KML to DXF (AutoCAD) converter
Upload your KML file and get DXF, which opens in AutoCAD in a couple of minutes: osm2cdr reads the geometry of your file and hands you a ready DXF straight away. Processing runs on our servers, the result is ready to download as soon as it finishes, and files up to 50 MB are supported. And if you have no file of your own, or need a fresh map of an area, osm2cdr builds DXF straight from the OpenStreetMap map: you simply pick an area on the map, choose the DXF format and download the result with up-to-date OSM data — with layers for buildings, roads, water and features.
How KML differs from DXF
| Format | Extension | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| KML | .kml | GIS | Viewing in Google Earth, geodata sharing, creating tourist routes, presentations |
| DXF | .dxf | CAD | Site plans, engineering surveys, importing maps into AutoCAD, land planning |
How to get DXF on osm2cdr
- 1Select an area on the map on the osm2cdr home page
- 2Choose the DXF format and, if needed, a style and CRS
- 3Click Export and download the ready DXF file
DXF format properties
| Extension | .dxf |
| Type | CAD |
| Purpose | Site plans, engineering surveys, importing maps into AutoCAD, land planning |
When you need DXF
The main scenario is simple: you already have a KML file — upload it and osm2cdr returns DXF, ready to use in a dedicated program (editing, printing, analysis, embedding in a project). The alternative is for when you have no file at hand or need a fresh map of an area: the same DXF is then built straight from up-to-date OpenStreetMap data for your chosen area, split into layers for buildings, roads, water and features.
What changes when going KML → DXF
Drop in a KML file and osm2cdr reads its geometry and returns DXF; and with no file of your own, the same DXF is built straight from the OpenStreetMap map for your chosen area. Either way the data model changes. Going KML → DXF, GIS attribute tables are not carried into the drawing: geometry is laid out across named layers (buildings, roads, water) while coordinate accuracy is preserved. The result targets CAD work, not attribute analysis. osm2cdr builds DXF straight from OpenStreetMap data, so an intermediate KML file is not needed.
Upload your own KML file → DXF
No need to hunt for a third-party converter anymore: drop your KML file in the form above and osm2cdr will read the geometry and hand you a ready DXF. Files up to 50 MB are supported; processing runs on our servers and the result is ready to download as soon as it finishes.
OpenStreetMap and KML to AutoCAD: three ways
A ready drawing from this page is not the only route. The guide compares three: a DXF export from the map builder, import in AutoCAD Map 3D and Civil 3D, and QGIS with ogr2ogr — plus KML and KMZ to DWG.
The DXF format in depth
KML to DXF: Google Earth markup for any CAD program or cutter
DXF is the open, text-based exchange format for drawings. Nearly every CAD package reads it, from AutoCAD and BricsCAD to the free LibreCAD and QCAD, and so do laser-cutting software, plotters and vector editors such as Inkscape. That makes KML to DXF the safe choice when you do not know which program the recipient uses, or when the file must not depend on an AutoCAD release.
People who convert this way include landscape designers who traced a garden over satellite imagery, race directors whose course lives in a KML, and small workshops that laser-cut souvenir maps from outlines drawn in Google My Maps.
Upload a .kml here and the service parses it with GDAL, sorts the features into layers and writes a plain-text DXF with labels kept on a separate layer.
What carries over and what gets lost
Outlines, lines and points come across without simplification, and invalid polygons are repaired. KML has no true curves, only vertex chains, so the DXF contains polylines rather than arcs; how smooth a course looks depends on how densely the points were placed in Google Earth.
The folder tree and styling (colour, width, opacity, icons) are dropped. Features without OSM tags are layered by geometry: areas go to the buildings layer, lines to the roads layer and points to the places layer, while placemark names are written as text on the labels layer. Description and ExtendedData fields are not stored.
The DXF is saved as AutoCAD 2007 (AC1021) so that non-Latin labels stay readable, which means very old programs limited to DXF R12 may refuse it. Coordinates are Web Mercator metres (EPSG:3857), KML altitudes are discarded, and the output is a flat plan.
Step by step
- Export the layer from Google My Maps (layer menu, Export to KML/KMZ, tick the KML option) or from Google Earth with Save Place As.
- Pick the .kml in the form on this page; DXF is preselected.
- Start the conversion and wait for it to finish; unreadable files are rejected on upload.
- Download the .dxf and open it in any CAD program: File, Open in LibreCAD or QCAD, or _OPEN in AutoCAD and BricsCAD.
- Show the whole drawing with _ZOOM then _E in AutoCAD or BricsCAD, or View, Auto Zoom in LibreCAD.
- For a cutter or plotter, switch off the label and point layers, keep only the outlines and use _SCALE to fit them to your material.
Limits
Files up to 50 MB are accepted; if there are more than 200,000 features, the rest are dropped.
Drawing metres are projection metres, not ground metres. Around Valencia (about 39.5° N) lengths are inflated by roughly 1.30 times, and the distortion grows further north.
Balloon descriptions, placemark photos, NetworkLinks and image overlays are ignored; only vector geometry is processed.
Example result
Example: a trail-running course near Valencia drawn in Google Earth, with one long track, a few polygons for the start village and fifteen aid-station placemarks. In the DXF the track becomes a polyline on the roads layer, the polygons become closed outlines on the buildings layer and the aid stations become points on the places layer, with their names on the labels layer. The file can go straight to a print designer or an engraving shop.
FAQ: KML → DXF
Can I upload my KML file?
Yes, now you can: upload your KML file right on this page and osm2cdr will read the geometry and convert it to DXF. Files up to 50 MB are supported. If the data comes from OpenStreetMap, you can skip the upload entirely — we'll export the map straight into DXF.
Is it free?
Yes, exporting an OpenStreetMap map to DXF on osm2cdr is free. Select an area, the DXF format and download the result.
Which programs open DXF?
The DXF format opens in dedicated programs for its category. See the DXF format page for the full list and details.
Why is this better than an online KML → DXF converter?
An online converter caps the result quality at the quality of the source KML file. osm2cdr takes data from the OpenStreetMap source and builds DXF with correct layers directly — with no loss on an intermediate KML file.
Why choose DXF over DWG for a KML?
DXF opens almost everywhere, including free LibreCAD and QCAD, cutting software and Inkscape. DWG is better only if everyone works in AutoCAD.
Will non-Latin labels survive?
Yes. The file is written as AutoCAD 2007 DXF, which stores text as Unicode, whereas old DXF R12 often garbles such characters.
Can I laser-cut from this DXF?
Yes, the outlines arrive as polylines. Hide the label and point layers and scale the geometry before cutting.
Do KML folders become layers?
No. Layers follow geometry type, or OSM tags if your attributes contain them; KML folders are ignored.
Why don't the DXF dimensions match reality?
Coordinates are Web Mercator metres, which stretch with latitude. Reproject the data in a GIS for exact measurements.