Import guide

How do I import a GPX or KML file into Avenza Maps?

Avenza Maps imports KML, KMZ and GPX as map features — pins, tracks, lines and areas — through the Layers tab or the Map Layers menu. KML and KMZ keep their feature and attribute schema, while GPX arrives as feature data only. Imported features are stored on the device and keep working offline, but they sit on top of a map: the Iceland basemap is a separate georeferenced file you have to download or import yourself.

Checked against Avenza documentation

Take this file
KML

Avenza reads KML with each feature and its attributes intact; a GPX import brings the feature data only. The KML keeps the location name and notes attached to its pin.

Works without signal
Yes

Avenza stores imported map features on the device, and its help centre lists Recently Used, iTunes File Sharing and device storage as import sources that work offline. The map underneath is separate: without a georeferenced Iceland map on the device, the pins sit on a blank background with no roads or coastline.

What to do

  1. Download the KML.
  2. In Avenza Maps, open the Layers tab or the Map Layers menu, choose Import, then pick the KML. The vendor article below has the current iOS and Android taps.
  3. Import while you still have a connection, or copy the file to the device first and use a local import source. Then confirm a georeferenced Iceland map is on the device for the pins to sit on.

Avenza maintains its own step-by-step, and it is the one that stays current when the menus move: Avenza Maps Help — Importing map features (opens in a new tab)

Formats Avenza accepts

  • KML we sell this
  • KMZ
  • GPX we sell this

Worth knowing

  • Map features and basemaps are separate imports. Loading our file does not download Iceland imagery, and downloading a map does not add our waypoints.
  • A GPX arrives as feature data only. If you want the location names and notes carried through as attributes, use the KML.
  • Avenza limits how many custom maps a Plus subscriber can import; feature imports are a different limit from custom maps. Check the current plan page before relying on a large offline library.
  • The menu labels differ between iOS and Android and have moved between releases, so follow the vendor article rather than a copied tap list.
Q&A

Questions about this file

What people ask before importing Avenza Maps.

  • Avenza Maps imports KML, KMZ and GPX as map features — pins, tracks, lines and areas — through the Layers tab or the Map Layers menu. KML and KMZ keep their feature and attribute schema, while GPX arrives as feature data only. Imported features are stored on the device and keep working offline, but they sit on top of a map: the Iceland basemap is a separate georeferenced file you have to download or import yourself.
  • Avenza accepts KML, KMZ, GPX. Every purchase here ships as KML, GPX and GeoJSON, so whichever one you need is already in the download.
  • Avenza stores imported map features on the device, and its help centre lists Recently Used, iTunes File Sharing and device storage as import sources that work offline. The map underneath is separate: without a georeferenced Iceland map on the device, the pins sit on a blank background with no roads or coastline.

Other apps

Get the file

Try the free sample in Avenza Maps first — it imports the same way the paid file does, so you will know inside two minutes whether this works on your setup. Iceland Complete is 121 locations in KML, GPX and GeoJSON, one download, no account.

Get all 121 locations · $29

Sources