QuickMapTools

KML to PDF

Convert KML files to PDF format

🔒 All processing happens locally in your browser. Your files never leave your device.

Converting KML to PDF

A KML or KMZ from Google Earth holds placemarks, paths and polygons — a site boundary, a survey route, a set of asset locations. Turning that into a PDF gives you a fixed document you can email to a client, attach to a permit application, or print for the field, without asking the recipient to install Google Earth or know what a KML is.

The conversion runs GDAL's PDF driver in your browser and draws your KML geometry directly into the page. Two things are worth knowing before you start: the PDF contains your vector features, not a screenshot of Google Earth, so there is no satellite or street background behind them; and because KML is always in WGS 84, the geometry lands in the right place without you choosing a coordinate system. Your file never leaves your device.

Related: KML to Excel · KML Viewer · Measure KML · All KML tools

About KML

KML (Keyhole Markup Language) is an XML-based format for geographic data, originally developed for Google Earth. It supports vector features, styles, and placemarks, and is widely used for sharing data in Google Earth, Google Maps, and many navigation applications.

You might convert from KML when you need to work with the data in a GIS that does not natively support KML styles (e.g., ArcGIS or QGIS in analysis mode), when you need to perform spatial operations that require GeoJSON or Shapefile, or when you want to publish the data as web tiles.

Frequently asked questions

Does the PDF include a map or satellite background?

No. The PDF contains the vector geometry from your KML — the lines, points and polygons themselves — drawn on a blank page. No basemap imagery is fetched or embedded, because the conversion runs entirely in your browser with no calls out to a tile service. If you need your features shown over imagery, take a screenshot from Google Earth instead, or bring the data into a desktop GIS and export a laid-out map.

Can I convert a KMZ file to PDF directly?

Yes. KMZ is a ZIP-compressed KML, and it is read directly — there is no need to unzip it or rename it to .kml first. Note that any images bundled inside a KMZ (custom placemark icons, ground overlays) are not drawn into the PDF; only the vector geometry is.

Is the resulting PDF georeferenced?

GDAL writes coordinate information into the PDF where the source carries a coordinate reference system, and KML always does — it is WGS 84 (EPSG:4326) by specification. That makes the output a geospatial PDF, which GIS-aware readers can use to report coordinates. Ordinary PDF viewers simply show it as a normal document.

Will my placemark names and descriptions appear in the PDF?

The PDF is a drawing of your geometry rather than an attribute report, so do not rely on it to carry the full attribute table across. If you need the names, descriptions and other fields as readable data, convert your KML to Excel or CSV instead — those formats are built for attributes.

Will KML styles be preserved in the output?

Style information (fill colour, stroke, icon) is KML-specific and is generally not preserved when converting to formats like GeoJSON or Shapefile. If styles matter, consider exporting from Google Earth in a format that supports attribute-based styling.

What happens to KML folders and placemarks?

KML folders become features with a "folder" attribute. Placemark names and descriptions are preserved as feature properties in the output format.

Can I convert KMZ files?

KMZ is a ZIP-compressed KML file. Rename the .kmz extension to .zip, extract the .kml file inside, then upload the .kml file to the converter.

Need to convert multiple KML files?

Use our batch KML to PDF converter to process dozens or hundreds of files in a single run — Pro feature, files never leave your browser.