Import GPX routes into Google Earth Pro, choose the correct track and altitude options, and fix missing lines, waypoints or rejected files.
To import a GPX flight-planning route into Google Earth Pro, open the desktop application, choose File > Open, select the .gpx file with the GPS file-type filter, and complete the GPS Data Import options. Choose a KML LineString for a clean route line, then save the result from Temporary Places.
How do I open a GPX file in Google Earth Pro?
Use Google Earth Pro's desktop GPS importer rather than the browser edition of Google Earth.
- Check the GPX file: Confirm that it came from a route planner and contains coordinates, not just a list of airport or waypoint names. If you are creating the route yourself, our Little Navmap route creation and export walkthrough explains how to prepare flight-plan data before exporting it.
- Open the file: In Google Earth Pro, select File > Open. Change the file selector to the GPS format, often labelled for
.gpxand.locfiles, if the GPX file is not shown. - Select the display type: In the GPS Data Import dialogue, choose Create KML LineStrings for a simple route line. Choose KML Tracks instead when the GPX contains timestamps that you want to retain.
- Choose the altitude behaviour: Leave Adjust altitudes to ground height disabled if the GPX contains meaningful aircraft altitudes. Enable it when you only need a terrain-following plan view.
- Locate the imported route: Expand the new folder in the Places panel. Depending on the GPX contents and Google Earth Pro build, its routes, tracks and waypoints may appear in separate subfolders.
- Save the result: Move the imported folder from Temporary Places into My Places, or right-click it and use Save Place As to create a KML or KMZ backup.
Which GPS import option should I choose?
For most flight-planning routes, KML LineStrings provide the clearest result without adding time-based track data.
| Import option | Choose it when | Effect on a flight route |
|---|---|---|
| KML LineStrings | You need a clean route overlay | Connects the imported coordinates as a straightforward line |
| KML Tracks | The GPX contains timestamps or recorded movement | Preserves time-related track information and may support playback |
| Adjust altitudes to ground height | You only need a flat planning overlay | Places the route against the terrain and discards its airborne vertical presentation |
Selecting both LineStrings and Tracks can create two apparently identical routes. If you see duplicate lines, disable one imported layer or repeat the import with only the format you need.
Why does the GPX route show only waypoints?
A GPX file containing independent waypoints but no route or track will produce placemarks rather than a connected line.
- Waypoint-only export: A file built from
<wpt>elements contains separate locations. Re-export it as a GPX route or track so it includes ordered<rte>or<trk>data. - The line is outside the current view: Right-click the imported folder or route and select Zoom To. Also confirm that its checkbox is enabled in the Places panel.
- The file is hidden by the Open dialogue: Select the GPS file filter or the all-files option. Do not rename
.gpxto.kml; the formats contain different XML structures. - The route is rejected: The GPX may be malformed or may use planner-specific extensions that Google Earth Pro does not understand. Re-export a standard GPX file, or convert it properly to KML and follow our KML import procedure for Google Earth Pro.
- Google Earth becomes sluggish: A recorded track can contain thousands of closely spaced points. Export a simpler route or reduce the track-point count in the originating planner.
Will Google Earth Pro preserve flight-plan altitudes and airways?
Google Earth Pro preserves supported GPX coordinates and may retain elevation or time data, but it does not understand a flight plan as an aviation navigation database does.
GPX elevation values are normally expressed in metres, but their appearance depends on the import option and Google Earth's altitude mode. A GPX file without elevation data cannot reproduce cruise levels, step climbs or procedure altitude constraints. Terrain display should also not be treated as an obstacle-clearance source.
Airway names, SID and STAR logic, speed constraints, runway transitions and simulator-specific aircraft data may be omitted or treated as ordinary text. Google Earth joins the supplied coordinates; it does not calculate or validate the route between them. Straight segments between fixes are therefore normal.
How do I keep or share the imported route?
Save the imported folder as KML or KMZ after checking its line, waypoint and altitude settings.
KML is convenient when you want an editable text-based file, while KMZ packages the same Google Earth content into a compressed file and can include associated resources. Saving also prevents a route left only in Temporary Places from being lost when that temporary content is cleared.