports. Can I still use it?
Convert it first with the free tools at avomap.com/tools. A shapefile or a GeoJSON file comes out as GPX or KML, which the editor imports. FIT, KMZ and TCX files don't need converting. The editor reads them directly.
Do I have to upload my file to convert it?
No. Conversion happens in your browser and the file never leaves your computer. The one exception is the 3D preview, which needs the route on our side to draw it.
Do I need an account for the converters?
No. They're free, with no signup and no limits.
What is the 3D preview?
After a file is loaded, Open 3D preview puts it in the real editor so you can watch the camera fly your route. Editing or saving it means creating a free account, and previews are kept for two days.
Does converting a FIT file keep my heart rate data?
Yes. Heart rate, cadence and temperature are written into the GPX, so platforms that read those still show them.
Where to go next
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