File extension
.kmz
KMZ (zipped KML)
.kmz files are zipped KML packages: a ZIP archive that bundles a KML document with the icons, overlays, and models it references.
Known meanings
Formats and reference material for .kmz
KMZ (zipped KML)
ZIP-compressed archive containing a KML file and its supporting resources
Details
Format notes
KMZ (Zipped KML)
KMZ is the packaged form of KML. It is an ordinary ZIP archive with the
.kmz extension that contains a main KML document and, optionally, the files
that document refers to, such as custom icons, ground overlay images, photos,
and 3D models (COLLADA .dae). Packaging everything together makes a map
shareable as one self-contained file and reduces size through compression.
Technical Notes
Because a KMZ is a ZIP file, it starts with the usual ZIP signature PK and
can be opened by renaming it to .zip and extracting it with any archive
tool. By convention the root KML file is named doc.kml, and the files inside
are referenced with relative paths. The format is part of the OGC KML 2.2
standard.
Adoption
KMZ is the default save format for placemarks and tours in Google Earth and is read by most GIS tools, mapping applications, and many GPS and aviation programs. It is often the preferred way to distribute KML that depends on images or models.
Preservation And Security Notes
KMZ is a good choice for preservation when a KML needs its resources, since it keeps them together. Extract and review the contents when archiving, because the contained KML may still point to remote resources that can disappear. As with any ZIP file, tools opening untrusted KMZ files should guard against path traversal in entry names and decompression bombs.
Further Reading
- KMZ archives (Google):
https://developers.google.com/kml/documentation/kmzarchives - KML Reference (Google):
https://developers.google.com/kml/documentation/kmlreference - OGC KML standard:
https://www.ogc.org/standards/kml/