Garmin IMG
Open BetaGarmin IMG is the navigation map format for Garmin GPS devices (eTrex, Oregon, Drive). The .img is compiled with the mkgmap OSM-to-IMG toolchain bundled in the worker image. The resulting .img opens in Garmin BaseCamp / MapInstall and installs straight onto the device for offline navigation.
Key Features
About Garmin IMG Format
IMG is the format of the vector maps Garmin installs on its devices: eTrex, Oregon, GPSMAP, Edge bike computers, automotive Drive units. It is not a picture but a map with a road graph, so the device will plan a route on it, find an address and warn you about turns — with no internet.
The export is for when the stock map is not enough: in your region the manufacturer only provides rivers and highways, and you need hiking trails, recent development or a district that simply is not in the catalog. OpenStreetMap is updated by the community daily, and a map built from it is often more detailed than the factory one.
On export the selected layers are converted into OSM data and compiled by the mkgmap program — the standard Garmin map building tool the whole community uses. The output is a single gmapsupp.img file with routing, a search index and points of interest; labels are written in UTF-8.
If the server-side build is unavailable for some reason, the export will honestly report an error rather than hand you a file the device will not accept.
What Program Opens Garmin IMG Files
The following programs and applications can open, edit, and work with Garmin IMG (.img) files exported from OSM2CDR:
Format specifications
- Proprietary format
- 2D only
- Lossless (no quality loss)
- Stores feature attributes
- Output: 1 file
- Garmin .img (proprietary). For Garmin GPS handhelds. Generated via mkgmap; Beta status — may fall back to GPX.
Who Uses Garmin IMG Maps
How to Export Garmin IMG
How to Open After Export
- The device directly — connect the Garmin over USB and copy the file into the Garmin folder on the unit or on the microSD under the name gmapsupp.img; after a restart, enable the map in the map settings.
- Garmin BaseCamp (free) — look at the map on your computer and plan routes before you set off.
- Garmin MapInstall — if you have several maps, it installs the selected ones onto the device without wiping the others.
- QMapShack (free) — opens .img on a computer: a convenient way to check the contents before writing it to the device.
- Be careful with the file name — if the Garmin folder already contains a gmapsupp.img, it will be overwritten: rename the old one or install maps through MapInstall.
Popular maps in Garmin IMG
Get Garmin IMG map exports
Download professional Garmin IMG maps from OpenStreetMap. Instant generation, any area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Formats
Frequently Exported Together
Related Articles
OSM maps for Navitel — and what to download for Garmin, OsmAnd, TomTom
Need OSM maps for Navitel? Honestly: we don't produce the native .nm7, but Navitel imports GPX — we show the steps. Plus
formatGarmin IMG — Binary Map Format for Garmin GPS Receivers (mkgmap, OpenStreetMap)
Garmin IMG is Garmin's proprietary binary GPS map format: eTrex/Edge/Oregon/nüvi; mkgmap (Java OSS) converts OSM to IMG,
guideGPX Format: Complete Guide to GPS Tracks
What is GPX, file structure, waypoints and tracks, import to Garmin, OsmAnd and Strava. Route export from OpenStreetMap.