📦

KMZ (Compressed KML)

Open Beta

.kmz · application/vnd.google-earth.kmz

KMZ is the compressed version of KML for Google Earth. Includes all geodata in a single compact file, convenient for emailing and uploading.

Export KMZ now ✨ Open Beta — free, no limits

Key Features

✓Compact compressed format

✓Full Google Earth compatibility

✓Includes styles and icons

✓Single file for everything

Example KMZ export (central Moscow, 1x0.5 km) — Example: central Moscow, ~1×0.5 km, medium detail

About KMZ Format

KMZ is the same KML packed into a ZIP archive. Inside sits a doc.kml file, along with icons and images if needed. Google Earth and GIS programs work with it exactly as with ordinary KML — nothing has to be unpacked.

The point of the format is weight and integrity. Textual KML compresses several times over, so the file is easier to send by email, put in the cloud or hand to a client. And it is a single file instead of a set: nothing gets lost along the way.

The contents match the KML export completely: layers laid out in folders, OSM tags in the ExtendedData block, coordinates in WGS84, buildings extruded into volume by the heights from the tags, and the other layers pressed to the ground.

It opens in Google Earth, Google My Maps, QGIS and ArcGIS. If you need to look inside, the file can be renamed to .zip and unpacked with any archiver — what you get is ordinary KML.

What Program Opens KMZ Files

The following programs and applications can open, edit, and work with KMZ (Compressed KML) (.kmz) files exported from OSM2CDR:

🌐Google Earth 🌐Google Maps 🌎QGIS 🌎ArcGIS

Format specifications

Open standard
3D coordinates supported
Lossless (no quality loss)
Stores feature attributes
Output: 1 file
Compressed KML (.kmz = zip of KML + assets). Smaller download than KML; same Google Earth / ArcGIS / QGIS support.

Who Uses KMZ Maps

🏗

Google Earth

One compact file opens with a double click, with all its layers and labels.

💻

File sharing

A compressed archive travels easily by email or messenger with no loss of content.

📊

Offline maps

The whole export sits locally and opens without the internet.

🎨

Presentations

A ready file for showing the territory to a client on their own computer.

How to Export KMZ

Select area

Draw a rectangle or polygon on the interactive map at osm2cdr

Choose KMZ

Select KMZ (Compressed KML) from the list of 127 available export formats

Export

Click Export and receive your .kmz file in 1-5 minutes

Download

Download the ready KMZ file and open it in Google Earth

How to Open After Export

Google Earth Pro (free) — double-click the .kmz and the map opens right away with all its layers.
Google My Maps — Import takes KMZ just like KML: you get a web map with a link.
QGIS (free) — Add Vector Layer, pick the .kmz: GDAL reads the archive directly, no unpacking needed.
Looking inside — rename the file to .zip and unpack it: inside you will find doc.kml, which can be edited in a text editor.

Popular maps in KMZ

Free

Get KMZ (Compressed KML) map exports

Download professional KMZ maps from OpenStreetMap. Instant generation, any area.

Free / export

Export KMZ now →

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I unzip a KMZ file? ▼

Is KMZ smaller than KML? ▼

How do the contents of KMZ differ from KML? ▼

Do all programs understand KMZ? ▼

Can KMZ be edited by hand? ▼

Compare with Other Formats

⚖ KML vs KMZ ⚖ KMZ vs KML

Related Formats

Frequently Exported Together

KMZ+🌍KML 🗺GPX 💻GeoJSON

tutorial