kml 

KML File Extension

Have a problem opening a .KML file? We collect information about file formats and can explain what KML files are. Additionally we recommend software suitable for opening or converting such files.

What is the .KML file type?

The .kml extension stands for 'Keyhole Markup Language' (KML) and is used to flag the KML file format and file type. KML is a versatile XML-based point definition language for three-dimensional (3D) geospatial applications such as Google Earth etc. KML is an international standard by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC).

A .kml file is a plaintext file with a series of tagged statements defining a point, or placemark in the KML syntax. Longitude, latitude and altitude are the three mandatory parameters, and a number of additional properties can be set for a given landmark. For a placemark so defined to be actually visualized, a KML file must be opened with a geospatial application that will render it.



Although a KML file can be opened/modified with any text editor, there are specialized KML editors for the same job. Also, a dedicated XML schema has been developed for KML, and a .kml file can be edited in any XML editor, too.

If a .kml file is distributed along with any resource files, everything is packaged into a single .kmz archive (ZIP).



Software to open or convert KML files

You can open KML files with the following programs: 

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