Convert Shapefile to GeoJSON Online — Free & Instant
Converting a Shapefile to GeoJSON is one of the most common tasks in modern GIS workflows. GeoJSON is the go-to format for web mapping, GitHub previews, and JavaScript libraries like Leaflet and Mapbox GL JS. Maparz uses GDAL's ogr2ogr under the hood — the same engine that powers QGIS and ArcGIS — to ensure a perfect, lossless conversion in seconds.
Converter
When to convert Shapefile to GeoJSON
- Publishing geospatial data on the web (GitHub, Observable, web maps)
- Feeding data into Leaflet.js, Mapbox GL JS, or D3.js visualisations
- Uploading boundaries or features to geojson.io for editing
- Converting government open-data Shapefiles to a web-friendly format
How to convert Shapefile to GeoJSON
- 1
Upload your Shapefile
Drop your .shp file or the entire Shapefile bundle as a .zip onto the upload zone above. The .zip should contain .shp, .dbf, and .shx files at minimum.
- 2
Select GeoJSON as output
GeoJSON is pre-selected for this page. You can also choose KML, GeoPackage, or CSV from the format panel.
- 3
Click Convert
Maparz sends your file to the server, runs ogr2ogr, and streams the converted file back. For most files this takes under 5 seconds.
- 4
Download your GeoJSON
Your browser downloads the .geojson file automatically. The file is deleted from the server immediately after download.
About Shapefile format
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
About GeoJSON format
GeoJSON is an open standard geospatial data format based on JSON, defined in RFC 7946. It supports all geometry types (Point, LineString, Polygon, MultiPolygon, etc.) and arbitrary properties per feature. GeoJSON is the preferred format for web mapping because browsers can parse it natively and libraries like Leaflet, Mapbox GL, and D3 consume it directly. GitHub renders GeoJSON files on a map automatically. It uses WGS 84 (EPSG:4326) as its coordinate reference system.
Strengths
- +Native browser support (JSON)
- +Human-readable and editable
- +Single file — easy to share
- +First-class support in web mapping libraries
Frequently asked questions
Does my Shapefile need to be in a ZIP?
You can upload the .shp file alone. However, if your Shapefile has attributes you want to preserve, include the .dbf and .shx files by uploading everything as a .zip bundle.
What coordinate system will the GeoJSON use?
GeoJSON always uses WGS 84 (EPSG:4326) per the RFC 7946 standard. Maparz automatically reprojects your Shapefile if it is in a different CRS.
Is there a file size limit?
Free conversions support files up to 50 MB. This is sufficient for most administrative boundaries, road networks, and point datasets.
Will all my attribute columns be preserved?
Yes. All attribute data from the .dbf file is included in the GeoJSON properties for each feature.
Can I convert a Shapefile with multiple layers?
Standard Shapefiles contain a single layer. For multi-layer data, consider using GeoPackage as the target format.