How to Import a GPX File into Google Maps

For a different starting file or a later export, the map-file formats guide explains the destinations, conversion losses and checks to make before sharing a copy.

Choose a GPX workflow

First decide what you need to do with the file: display it, inspect the data behind it, or obtain navigation.

Choose the workflow for your task and device.^1234567

Know what is inside the file

Waypoints are individual locations; routes are ordered route points; tracks are ordered paths that can contain separate segments.⁸ Time and elevation are optional in GPX, so a file may contain a path without either.⁸

Check the original exporter or viewer for those structures. For example, a fieldwork file might contain a walking track and separate observation stops. Decide which of those you need to see in the new map. If the original has gaps between track segments, include those gaps in your comparison.

Import GPX into My Maps on a computer

Keep a backup of the original file. For an initial check, use a fresh map or a new, clearly named layer so you can inspect the import without replacing existing work.

1. On a computer, sign in to My Maps and open or create a map.¹
2. Click Add layer, name the new layer, then click Import beneath it.¹
3. Upload the GPX file and confirm the selection.¹
4. Compare the imported features with the original using the checklist below. Give the map a recognizable title before looking for it on your phone.

A converter is not required for this documented My Maps import: GPX is already a supported file type.¹ If the file fails to import, follow the short diagnostic section below rather than replacing your original.

Keep the file and map limits separate

Google lists a 40 MB allowance for files other than KML and KMZ, which includes GPX.¹ The import help warns against files with more than 2,000 rows, but it does not specify a GPX track-point limit.¹

My Maps separately allows up to 10,000 lines, shapes or places per map, 50,000 total points within lines and shapes, and 20,000 data-table cells; a layer can contain 2,000 lines, shapes or places.⁹

Treat file size, map features and points within a line as separate checks. A file being below the size allowance does not establish that every structure or attribute will be represented as you expect. Inspect the result.

Open the imported map in Google Maps

Use the Google account that owns or can access the custom map.

Android

On Android, sign in to Google Maps and tap You → Maps to find your custom map.² Select the map with the title you gave it, then compare the displayed path and stops.

iPhone or iPad

On iPhone or iPad, sign in to Google Maps and tap You → Maps to find your custom map.³ Select the map and check its visible features.

Computer

On a computer, Google Maps shows your five most recent My Maps under Saved → Maps; Open in My Maps takes you back to the editor.¹⁰

Use My Maps for changes to the custom map.²³¹⁰ If the map is missing from the account you are using, first reopen it in My Maps and check that you have selected the expected account and map.

Check what was imported

Use the original GPX in its exporter or another suitable viewer as your reference.

For a class fieldwork map, check that each observation stop still sits on the intended site and that any recording gap remains recognizable. If students need to discuss when observations occurred, retain the original recording rather than assuming the custom map is a complete archive.

Does an imported GPX give turn-by-turn navigation?

The documented GPX import and custom-map viewing steps do not promise turn-by-turn navigation along the exact imported track.^1231067

In My Maps, Add directions creates a separate directions layer using start and end locations and a travel mode.¹¹ Google Maps mobile navigation uses a destination, a calculated route and Start.⁶⁷

If you need navigation:

1. Choose the intended destination in Google Maps and request Directions.
2. Check the travel mode and the calculated route against your intended journey.
3. Start only after you have checked that route.

If you must follow the exact GPX geometry, verify that capability in the navigation tool you intend to use. Do not assume displaying the line establishes it. For offline planning, use the separate Google Maps offline guide.

Open the original GPX in Earth Pro

To open a GPX on a computer in Earth Pro, drag the file into the application and choose how to display the data.⁴

Choose the representation according to the information you need:

• KML tracks associate the line with time and can store additional sensor data when it is present in the source; KML LineStrings have no associated time element.⁴
• Adjust Altitudes to Ground Height moves recorded points to ground level.⁴

If your purpose is to inspect the original recorded altitude, our recommendation is to leave ground-height adjustment off. Google specifically warns against using it for airborne recordings.⁴ Compare the resulting positions and source-present values before saving another format; do not assume every device-specific field survives.

For terrain along a path, the separate Earth elevation-profile guide explains the available views.

Take a converted copy into Earth on the web

Earth’s web import documentation describes converting GPX to KML or CSV before importing it.⁵ For this workflow, use KML or KMZ as a straightforward file handoff from Earth Pro.

1. In Earth Pro, right-click the relevant folder in Places, choose Save Place As, and save a separate KML or KMZ.⁵
2. On a computer in Earth on the web, sign in, use New → Import file to project, choose Upload from device, then select your KML or KMZ.⁵
3. Check the imported data against the original, including the features you need and the kind of project or layer you received.

Editable Earth project imports are limited to approximately 10,000 features or 250,000 vertices; larger files can fall back to a read-only data layer.⁵ Local KML is outside a Drive project and is visible only on the device where it was opened.⁵

Use the KML/KMZ import guide to choose between project features, a data layer and local KML. Retain the GPX as your original reference; the converted file is a separate output.

If the GPX import fails

Keep the original and retry with a small, known file in a fresh layer. Check that you are in My Maps on a computer, that the file is actually GPX, and that its size is within the documented allowance.¹

If a small file works but the full one does not, investigate a copy of the larger file rather than deleting data from the original. If My Maps reports “Anonymous uploads are not allowed” during import, check account and Drive access before converting the GPX.

When the import is complete, check the output on the device you will use, and decide separately whether you need map display, recorded-data inspection or navigation.