Convert GeoPackage to Shapefile Online — Free & Instant
Despite being a legacy format, Shapefile remains the most widely-required format for data delivery to government agencies, engineering firms, and clients using older GIS software. If your data is stored in a GeoPackage — the modern SQLite-based format used by QGIS and ArcGIS Pro — you will often need to export it as a Shapefile for interoperability. Maparz converts the first vector layer in your .gpkg file to a Shapefile ZIP bundle containing the four mandatory files: .shp (geometry), .dbf (attributes), .shx (index), and .prj (coordinate reference system). The conversion handles all Shapefile constraints automatically — most importantly, GeoPackage field names longer than 10 characters are truncated to fit Shapefile's legacy dBASE limit. Powered by GDAL 3.8.
File converter
When to convert GeoPackage to Shapefile
- Delivering QGIS GeoPackage layers to clients or government agencies that require Shapefile
- Converting ArcGIS Pro GeoPackage outputs to Shapefile for use in ArcMap (legacy)
- Exporting individual GPKG layers to Shapefile for submission to planning or land registry portals
- Converting GPKG data for import into tools that do not yet support GeoPackage
- Archiving GeoPackage layers as Shapefiles for long-term compatibility
How to convert GeoPackage to Shapefile
- 1
Upload your GPKG
Drop your .gpkg file on the upload zone. Files up to 50 MB are supported.
- 2
Select Shapefile output
Click the Shapefile .zip button in the output format panel.
- 3
Convert and download
Click Convert file. The output is a .zip archive with .shp, .dbf, .shx, and .prj files.
- 4
Unzip and open in GIS
Extract the ZIP and add the .shp to ArcGIS, QGIS, MapInfo, or any Shapefile-compatible application.
About GeoPackage
GeoPackage (GPKG) is a modern, open standard format defined by the OGC that stores geospatial data in a single SQLite database file. It supports both vector and raster data, multiple layers per file, field name lengths up to 64 characters, and virtually any coordinate reference system. GeoPackage is endorsed by the OGC as the preferred replacement for Shapefile. It is supported by QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, GDAL, and PostGIS. Its SQLite base makes it portable and queryable without a server.
Strengths
- +Single file containing multiple layers
- +No field name length limit
- +Supports vector and raster in one file
- +SQLite-based — portable and queryable
About Shapefile
Shapefile (SHP) is the de-facto standard vector format developed by Esri. A shapefile is actually a collection of at least three files: .shp (geometry), .dbf (attributes), and .shx (index). Despite its age, it remains the most widely-supported format across GIS desktop software including ArcGIS and QGIS. Shapefiles support points, lines, and polygons but are limited to 2 GB in size and 10-character field names. When sharing shapefiles, always bundle them into a .zip archive.
Strengths
- +Universal compatibility with all GIS software
- +Stable, well-documented format
- +Supported natively by QGIS, ArcGIS, GRASS
Frequently asked questions
Q.Are field names truncated when converting GPKG to Shapefile?
Yes — this is one of the most important differences between the two formats. Shapefile uses the legacy dBASE III format for attribute storage, which limits field names to 10 characters. If your GeoPackage has columns with longer names (e.g. population_2023, building_type, land_use_category), GDAL will automatically truncate them to 10 characters, sometimes introducing duplicates. To see exactly how names will be truncated before converting, run: ogrinfo input.gpkg -al -so and compare with Shapefile output.
Q.Which layer is converted if my GeoPackage has multiple layers?
Maparz converts the first vector layer found in the GeoPackage. QGIS GeoPackage files often contain many layers — the layer selected is the first one by internal order, which may not be the layer you want. To convert a specific layer, use GDAL locally: ogr2ogr -f 'ESRI Shapefile' output/ input.gpkg 'your_layer_name'. Run ogrinfo input.gpkg to list all available layer names.
Q.What happens to GeoPackage features with mixed geometry types?
Shapefile requires a single geometry type per file. If your GeoPackage layer contains mixed geometry (e.g. both Polygons and MultiPolygons), GDAL handles this by writing all features using the broadest compatible type (MultiPolygon in this case). If the layer truly mixes incompatible types (e.g. Points and Lines), GDAL will write only the dominant type and skip others. For mixed-geometry layers, converting to GeoJSON first (which supports mixed geometry) is a safer alternative.
Q.Is the coordinate reference system preserved in the Shapefile?
Yes. The CRS from your GeoPackage layer is written into the .prj file using WKT (Well-Known Text) format. ArcGIS and QGIS both read .prj files to automatically assign the correct CRS when you add the Shapefile. If your GeoPackage uses WGS 84 (EPSG:4326), the .prj will reflect that. If it uses a national grid CRS like British National Grid (EPSG:27700), that will be written correctly as well.