How do I load a GPX file of waypoints onto a Garmin?
Take the GPX — Garmin handhelds do not read KML. Connect the unit to a computer by USB and copy the .gpx file into a folder on the device: the NewFiles folder imports the waypoints into the unit's saved data, while the GPX folder is used for geocaches and for GPX data displayed as its own list. Newer units can instead sync from the Garmin Explore app. Check your model's waypoint limit before you copy a large file across — some are lower than you would expect.
A Garmin handheld reads GPX. The KML and GeoJSON we also send you are of no use on this device.
A Garmin handheld is the most genuinely offline device on this page: the waypoints are stored on the unit and it holds a GPS fix with no phone, no signal, and no battery anxiety.
What to do
- Download the GPX.
- Connect the Garmin to a computer by USB so it mounts as a drive.
- Copy the .gpx file into the NewFiles folder to import the waypoints, or into the GPX folder to keep it as its own list. Which folder your model wants is in its manual.
- Eject the device and check the waypoints arrived before you rely on them.
Garmin maintains its own step-by-step, and it is the one that stays current when the menus move: Garmin — Transferring GPX files to your device (eTrex SE / Solar manual) (opens in a new tab)
Formats Garmin accepts
- GPX we sell this
Worth knowing
- Waypoint limits are per model and can be low. Garmin's eTrex SE and eTrex Solar manual states the unit imports up to 50 GPX waypoints, and holds up to 30 GPX files in the GPX folder — our full catalogue is larger than that, so on a device with that limit, load a single category rather than the complete set.
- Folder names differ between models and eras. Treat NewFiles and GPX as the two to look for, and confirm against the manual for your own unit.
Questions about this file
What people ask before importing Garmin handhelds.
- Take the GPX — Garmin handhelds do not read KML. Connect the unit to a computer by USB and copy the .gpx file into a folder on the device: the NewFiles folder imports the waypoints into the unit's saved data, while the GPX folder is used for geocaches and for GPX data displayed as its own list. Newer units can instead sync from the Garmin Explore app. Check your model's waypoint limit before you copy a large file across — some are lower than you would expect.
- Garmin accepts GPX. Every purchase here ships as KML, GPX and GeoJSON, so whichever one you need is already in the download.
- A Garmin handheld is the most genuinely offline device on this page: the waypoints are stored on the unit and it holds a GPS fix with no phone, no signal, and no battery anxiety.
Other apps
Get the file
Try the free sample on your Garmin 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 · $49