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Convert Shapefile to GeoPackage Online — Free GIS Converter

Convert Shapefile to GeoPackage (.gpkg) — the modern single-file replacement with no field-name limits, multi-layer support, and full CRS flexibility.

Updated May 2026

Shapefiles are everywhere in GIS, but they carry decades of technical debt — 10-character field names, no datetime support, 2 GB size limits, and a multi-file bundle that breaks when any component is missing. GeoPackage solves all of those problems in a single modern file — convert your Shapefile .zip to .gpkg with geodata.plus.

Why convert Shapefile to GeoPackage?

GeoPackage is the OGC's official modern replacement for Shapefile, and QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, and the entire GDAL ecosystem support it fully. The most immediate benefit of converting is the elimination of the 10-character field name limit: if your Shapefile has truncated column names like pop_den_10 that were originally population_density_2010, the GeoPackage can store the full name. If your dataset has datetime columns that Shapefile couldn't store properly, GeoPackage handles them natively. And if you need to combine multiple Shapefile layers into one portable file for distribution or offline use, GeoPackage does that too.

QGIS now defaults to GeoPackage for all new data creation and recommends migrating existing Shapefile workflows to GPKG. This conversion is the first step in that modernization.

Why use geodata.plus

  • Free tier — convert up to 3 files per month at no cost, no credit card required
  • Automatic CRS detection — reads the .prj file from your Shapefile ZIP and stores the correct EPSG definition in the GeoPackage's gpkg_spatial_ref_sys table
  • Optional reprojection — reproject to any EPSG code before download to match your project's target CRS
  • Browser-based — no QGIS, SQLite, or GDAL install needed; works on any modern browser
  • Encrypted transfer — all uploads use TLS; files are stored temporarily in Cloudflare R2 and automatically deleted on schedule
  • Auto-deleted output — output files are automatically deleted after 2 days (free tier) and 7 days (Pro); no manual cleanup needed

How it works

  1. Upload your Shapefile as a .zip archive containing the .shp, .shx, .dbf, and .prj files
  2. geodata.plus detects the format and reads the CRS from the .prj file
  3. Select GeoPackage as the output format; optionally choose a target EPSG code for reprojection
  4. Download your .gpkg file, ready to open in QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, or any GDAL-based application

Shapefile format

Shapefile is Esri's legacy multi-file vector format, dominant in GIS data distribution since the 1990s. Its DBF attribute table limits field names to 10 characters, cannot store true datetime values (only date), and has a per-component file size ceiling of 2 GB. Each Shapefile stores exactly one geometry type. Despite these limitations, it remains the most universally accepted vector format.

| Property | Value | |---|---| | Extension | .shp + .shx + .dbf + .prj (delivered as .zip) | | Type | Vector, multi-file bundle | | Coordinate system | Any CRS (stored in .prj) | | Geometry types | Point, Polyline, Polygon, MultiPoint (one type per file) | | Common software | ArcGIS, QGIS, Tableau, AutoCAD Civil 3D, government portals |

GeoPackage format

GeoPackage (GPKG) is an OGC open standard built on SQLite 3. It stores vector features, spatial indexes, CRS metadata, and optionally raster tile sets in a single portable file. Its SQLite foundation enables SQL queries, ACID transactions, and proper column typing — integers, floats, text, blobs, and datetimes are all first-class citizens. Multiple named vector layers can coexist in one GeoPackage file. The format is supported natively by QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, GDAL, PostGIS, and virtually every modern GIS tool.

| Property | Value | |---|---| | Extension | .gpkg | | Type | Vector (and raster), single file (SQLite) | | Coordinate system | Any CRS (stored in gpkg_spatial_ref_sys table) | | Geometry types | Point, LineString, Polygon, MultiPoint, MultiLineString, MultiPolygon, GeometryCollection | | Common software | QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, GDAL/OGR, mobile GIS, offline workflows |

Frequently asked questions

Will converting from Shapefile to GeoPackage restore my original field names if they were truncated?

No. The 10-character truncation happens when a Shapefile is created, and the original names are not stored anywhere in the file. geodata.plus carries the truncated DBF column names into the GeoPackage as-is. If you know the intended full names, you can rename the columns in QGIS's field calculator after conversion. GeoPackage imposes no limit on column name length, so renaming is straightforward.

Does the GeoPackage output include a spatial index?

Yes. geodata.plus builds an RTree spatial index on the geometry column during conversion, which is written into the GeoPackage's rtree_{table}_{geom} tables per the OGC GeoPackage specification. QGIS and ArcGIS Pro use this index automatically when you zoom to a bounding box, making queries and rendering significantly faster than the equivalent Shapefile, especially for large feature counts.

Can I open the converted GeoPackage in older versions of ArcGIS Desktop (not ArcGIS Pro)?

GeoPackage support in ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap) was introduced with version 10.2.2. If you are using an older release, you may need to install the ArcGIS GeoPackage extension or use ArcGIS Pro instead. ArcGIS Pro natively supports GeoPackage in all recent versions without any additional configuration.

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