If you have a spreadsheet full of locations — field survey points, customer addresses, store locations, GPS coordinates — you can plot them on Google Earth or Google Maps in under two minutes. The trick is that Excel data needs to go through CSV format first, then convert to KML. Both steps are free and require no software installation.
What you need
- An Excel file (.xlsx or .xls) with latitude and longitude columns
- Google Earth desktop (free) or Google My Maps (browser-based, also free)
- About 2 minutes
Step 1 — Prepare your Excel file
Your spreadsheet needs a header row with clearly named coordinate columns. Maparz recognises these names automatically:
| For latitude | For longitude |
|---|---|
| lat | lon |
| latitude | lng |
| y | longitude |
| x |
Column names are not case-sensitive. All other columns — name, description, category, value, date, or anything else — are preserved as attributes in the KML output and appear as clickable data when you select a point in Google Earth.
Make sure coordinates are in decimal degrees format (e.g. 51.5074 for London latitude, -0.1278 for longitude). Do not use degrees-minutes-seconds format (51°30'26") — Excel cannot natively convert this to decimal without a formula. If your GPS data is in DMS format, use the Maparz coordinate converter to convert first.
Step 2 — Save as CSV
KML and most GIS formats do not accept Excel files directly. The standard workflow is to export your sheet as a CSV first — this takes one step in Excel:
- File → Save As (or Export on Mac)
- Change the file format to CSV (Comma delimited)
- Click Save — Excel will warn that formatting is not preserved, which is fine
If your spreadsheet has multiple sheets, only the active sheet is saved as CSV. Make sure the correct sheet is active before saving. Also check that your file is saved with UTF-8 encoding if you have non-ASCII characters (accented letters, Arabic, etc.) — Excel on Windows defaults to the system locale encoding which can cause character issues.
Step 3 — Convert CSV to KML
Upload your CSV file to the converter and select KML as the output:
CSV → KML converter
Upload your CSV, select KML output, download in seconds. Free, no signup.
Convert CSV to KMLMaparz reads your latitude and longitude columns automatically, converts each row to a KML Placemark, and packages all your data into a single .kml file. Any extra columns (name, description, category, etc.) are included as extended data on each Placemark — visible when you click a point in Google Earth.
Step 4 — Open in Google Earth or Google My Maps
Google Earth desktop
Double-click the downloaded .kml file. Google Earth opens and flies to your data, plotting each row as a placemark pin. Click any pin to see all the attribute columns from your Excel file. You can style pins, add custom icons, or group placemarks in Google Earth's layer panel.
If you have thousands of points, Google Earth may slow down. Consider splitting your CSV into batches of 1,000–2,000 rows for large datasets.
Google My Maps (easiest to share)
- Go to mymaps.google.com and click Create a new map
- Click Import in the Untitled layer panel
- Upload your KML file
- Google My Maps plots all points and lets you choose which column to use as labels
- Click Share to get a link anyone can view in any browser
Google My Maps supports up to 10 layers and 2,000 rows per layer. For larger datasets, split into multiple KML files and import each as a separate layer.
Common problems and fixes
⚠ Points appear in the wrong location
Check that latitude and longitude columns aren't swapped. Latitude is the north-south coordinate (roughly −90 to +90). Longitude is east-west (roughly −180 to +180). Also verify values are in decimal degrees, not DMS format.
⚠ Maparz says it can't find lat/lon columns
Rename your columns to exactly lat and lon (or latitude/longitude). Remove any spaces or special characters from column names. Make sure the first row is a header row, not a data row.
⚠ Character encoding problems (accented letters showing as ???)
Save your CSV with UTF-8 encoding. In Excel on Windows: File → Save As → Tools → Web Options → Encoding → Unicode (UTF-8). On Mac, Excel defaults to UTF-8 already.
⚠ KML file is too large for Google My Maps
Split your data into multiple sheets in Excel, save each as a separate CSV, convert each to KML, and import as separate layers in Google My Maps.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert Excel to KML without saving as CSV first?
The standard workflow saves as CSV first because it's reliable across all versions of Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, and Numbers. Some tools claim to read .xlsx directly but often fail on complex spreadsheets. The CSV intermediate step takes 10 seconds and eliminates formatting issues.
What coordinate format should I use?
Decimal degrees (DD) — e.g. 51.5074 for latitude, -0.1278 for longitude. Negative values mean South (latitude) or West (longitude). Do not use degrees-minutes-seconds (51°30'26") or UTM coordinates directly — convert to decimal degrees first using the Maparz coordinate converter.
Can I include column data like name, description, or colour?
Yes. All non-coordinate columns are preserved as extended data on each KML Placemark. A column named 'name' or 'Name' becomes the Placemark label in Google Earth. A column named 'description' appears in the info popup. Other columns are visible when you click the placemark.
How many rows can I convert?
Maparz handles files up to 50 MB, which typically means tens of thousands of rows. Google Earth handles large KML files well. Google My Maps has a 2,000-row limit per layer — for larger datasets, split into multiple layers.
Can I convert Google Sheets to KML?
Yes. In Google Sheets: File → Download → Comma-separated values (.csv). Then upload the CSV to Maparz and convert to KML. The process is identical to Excel.