Convert DWG to KMZ or KML

To convert DWG to KMZ or KML, the drawing needs a known coordinate system, because Google Earth places everything by latitude and longitude. Assign that system in QGIS or a civil CAD toolset, then export KML and zip it into KMZ. This site does not write KML; it opens the DWG in your browser so you can check units and layers first.

KML, KMZ, and why location is the hard part

KML is the text format Google Earth reads: points, lines, and polygons in WGS84 latitude and longitude. KMZ is the same file zipped, sometimes with icons and images inside. Converting one to the other is trivial; getting the drawing into KML in the right place is the real work.

Survey and site drawings are usually drawn in a projected grid, such as a State Plane zone in US feet or a UTM zone in meters. The DWG stores the numbers but not the name of that grid. A converter that does not know it either refuses or puts the plan at the wrong spot, often in the ocean near 0° latitude and 0° longitude. Ask the surveyor, or check the drawing's title block and notes, for the coordinate system.

DWG to KML with QGIS

1. In QGIS use Project > Import/Export > Import Layers from DWG/DXF. Select the DWG, name a GeoPackage for the output, and set the source CRS to the drawing's grid.
2. Import. Turn on a satellite basemap (via the XYZ Tiles entry in the Browser panel) and confirm the lines sit on the right streets.
3. Right-click the layer to export and choose Export > Save Features As. Set Format to "Keyhole Markup Language [KML]". QGIS reprojects to WGS84 automatically.
4. In the same dialog set "Name field" to the CAD layer name, so each feature gets a readable label in Google Earth.
5. For KMZ, zip the .kml file and change the extension to .kmz, or open the KML in Google Earth Pro and save it as KMZ from there.

From a civil or mapping CAD toolset

Civil and mapping toolsets for CAD can assign a coordinate system to the drawing and export KML or KMZ from it, keeping layer structure and object data. If you work in those programs daily, this is the quickest path, and the geolocation stays with the DWG for the next export.

A practical shortcut for small jobs: if the drawing is in a local grid with no real coordinates, move and rotate it in QGIS with the Georeferencer or with two known points. That is enough to show a building footprint on Google Earth for a client meeting, though not for setting out.

Online DWG to KMZ converters

Online converters ask you to pick the coordinate system from a list, then return a KMZ. They are quick for a single plan if you already know the system. They upload the drawing, so site plans under confidentiality agreements should stay in local software.

For full GIS work, such as attribute tables and analysis, a shapefile or GeoPackage is a better target; see DWG to SHP.

Check units and layers before you export

Drop the DWG on dwgviewer.app. Measure a lot line or a building wall: if a 30 m frontage reads as about 98, the drawing is in feet, which narrows down the coordinate system. Hide layers in the layers panel to decide which ones belong in Google Earth; text, dimensions, and title blocks usually do not. The file stays in your browser and is not uploaded.

More on the drawing format: what is a DWG file. All other conversions: DWG converter.

Frequently asked questions