Converting Shapefile to GPX extracts point and line features from an Esri dataset into GPS waypoints, routes, and tracks.
What is Shapefile?
The Shapefile is a widely used vector data format developed and published by Esri, stored as a set of sibling files that share a common base name.
A single "shapefile" is really a bundle: the mandatory .shp (feature geometry), .shx (a shape index for fast seeking), and .dbf (a dBASE table of attributes), usually alongside a .prj (coordinate system) and sometimes a .cpg (attribute encoding). It is the lingua franca of desktop GIS and is read by virtually every tool, from ArcGIS and QGIS to GDAL/OGR. Its age shows in several hard limits: DBF attribute field names are truncated to 10 characters, each file component is capped at 2 GB, every file holds a single geometry type, and attribute types are constrained to what DBF supports (limited-width text, numbers, dates, and booleans).
What is GPX?
GPX (GPS Exchange Format) is an open, XML-based schema for exchanging GPS data such as waypoints, routes, and tracks between devices and applications.
GPX models data through three primary elements: waypoints (individual named points of interest), routes (an ordered list of routepoints describing a planned path), and tracks (recorded paths made of one or more segments of trackpoints, often carrying timestamps and elevation). It is the common tongue of handheld GPS units, fitness watches, and outdoor apps like Garmin, Strava, and Komoot. It is a point- and line-oriented format built around navigation, not a general-purpose polygon or attribute-table format.
Why convert Shapefile to GPX?
GPX lets you load Shapefile-based points and paths onto GPS units and outdoor apps for field navigation and data collection. It is common for taking survey stations, sample sites, or planned trails from desktop GIS into a handheld device. Point and line layers convert cleanly into waypoints and tracks.
Coordinate systems
The coordinate reference system lives in the optional .prj sidecar as a WKT (well-known text) string. When the .prj is absent the CRS is genuinely unknown and consumers typically fall back to assuming WGS84, which can silently misplace data that was in another projection.
The GPX specification fixes all coordinates to WGS84 latitude/longitude with elevation in meters, so like KML it carries no projection information and any exported data is expressed in EPSG:4326.
What to watch out for
- GPX cannot represent polygons, so any polygon Shapefile is unsuitable — only point and line geometries map well.
- Output is forced to WGS84 (EPSG:4326), so projected Shapefile data is reprojected.
- If the .prj is missing, the source CRS is unknown and assumed WGS84, which can offset field coordinates.
- DBF attributes are preserved as GPX <extensions>, but many GPS devices ignore extension fields they do not recognize.
How to convert Shapefile to GPX
- Drag your Shapefile file (.shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj, .cpg, .qpj) into the converter above, or click to browse.
- Confirm the source is Shapefile and choose GPX as the output format.
- Optionally pick a target coordinate system (EPSG) to reproject.
- Click Convert and download your GPX file. Everything runs in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I convert a polygon Shapefile to GPX?
- Not meaningfully. GPX supports only waypoints, routes, and tracks, so polygon layers cannot be represented and should be converted from point or line data instead.
- Are my attributes kept?
- Yes, they are stored in GPX <extensions>, though your GPS device may not display every field.
- Will the coordinates be reprojected?
- Yes. GPX is WGS84 only, so any projected Shapefile is transformed to latitude/longitude.