File Extension/KML
alphabetical list of extensions

File extension .KML

File description

KML is a format that displays geographic data in an Earth browser. Google Earth and Google Maps use these files to pinpoint locations. This file was created for Google Earth that was going to be named Keyhole Earth Viewer. It has since expanded passed other projects besides Google Earth such as Marble. KML has some of the same structure as GML. KML was tailored to Google Earth and is a language for the visualization of geographic information while GML is a language meant to encode geographic content.

GML stands for Geographic Markup Language. GML is used as a modeling language for other geographic systems on the internet.

Description of the problem
If you have on your computer a .KML file that you cannot open, you are in exactly the same situation as thousands of other people who have similar problems with this or any other unknown file.

There may be several reasons why you cannot open the file with .KML extension. Directly on this website you can find a solution of the most common problem with the .KML file – that you do not have on your computer the appropriate program to open the file.
Solution
From the list below, select the appropriate program, install it and double click on the icon of a file that did not want to open - the problem with the .KML file extension should be solved. However, if this does not happen, go back to the website to learn about other possible causes of the error, which have been described at the bottom of the website.
Category
GIS Files
Developer
N/A
Popularity
StarStarStarStarStar
File name: Keyhole Markup Language File
Programs that will open this file:
Windows
Windows
Global Mapper Global Mapper
Google Earth Google Earth
GPSBabel GPSBabel
Keyhole PRO Keyhole PRO
MAPC2MAPC MAPC2MAPC
Merkaartor Merkaartor
Mac OS
Mac OS
Google Earth Google Earth
Keyhole PRO Keyhole PRO
Linux
Linux
Google Earth Google Earth
Merkaartor Merkaartor
Remember!
The .KML file extension can correspond to several not related file formats. If there is more than one file format with the .KML extension, you will probably find most of them at this website. Remember that you need to download a program to support a particular file type. So first look through the entire contents of the website to select a program to support just the file you have.

Other possible reasons why your .KML file does not want to open

In addition to the problem described above, i.e. the lack of the appropriate application to support the .KML file, there may be several reasons that cause problems with opening and operation of the data format:

1. Incorrect version of the installed application

A quite common problem is the lack of application in the appropriate version. Even if you have an application, with the help of which you should open the .KML file, you may have a problem with it because of its version. Perhaps in previous versions the application has not yet supported the .KML file, so download the update and check again.

2. Incorrect .KML file association with the program

If you have already installed the appropriate application, and it is the correct version, the file may not open correctly, because the operating system does not have information that this program supports the file. So you need to "show" which program the computer should use. To do this:

  • Right-click the .KML file
  • Go to the "Open with" - then "Choose default program ..."
  • Locate the appropriate application
  • Click "OK"

3. The file is corrupt

It also happens that the file you want to open is corrupt and therefore there is no such possibility. In this situation, you should find its different version, or ask a person from whom you got, to send it again.