Free Online KML / KMZ Viewer (No Signup)
Also opens DWG, DXF, STEP, IGES, IFC, SKP, STL, OBJ, GLB, FBX, 3DM and other 3D/CAD files. Drop any file on the viewer.
Works directly in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
Also from Innerscene: Circadian Lab, a free lighting calculator for room illuminance, melanopic EML, and glare.
What Is a KML / KMZ File?
A KML file (Keyhole Markup Language) is an XML document that describes features on the globe. Each Placemark carries a name, a style and a geometry: a Point for a survey marker or a site pin, a LineString for a route or a fence line, a Polygon for a property boundary or a field, and MultiGeometry to group several of them. Coordinates are WGS 84 longitude and latitude in degrees, with an optional altitude. Placemarks are organised in folders, and styles set the line color, the fill color and the icon color. KML started at Keyhole, the company Google bought to build Google Earth, and is now an OGC standard.
A KMZ is a ZIP archive around a KML document (called doc.kml by convention), usually with the icons it uses and sometimes with more KML files it links to. A KMZ can also carry a COLLADA .dae model, which is how SketchUp and 3D Warehouse place a building on the map.
This viewer draws the placemarks as a map at real-world scale: longitude and latitude are projected to meters around the data’s own center, so a lot boundary measures in meters. A KMZ that carries a COLLADA model opens as that model, the same way the COLLADA viewer opens a .dae. For other GIS vector data, see the shapefile viewer.
Who Uses KML / KMZ Files?
Anyone who marks things on Google Earth or Google My Maps: land surveyors and notaries sending a property boundary with its corner points, real-estate agents sharing a lot, architects and civil engineers receiving a site outline, hikers, cyclists and pilots exporting GPS tracks, and GIS teams exporting layers from QGIS or ArcGIS for people who do not run GIS software.
Common Use Cases
- Open a property boundary a surveyor sent as a .kmz without installing Google Earth
- Check which placemarks, folders and paths a KML file holds
- Measure a lot or a route in meters on the projected map
- Hide and show folders from the Layers panel
- Convert a site outline to DXF or DWG for a CAD drawing
- Save the map as a vector PDF or SVG for a report
Features
Opens .kml and .kmz
A bare KML document or a zipped KMZ, including a KMZ that holds several KML files or one zipped again for email.
Points, Paths and Outlines
Points, LineStrings, LinearRings, Polygons with holes and MultiGeometry are drawn as a map.
GPS Tracks
Google Earth gx:Track and gx:MultiTrack logs are drawn as paths, one line per track.
Real-World Scale
WGS 84 longitude and latitude are projected to meters around the data’s center, so a lot or a route measures in meters.
Folders as Layers
Each KML folder becomes a layer you can hide or show from the Layers panel.
Placemark Names as Labels
Every placemark’s name is drawn beside it, on its own Names layer so labels can be switched off.
Style Colors Kept
Line, fill and icon colors come from each placemark’s style, through styleUrl, shared Styles and StyleMaps. Fills stay translucent.
3D When Altitude Is Set
Placemarks with an absolute or relative-to-ground altitude open in 3D as lines, surfaces and points at their heights.
KMZ Models Open as Models
A KMZ that carries a COLLADA model, as SketchUp writes for Google Earth, opens as that 3D model.
Export to DXF, DWG, SVG or PDF
Save the map as a DXF or DWG with folders as layers, as SVG, or as a vector or snapshot PDF, plus PNG and JPG.
Nothing Is Uploaded
The file is read and drawn entirely in your browser. No account, no upload, no copy on a server.
Share and Embed
Send a link that opens the map in any browser, or drop the viewer into your own page with one iframe.
Compatibility & Format Notes
Read: Point, LineString, LinearRing, Polygon with holes, MultiGeometry, and Google’s gx:Track and gx:MultiTrack GPS logs. Styles resolve through styleUrl, shared Styles and the normal pair of a StyleMap, with an inline Style on the placemark taking precedence; line, fill and icon colors carry over, and fills are kept translucent so they never hide what lies under them. Folders become layers, and placemark names are drawn as labels on their own Names layer. A KMZ holding several KML documents draws all of them together, and a KMZ zipped again for email is unwrapped.
Altitude counts only when the geometry says it does. With the default altitude mode (clamped to the ground) the file is a flat 2D map. When placemarks use an absolute or relative-to-ground altitude, the file opens in 3D as lines, surfaces and points at their heights; in 3D the shapes are drawn in one neutral color on a single layer, without names or style colors. The extrude setting is not applied.
Not drawn: network links (data fetched from the web), ground, photo and screen overlays (images laid on the map), placemark icons (points are drawn as dots), and Model placemarks that point at a model outside the file. A file that holds only those shows a notice that names what it found.
Embed on Your Website
Add this viewer to your own site with a single line of HTML. Click Embed in the toolbar to generate an embed code, or use the snippet below with your own file URL.
Your Files Stay on Your Computer
Your KML / KMZ files are parsed entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, stored, or shared unless you explicitly click the Share button. Shared files are hosted for 90 days then deleted.
Frequently Asked Questions
▶What is the difference between KML and KMZ?
A KMZ is a zipped KML. The archive holds the main document (usually doc.kml) plus the icons, extra KML files and sometimes a COLLADA model it uses. Both open here: a .kml directly, a .kmz by reading every KML document inside it.
▶Why did my KMZ open as a 3D model?
Because it carries a COLLADA (.dae) model, which is what SketchUp and 3D Warehouse write when they place a building on Google Earth. That KMZ opens as the model itself, with the full 3D export menu. A KMZ with no model inside is drawn as the map.
▶Does it show the satellite imagery under my placemarks?
No. The imagery in Google Earth comes from Google’s servers and is not stored in the file. What the file holds, the points, paths and outlines with their names and colors, is drawn on a plain background at true scale.
▶Can I measure distances on a KML file?
Yes. Longitude and latitude are projected to meters around the center of the data, so Tools → Add measurement reads in real units. The projection is exact enough for lots, sites and routes; across hundreds of kilometers distances drift, as with any flat map.
▶Why does my file show a notice and nothing on the map?
The file has no placemark points, paths or outlines, only a network link to data on the web, an image overlay, or a reference to a model stored somewhere else. The notice lists what it found. Open the file in Google Earth Pro, and save the placemarks you want as a KML.
▶Why is my file flat when the coordinates have heights?
KML ignores the third coordinate unless the geometry sets an altitudeMode of absolute or relativeToGround. The default, clamped to the ground, lays every shape on the terrain, and Google Earth does the same. Files that do set an altitude open in 3D.
▶Is this KML viewer really free?
Yes, completely free. No signup, no watermarks, no file size limits on the viewer (the optional share-link feature has a 100 MB upload cap). Built by Innerscene as a tool for architects, engineers, and designers.
▶Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. All parsing, rendering, and conversion runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded, stored, or transmitted by default. The Share button is the only feature that uploads a file, and only when you explicitly click it.
▶Can I convert to another format?
Yes. A KML map exports from the Export menu to DXF and DWG (the DWG is converted on our server; only the geometry is sent), SVG, vector PDF, snapshot PDF, PNG and JPG, with folders kept as layers in DXF and DWG. KML stores longitude and latitude, so DXF and DWG are projected to the UTM zone that holds the map, in meters, and the status line names the zone. A file that opens in 3D gets the 3D menu (GLB, PLY, VRML, 3DM, STL, OBJ, STEP and more): PLY, OBJ and XYZ are projected to UTM the same way, GLB, VRML and 3DM are local meters centered on the data, and GLB, PLY, VRML and 3DM carry paths as lines, and STL, 3MF, USDZ and STEP carry only the outlines drawn as surfaces.
▶Can I embed this viewer on my own site?
Yes. Click Embed in the toolbar to generate a one-line <iframe> snippet you can paste into any HTML page. You can choose whether the embed shows the viewer’s toolbar.