File Conversion
Convert SHP to GML online
Convert Esri Shapefile — the Esri format used by ArcGIS and QGIS — really a set of files (.shp, .dbf, .prj, …) bundled in a .zip — into Geography Markup Language (GML), which is the OGC XML standard used by INSPIRE and many government open-data portals. Drop your SHP file below, GML is already selected as the output, and download the result. Everything runs in your browser and the cloud; you never install anything.
Upload your file
Drag and drop it into the converter below — no account needed to start.
Convert in the cloud
MapGO detects the format and produces your download in seconds.
Download & keep it
Files are deleted automatically after 48 hours.
Files are deleted automatically after 48 hours. Your files are never shared.
Why convert SHP to GML with MapGO?
Most online converters take one file and hand back one file. MapGO is built on a real geospatial engine, so a single upload can do more:
- Several outputs in one upload — tick GML and any other formats you need; every selected format is delivered from the same file.
- Files up to 5 GB — far beyond the browser-based converters that choke past a few hundred megabytes.
- Reproject while you convert — set a source and target EPSG code and the coordinate system is changed during the conversion, no second tool needed.
- Private by default — files are deleted automatically after 48 hours.
SHP vs GML at a glance
| SHP | GML | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical use | Desktop GIS in ArcGIS/QGIS; the long-time industry exchange format | Government/INSPIRE open-data portals and OGC web services |
| Size on disk | Large — several sidecar files, no compression, 2 GB per-file cap | Very verbose XML |
| Attribute support | Limited: column names max 10 characters, no lists or nesting | Rich, schema-driven attribute definitions |
| Software support | Universal in GIS software; web libraries can’t read it directly | GDAL-based GIS tools; rarely opened directly |
| Web-friendliness | Poor — must be converted before use in a web map | Poor — convert to GeoJSON or FlatGeobuf first |
Other ways to convert SHP to GML
You don't need an online tool for this. If you have GDAL installed, one command does it:
ogr2ogr -f "GML" output.gml input.shpIn QGIS (free): open your SHP via Layer → Add Layer, then right-click the layer → Export → Save Features As… and pick GML as the format.
The MapGO converter above is for when you don't want to install anything, need to convert to several formats at once, or are handling files too large for a desktop machine — drop the file and download the result.
SHP to GML: frequently asked questions
Is the SHP to GML converter free?
Yes — new accounts get free conversion credits to start, and every paid plan converts unlimited files within its size limit. There is nothing to install; the whole SHP-to-GML conversion runs in the cloud.
Is my data kept private?
Conversion is fully automated and your file is never shared. Files are deleted automatically after 48 hours. Download your GML result and it's yours to keep.
How do I upload a shapefile?
A shapefile is several files that belong together (.shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj). Zip them into a single .zip and upload that — MapGO reads all the parts and warns you if a required piece (like the .dbf) is missing.
Why are some of my column names cut off after converting a shapefile?
The shapefile’s .dbf table limits column names to 10 characters, so longer names were already truncated when the shapefile was created. The conversion preserves exactly what the shapefile stores — rename the columns in your GIS before exporting if you need the full names back.
Which tools open the GML output?
GML is the OGC XML standard used by INSPIRE and government data portals; QGIS and anything GDAL-based opens it. It is verbose by design — if the goal is a web map rather than a compliance deliverable, GeoJSON or FlatGeobuf are the better targets.