Converting Shapefile to KMZ produces a compressed, single-file Google Earth package from an Esri multi-file dataset.
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 KMZ?
KMZ is a ZIP archive that packages a KML document (conventionally named doc.kml) together with any assets it references, such as icons, images, and overlays.
Structurally a KMZ is just a compressed container: unzip it and you get a main doc.kml plus an optional folder of supporting files. Zipping typically shrinks verbose KML text substantially and keeps a placemark set and its custom icons together as one shareable file, which is why Google Earth exports KMZ by default. Everything true of KML applies to the KML inside a KMZ; the wrapper only adds compression and asset bundling.
Why convert Shapefile to KMZ?
KMZ is ideal for distributing Shapefile-derived data because it compresses verbose KML into one lightweight file that is easy to email or upload. Recipients open it directly in Google Earth with no GIS tooling. It keeps large parcel, boundary, or point datasets portable and self-contained.
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.
Because the payload is ordinary KML, a KMZ is inherently WGS84 (EPSG:4326) longitude/latitude/altitude, with no projection metadata and no possibility of reprojection inside the format.
What to watch out for
- The KML inside is WGS84-only, so projected Shapefile data is reprojected to EPSG:4326.
- A missing .prj means the source CRS is unknown and assumed WGS84, risking misplacement.
- KMZ is just a zipped KML, so all KML attribute and styling limitations apply; the 10-character DBF field names persist.
- The result is compressed binary, unlike the readable KML variant.
How to convert Shapefile to KMZ
- 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 KMZ as the output format.
- Optionally pick a target coordinate system (EPSG) to reproject.
- Click Convert and download your KMZ file. Everything runs in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
- Should I choose KML or KMZ?
- Pick KMZ for a smaller, single-file download that is easy to share; pick KML if you want a plain-text, editable output.
- Is my projection preserved?
- No — KMZ content is WGS84 only, so projected Shapefiles are reprojected to longitude/latitude.
- Which files should I upload?
- Upload the full Shapefile set (.shp, .shx, .dbf, and ideally .prj), most easily as a single .zip.