How to Export Google My Maps to KML or KMZ—and a Layer to CSV

If you are choosing a format before following an export workflow, the map-file formats guide compares KML, KMZ, GPX and tables across Maps, My Maps and Earth.

Choose the result you need

“Export” can mean several different outcomes. Start with the result, then use the matching menu.

These are My Maps file and layer procedures, not an export button for an ordinary Maps saved list. If the source is a label, Starred place, or saved list, start with the saved-object comparison and Takeout boundary before choosing a file workflow.

These steps are for custom maps in Google My Maps. For another Google mapping product, start with the Maps, My Maps, and Earth comparison.

For a Timeline file instead, see the Timeline visualizer guide.

Before you export or copy

Use a computer and confirm five things before opening a menu:

1. You are in My Maps, on the Google Account that can access the intended map.
2. The map still exists and you have authorization to use it.
3. You know which layers, points, lines, polygons, names, descriptions, and media matter.
4. You have chosen a destination: file, table, current Earth view, or editable Earth project.
5. You will keep the original until the result is opened and checked.

Review each layer for private material before making a portable copy. A downloaded file can outlive the sharing controls on the source map. For a class map, remove student homes, precise personal locations, last names, and private notes before a file is emailed or handed off. The student-sharing guide covers view/edit access and ownership boundaries; exporting does not transfer ownership.

Give the result a name that says what it is, such as walking-study-map-2026-09 or libraries-layer-2026-09. A date and layer name are more useful than map-final-final.

Export the whole map as KML or KMZ

On a computer:

1. Sign in to Google My Maps on a computer.
2. Open the correct map.
3. In the left panel, open the map menu, rather than a layer’s menu.
4. Choose Export to KML/KMZ.
5. Follow the on-screen choices and download the result.
6. Open the downloaded file in the destination you intend to use and verify it.

Use the map-level route when the geographic structure of the map matters. KML is an XML-based geographic format for features and related data. KMZ is a ZIP-compressed package with a main KML file and, where applicable, supporting resources. “Package” does not mean every image or presentation detail is guaranteed to survive.

If the export dialog offers a layer choice, select the scope you need before downloading.

Export one layer as CSV

CSV is the table route, and its scope is deliberately smaller:

1. Open the map in My Maps on a computer.
2. Find the one layer whose table you need.
3. Open that layer’s menu.
4. Choose Export data → CSV.
5. Save the file, open it in a spreadsheet application, and compare it with the layer.

Current My Maps Help documents individual-layer CSV export—not one CSV for an entire multi-layer map. Repeat the operation for another layer only if you genuinely need another table. Do not assume the CSV includes every coordinate representation, geometry, style, icon, photo, directions behavior, layer order, or sharing setting. It is tabular text from one layer, not a lossless map backup.

If your journey runs the other direction—from a spreadsheet into a map—use the CSV, Excel, and Google Sheets import guide.

For a GPX file instead, use the GPX import guide.

View the My Map in Google Earth without downloading

Choose View in Earth from the My Maps map menu when you want to see the current map on the globe without first making a downloaded file.

This result is view only. Make changes in My Maps, then refresh the map in Earth to see them. Check separate downloaded files or copied Earth projects on their own; do not rely on them staying synchronized with My Maps.

The My Maps view does not work with Earth’s Present mode. If editing is the goal, make a separate project instead.

Create an editable Earth copy

To make a separate editable copy on a computer:

1. On a computer, open Google Earth on the web and sign in to the account that can access the map in Drive.
2. Choose New → Open My Maps from Drive. Google’s home-screen instructions also show File → Open My Maps from Drive.
3. Select the My Maps file and insert it. Earth first shows it in view-only mode.
4. On the web, choose Copy to Map Project in the top toolbar.
5. Review the new project name and sharing permissions, then confirm.

The result is a new editable Earth map project. The original My Maps file stays untouched in Drive. Keep working in the copy you intend to use; do not rely on later edits staying synchronized between the two products.

Earth projects and My Maps also have different editing and presentation models. For the broader platform choice, see Google Earth web vs mobile vs Earth Pro.

To start with new Earth features, follow the guide to create a KML or KMZ file in Google Earth.

Open a downloaded KML or KMZ in Earth

Earth now distinguishes three useful destinations.

On a computer, start at the Earth home screen and choose Open local KML editor → Open KML from device. Open your download, then Save or Download any edits back to your computer. Autosave is supported only on Chromium-based computer browsers.

On Android or iPhone/iPad, switch the project list to Local and use New +. Those files use local app storage; the web workflow uses your computer’s file system. Neither automatically creates a Drive project.

Have older local KML files saved in your browser? Move them by 14 January 2027. Download those legacy files or add them to map projects to avoid losing them. The deadline applies to the older browser-stored files; you can continue opening and editing files saved on your device.

For a Drive project, import the KML/KMZ as project features or a data layer when Earth offers that choice. A large or unsuitable file can be offered only as a data layer, or fall back to one. Use the KML/KMZ import-mode guide for the full destination choice and file checks.

Current Earth guidance describes project-feature imports up to roughly 10,000 features or 250,000 vertices. Limits and plan/storage behavior change, so use the current Earth import page rather than treating those numbers as permanent.

KML, KMZ, or CSV: what each result is for

KML coordinate tuples use longitude first, then latitude. Ordinary Earth search expects latitude first. If you inspect a KML file and then type a pair into search, reverse the order carefully; the Earth coordinates guide explains the distinction.

What may not carry over

A destination can support the geographic features while changing or omitting presentation, media, permissions, or product-specific behavior. Google’s current My Maps import Help, for example, warns that a KML import may not bring in HTML or JavaScript balloons, tours, time-based elements, overlays, MultiGeometries, 3D models, or folders.

Check layer names and order, placemarks, lines, polygons, descriptions, attributes, icons, colors, photos, directions, and any feature that matters to your project.

Sharing permissions, comments, ownership, and revision history are product state, not portable geography. A download is not a transfer of that state.

Verify before you archive, share, or delete anything

Before exporting or copying:

• Confirm the correct account and My Map.
• List the layers and features that must survive.
• Decide the destination and expected result.
• Remove private data from any copy that may leave the account.
• Keep the original and choose a clear output name.

Afterward:

1. Confirm the file or Earth project exists.
2. Confirm the expected extension or project type.
3. Open it in the application where it will actually be used.
4. Confirm every required layer is present.
5. Inspect representative points, lines, and polygons.
6. Check names, descriptions, attributes, and media where expected.
7. Check order and styling without assuming perfect fidelity.
8. Compare feature or row counts where practical.
9. Record anything missing or changed.
10. Confirm the intended owner can access the stored result.
11. Keep the original My Map until all of those checks pass.

A completed download proves only that a file arrived. It does not prove that the file is a usable backup.

A privacy-safe example

Suppose a public-history My Map has three layers: Libraries, Memorials, and Walking study route.

• Export the whole map to KML/KMZ when all three layers should travel together as geographic data.
• Export only Libraries to CSV when the library table needs review in a spreadsheet.
• Use View in Earth when the class needs a current, read-only globe view that can be refreshed after My Maps edits.
• Use Copy to Map Project when an editor needs a separate Earth project.

This is a fictional class map. In every branch, open the result and verify that libraries, memorials, and the route appear as expected before deleting or handing off the source.

Bring the data back into My Maps

My Maps can import KML, KMZ, CSV, and several other current file types, but import is not an undo button. CSV returns as a layer subject to location-column choices and current limits; KML/KMZ support does not promise restoration of the old map presentation.

Use the My Maps import procedure for the supported formats, headers, location methods, and limits. If the file is rejected, only some rows appear, locations are wrong, or a reimport changes the layer, switch to the import-failure diagnosis before another attempt.

Troubleshoot the route, not just the file

Classroom, privacy, and accessibility

A portable file can move beyond the audience of the original map. Review every layer, use the least sharing needed, and follow school policy and administrator restrictions. Do not route minors through personal accounts when a school account blocks the service.

Keep the source table or another text equivalent so the work is understandable without color or map interaction. Use labels as well as symbol color, describe important visuals, and give students a non-map way to review the same places. The student map-project framework provides the citation and accessibility structure; the teacher mapping workflow covers class-period planning.

Common questions

Can I export all My Maps layers to one CSV? No. Current My Maps Help documents CSV for an individual layer. Use KML/KMZ for a whole-map geographic file, or export needed layers one at a time.

Should I choose KML or KMZ? Choose the format accepted by the destination. KML is geographic XML; KMZ is a compressed package. Neither label guarantees perfect fidelity.

Does View in Earth make an editable project? No. It is view-only. Use Earth on the web to open the My Maps file from Drive and choose Copy to Map Project for a separate editable project.

Will the Earth copy update when My Maps changes? Current documentation promises refresh behavior for the view-only route, not ongoing synchronization for the separate project copy.

Can I delete the original after export? Not just because the download finished. Open the output, verify every required layer and representative feature, and keep the source until the result passes.

Do I need a third-party converter? Not for the documented first paths. My Maps exports KML/KMZ and individual-layer CSV directly.