Convert KML to DXF Online — Free GIS Converter

Convert KML files into DXF — the CAD interchange format used by AutoCAD, Civil 3D, MicroStation, and every major engineering and surveying application.

Why convert KML to DXF?

Engineers, surveyors, and architects routinely receive KML files from clients, planners, or GIS departments as a way to communicate site boundaries, infrastructure routes, or land parcel locations. But CAD software doesn't read KML — it speaks DXF (Drawing Exchange Format). Converting KML to DXF bridges the gap between GIS spatial data and CAD design workflows, letting Civil 3D or MicroStation users import boundaries directly as polylines and points rather than manually tracing coordinates.

This conversion is especially common in land development, road design, utility routing, and environmental site assessment, where a planner marks a project boundary in Google Earth and sends the KML to an engineering firm that needs it in AutoCAD.

Why use geodata.plus

• Free tier: convert up to 3 files per month at no cost
• Reprojection support — convert WGS 84 KML coordinates to a local projected CRS before export
• KML geometry types mapped to DXF entities (points, polylines, closed polylines for polygons)
• Browser-based — no AutoCAD, QGIS, or FME license required
• Encrypted upload (TLS); files stored in Cloudflare R2, automatically deleted after 2 days (free) or 7 days (Pro)
• Output is a single clean .dxf file compatible with AutoCAD 2000 and later

How it works

1. Upload your KML file to geodata.plus
2. geodata.plus parses all KML geometry and attribute data
3. Select DXF as the output format; select a projected CRS (e.g., UTM, State Plane, or national grid) — DXF works best in local coordinates
4. Download your .dxf file — ready to open in AutoCAD or Civil 3D

KML format

KML is an XML-based vector format used by Google Earth and Google Maps. It stores geometry with rich styling and always uses WGS 84 geographic coordinates (degrees of latitude and longitude). The format is not natively readable by CAD applications.

| Property | Value | |---|---| | Extension | .kml | | Type | Vector, single-file XML | | Coordinate system | WGS 84 (EPSG:4326) only | | Geometry types | Point, LineString, Polygon, MultiGeometry | | Common software | Google Earth, Google Maps, ArcGIS, QGIS |

DXF format

DXF (Drawing Exchange Format) is an ASCII and binary CAD interchange format developed by Autodesk. It encodes geometric entities — points, lines, polylines, arcs, circles, blocks — in a structured text file that any CAD application can import. DXF has no native concept of a coordinate reference system; it assumes the drawing is in whatever local or projected coordinate space the CAD project uses. All KML polygon rings are written as closed polylines in the DXF output.

| Property | Value | |---|---| | Extension | .dxf | | Type | Vector, single-file CAD | | Coordinate system | None (project/local coordinates assumed) | | Geometry types | Point, Polyline, Closed Polyline (polygon boundary), Block | | Common software | AutoCAD, Civil 3D, MicroStation, BricsCAD, surveying software |

Frequently asked questions

Should I reproject before exporting to DXF? Yes — this is strongly recommended. DXF coordinates are dimensionless numbers and CAD applications expect them in a planar (projected) coordinate system, not decimal degrees. Opening a DXF with latitude/longitude values in AutoCAD will produce a drawing that appears correct numerically but will be severely distorted in shape because degrees of longitude are not equal to degrees of latitude in distance. Choose a projected CRS appropriate to your location (e.g., EPSG:32618 for UTM zone 18N) during conversion.

Will KML attribute data (names, descriptions) appear in the DXF? DXF entity attributes are handled differently from GIS properties. KML <name> values are written as DXF entity handles or block attribute text, and <ExtendedData> fields may be stored as extended entity data (XDATA). In practice, most engineers work with DXF geometry and manage attributes in a separate data source or CAD annotation. Do not rely on full attribute fidelity between KML and DXF.

Can I bring the DXF back into a GIS system after editing in AutoCAD? Yes. DXF is a two-way interchange format. After editing in AutoCAD or Civil 3D, you can convert the DXF back to GeoJSON, Shapefile, or GeoPackage using geodata.plus. Ensure the drawing is still in the same projected CRS you used during the original KML → DXF conversion so coordinates remain aligned.