What Is GPX? GPS Tracks and Waypoints Explained
What is a GPX file and what is it used for? Learn how GPX stores tracks, routes, and waypoints, and how to open or convert GPX online.
GPX (GPS Exchange Format) is an XML-based format commonly used to store GPS data such as tracks, routes, and waypoints. It’s popular with hiking, cycling, and outdoor navigation workflows because it’s easy to share and widely supported.
To preview your data, use the GPX viewer: /open-gpx-online/.
What GPX contains
GPX typically includes:
- Waypoints (
wpt) — individual points like POIs - Routes (
rte) — ordered route points - Tracks (
trk) — recorded track points over time (often with timestamps)
Common use cases
- Reviewing a recorded activity track
- Sharing a trail or route
- Debugging GPS device exports
Limitations
- GPX is usually focused on GPS paths, not complex GIS attribute modeling.
- Different devices may include different fields and metadata.
How to open GPX online
- Go to /open-gpx-online/.
- Upload your
.gpxfile. - Inspect the track and waypoints on the map.
Convert GPX for other workflows
- Convert GPX to GeoJSON: /gpx-to-geojson/
- Convert GPX to GeoPackage: /gpx-to-gpkg/
- Convert GPX to KML: /gpx-to-kml/
Related reading
- Comparison: /blog/gpx-vs-geojson/
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