# KMZ to Shapefile Converter

Last updated: 2026-10-18

Turn a KMZ file into a shapefile for QGIS or ArcGIS. The KML inside the KMZ is read, and polygons, lines and points keep their attributes.

Open the tool: https://restorationscope.com/tools/kmz-to-shapefile (free, no account).

## How it works

1. Pick or drop a KMZ file, for example one saved from Google Earth.
2. The KML inside it is read and drawn on the map, with notes about anything a shapefile cannot keep.
3. Download the zip with the .shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj and .cpg files.

## Input and output

- Input: A .kmz file, for example saved from Google Earth.
- Output: A .zip with the .shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj and .cpg files of a shapefile in WGS84 latitude and longitude (EPSG:4326).

## Example

Input:

```text
plots.kmz: a zip holding doc.kml, with one polygon, Plot 1, and the attributes species = Cedrela odorata and planted = 2025-03-01.
```

Output:

```text
plots_shapefile.zip: plots.shp, plots.shx, plots.dbf, plots.prj, plots.cpg
Attributes: name = Plot 1, species = Cedrela odorata, planted = 2025-03-01
Note: KML styles (colours, icons) and folders are not kept.
```

## Limits

- Only the first KML file inside the KMZ is read, as in Google Earth; the page says so when there are more.
- Images, icons and overlays inside the KMZ aren't part of a shapefile and are left out.
- Styles (colours, icons) and folders aren't kept; names, descriptions and data fields become attributes.
- Attribute names are cut to 10 plain letters, digits or underscores, text values to 254 bytes, and a table to 255 attributes. The page lists every name it changed.
- Heights (Z values) are left out, because the shapefile is 2D.
- A file that mixes points, lines and polygons gives one shapefile for each.
- Multipoints become one point each and geometry collections split into separate shapes; features without a shape and rings with no area are left out. The page lists each change.

## Privacy

Everything runs in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to our servers.

## Questions

### What is the difference between KMZ and KML?

A KMZ is a zipped KML. It usually holds one main KML file, often doc.kml, plus any images or icons it uses. The converter reads that main KML; images and icons are not part of a shapefile.

### How do I convert KMZ to a shapefile?

Drop the KMZ on the KMZ to Shapefile Converter and download the zip. You do not need to unzip the KMZ first.

### Are the colours and folders from Google Earth kept?

No. A shapefile stores shapes and an attribute table, not styles or folders. Names, descriptions and data fields are kept as attributes.