Convert KMZ to Shapefile

From Google Earth straight to a complete zipped shapefile. Free, and the file never leaves your browser.

or drop KMZ here

How the conversion works

1
Choose a .kmz file or drop it on the page. The page unzips it in memory and reads the doc.kml inside.
2
Every Placemark becomes a record. Name, description, folder, timestamp and each ExtendedData field become DBF fields, names cut to the format's 10 characters. Points, lines and polygons go to separate shapefiles, because a shapefile holds one class.
3
Download the .zip and add it to QGIS or ArcGIS Pro as a layer.

What the zip contains

One shapefile per geometry class present in the KMZ, each with its five files.

File	What it holds
<name>.shp, .shx	The geometries and their index. A KMZ with only points gives one shapefile; a mixed one gives <name>_points, <name>_lines and <name>_polygons.
.dbf	Fields name, descriptio, folder, timestamp and one per ExtendedData field, as text. Names beyond 10 characters are truncated and made unique.
.prj	GCS_WGS_1984, which is what KML is.
.cpg	UTF-8.

What it does not do

Icons, styles and ground overlays inside the KMZ are ignored: a shapefile has no styling.
A Placemark mixing points and lines in one MultiGeometry has no shapefile type and is skipped, with a notice.
Altitudes are dropped; the output is 2D.
ExtendedData values are written as text fields, since KML does not say which are numbers.
Files up to 50 MB.

Questions people ask

Does my KMZ get uploaded?: No. The archive is unzipped and the shapefile is written in your browser tab. Nothing is sent.
Why did I get three shapefiles?: Because the KMZ mixed points, lines and polygons. A shapefile stores one geometry class, so each got its own file inside the zip.
Can I get a projected shapefile, in UTM for example?: Not from this page: the .prj says WGS 84 because KML is WGS 84. Open the zip in QGIS and Export, Save Features As with the CRS you need.
ArcGIS says the shapefile has no projection.: Check that the .prj file is next to the .shp. It is inside the zip; unzip all five files together.
Does it read Google My Maps exports?: Yes. Each My Maps layer is a KML Folder, kept in the folder field, so you can split the shapefile by layer in QGIS.

Next, open it in QGIS

Every one of these files loads in QGIS in one dialog. Once the points or polygons sit on your imagery, the two TerraLab plugins take over: AI Segmentation detects the objects the file is missing, AI Edit renders a project on the map.

See AI Segmentation See AI Edit