Guide
How to open a GPX file on Android
You received a GPX by email or WhatsApp and nothing happens when you tap it. Here is how to open it, see it on a map and use it on the trail.
Why the file does not open
A GPX file is a plain list of GPS points — a track, a route, waypoints. Android ships no app that reads it, so tapping it shows "No app can open this file" or opens it as text. You need an app that understands the format.
Open it in three steps
- Install GPX Atlas from Google Play. It is free and asks for no account.
- Tap the file where you received it — Gmail, WhatsApp, Telegram, Google Drive, your browser's downloads — and choose GPX Atlas. If Android does not offer it, use the file's Share or Open with menu.
- Read the track: it appears on the map with its distance, climb and time. Pull the sheet up for the elevation profile.
The file can also be opened from inside the app with Open a file, or from its web address with Open a URL.
When it still will not open
- The download stopped halfway: download it again; a cut file has no end.
- It is a web page, not a GPX: some sites hand out a page instead of the file. Look for a Download GPX button.
- It has no track: a file with waypoints only shows points, not a line.
- It is another format: KML, KMZ, FIT, TCX and GeoJSON open too — see KML and KMZ on Android.
More detail in Opening files.
Then take it outside
Choose Follow this track to be guided along it, with the distance and climb left and an alert when you leave the path — see Follow a GPX track on a hike.
