In this tutorial, we walk you through the process of extracting latitude, longitude, and elevation data from Google Earth Pro and importing it into Excel. The workflow uses Google Earth Pro’s built-in KMZ export and the free online tool GPS Visualizer to convert that KMZ file into a plain-text format that Excel can read.

Note: Google Earth Pro has been free to download since 2015. It does not export directly to CSV or Excel — it exports to KMZ (or KML). The steps below cover the full conversion path.

Step 1: Open Google Earth Pro

Launch Google Earth Pro on your computer. Make sure you have the latest version installed for the best experience. Google Earth Pro is available free of charge from Google’s website.

Step 2: Zoom into Your Area of Interest

Use the zoom controls or the search bar to navigate to the location you want to work with. In this example, we examine the runway at Geneva Airport.

Step 3: Create a Folder for Your Points

Organising your data into folders before adding placemarks makes the export process much cleaner. In the Places panel on the left, right-click Temporary Places, choose Add > Folder, name it Points, and click OK.

Step 4: Add Placemarks to the Folder

Click the Add Placemark button (the yellow pin icon in the toolbar) to drop your first point. Give it a descriptive name such as Point 1 and click OK. Repeat for each additional point, naming them Point 2, Point 3, and so on. Make sure each placemark is saved inside the Points folder you just created.

Step 5: Create a Folder for Polylines (Optional)

If you also need to capture line features — for example, the centreline of a runway — create a second folder. Right-click Temporary Places again, choose Add > Folder, name it Polyline, and click OK.

Step 6: Draw a Polyline (Optional)

Click the Add Path button in the toolbar to draw your line. Click along the route to add vertices, then click OK when finished. You can change the line colour (for example, red) in the Style/Colour tab of the path dialog to make it easier to see.

Step 7: Export Your Data as KMZ

Google Earth Pro does not have a direct CSV or Excel export. Instead, you export to KMZ (a compressed KML file) and then convert it in the next step.

To export your points, right-click the Points folder in the Places panel and choose Save Place As. Select a destination folder on your computer, give the file a name, and click Save. The file will be saved in KMZ format by default. Repeat this for the Polyline folder if you created one.

Step 8: Convert KMZ to Plain Text Using GPS Visualizer

KMZ files cannot be opened directly in Excel. Use the free online tool GPS Visualizer (gpsvisualizer.com) to convert your KMZ file into a tab-delimited plain-text file that Excel understands.

Upload your KMZ files

On the GPS Visualizer homepage, find the Convert a file section. Set the output format to Plain Text. Click Choose Files, navigate to your saved KMZ files, and select them. You can upload both the points and polyline files at the same time.

Add DEM elevation data (optional)

GPS Visualizer can enrich your data with elevation values sourced from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). A DEM is a digital representation of terrain height. If you want elevation data added to your output, set the Add DEM elevation data option to Best available source before converting. Note that this elevation data comes from the DEM source, not directly from Google Earth Pro’s imagery.

Convert and download

Click the Convert button. When the conversion is complete, a download link will appear on the page. Click it to download the plain-text file containing your coordinates.

Step 9: Import the Text File into Excel

Open Excel and create a new blank workbook. Go to the Data tab and click From Text/CSV. Navigate to the downloaded text file, select it, and click Import. Excel will display a preview of the data and automatically detect the tab delimiter used by GPS Visualizer. Click Load to bring the data into your spreadsheet.

Step 10: Clean Up Your Data in Excel

Once the data is loaded, you will see columns for the point name, latitude, longitude, elevation, and possibly other GPS Visualizer metadata fields. Delete any columns you do not need and keep at minimum the name, latitude, and longitude columns. Your coordinates will be in decimal degrees format, which is the standard used by Google Earth Pro and GPS Visualizer.

FAQ

Does Google Earth Pro export directly to CSV or Excel?

No. Google Earth Pro exports placemarks and paths in KMZ or KML format only. To get coordinates into Excel you need an intermediate conversion step, such as using GPS Visualizer as described above. Alternatively, you can right-click a single placemark, open its properties, and manually copy the displayed latitude and longitude — but this is only practical for a small number of points.

What is the difference between KMZ and KML?

KML (Keyhole Markup Language) is an XML-based file format for storing geographic data. KMZ is simply a ZIP-compressed version of a KML file. Both formats are supported by GPS Visualizer and many other GIS tools.

Will the output from GPS Visualizer include UTM coordinates?

GPS Visualizer’s plain-text output includes latitude, longitude, and elevation in decimal degrees and metres. It does not automatically output UTM coordinates. If you need UTM values, you can convert decimal-degree coordinates to UTM using a formula in Excel or an online coordinate converter after importing.

What is a Digital Elevation Model (DEM)?

A Digital Elevation Model is a digital representation of the Earth’s surface showing terrain height. GPS Visualizer can use DEM data to add elevation values to your coordinate output even if your original placemarks did not include altitude information.

Can I convert KML files as well as KMZ files?

Yes. GPS Visualizer accepts both KML and KMZ files. The conversion process is identical.

Why should I clean up my Excel data after importing?

GPS Visualizer includes several metadata columns in its output that are useful for GPS applications but unnecessary for most coordinate analyses. Removing irrelevant columns makes the spreadsheet easier to read and reduces the risk of errors in downstream processing.