Convert DMS to decimal degrees
Paste coordinates in degrees, minutes and seconds and the table gives them in decimal degrees: 40°41'21.12"N 74°02'40.20"W, the Statue of Liberty, is 40.6892, -74.0445. It works the other way too: paste decimal degrees and read the degrees, minutes and seconds column.
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Guide
How it works, formats and limits.
About this tool
Paste coordinates in degrees, minutes and seconds and the table gives them in decimal degrees: 40°41'21.12"N 74°02'40.20"W, the Statue of Liberty, is 40.6892, -74.0445. It works the other way too: paste decimal degrees and read the degrees, minutes and seconds column.
How to do it
- From and To are both WGS 84, latitude and longitude, so nothing needs to be chosen. The page reads degrees, minutes and seconds and decimal degrees alike.
- Paste the coordinates, one point per line, latitude first: 40°41'21.12"N 74°02'40.20"W. Spaces instead of symbols work (40 41 21.12 N 74 02 40.20 W), and so do decimal minutes (40°41.352'N 74°02.670'W). Without letters, use a minus sign for south and west.
- Read the latitude and longitude in decimal degrees, and the Degrees, minutes, seconds column next to them. Copy the results or download them as CSV, and check each point on the map.
Worked examples
Three points converted with this tool, written in degrees, minutes and seconds.
| Place | Input | Result |
|---|---|---|
| New York, Statue of Liberty | 40°41'21.12"N 74°02'40.20"W | 40.6892000, -74.0445000 |
| London, Big Ben | 51°30'02.52"N 0°07'28.56"W | 51.5007000, -0.1246000 |
| New Delhi, India Gate | 28°36'46.44"N 77°13'46.20"E | 28.6129000, 77.2295000 |
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to what people ask most.
What is the formula from DMS to decimal degrees?
Decimal degrees = degrees + minutes / 60 + seconds / 3600. For 40°41'21.12" that is 40 + 41 / 60 + 21.12 / 3600 = 40.6892. South latitudes and west longitudes are negative, so 74°02'40.20" W becomes -74.0445.
How do I convert decimal degrees to degrees, minutes and seconds?
Keep the whole number as degrees, multiply the remainder by 60 and keep the whole number as minutes, then multiply what is left by 60 for the seconds. 40.6892 gives 40°, then 0.6892 x 60 = 41.352, so 41', then 0.352 x 60 = 21.12". Paste 40.6892, -74.0445 here and the Degrees, minutes, seconds column shows 40°41'21.12"N 74°02'40.20"W.
Which one does Google Maps use?
Google Maps shows and accepts decimal degrees, latitude first: 40.6892, -74.0445. It also understands degrees, minutes and seconds when you type them in the search box. Most GIS software, spreadsheets and GPS exports work best with decimal degrees, which is why this conversion comes up so often.
How precise is a decimal degree?
One degree of latitude is about 111 km. Four decimals are about 11 m, five about 1.1 m and six about 11 cm. One second of arc is about 31 m, so seconds with two decimals, as on this page, are good to about 30 cm.
What about degrees and decimal minutes?
Marine and aviation GPS units often show 40°41.352'N. Paste it as it is: the page reads decimal minutes and returns decimal degrees. To do it by hand, divide the minutes by 60 and add them to the degrees: 41.352 / 60 = 0.6892.