Guide · 5 min
How to turn a GPX file into an animated map video
Turn the GPX track from your Garmin, Strava, Komoot or phone into an animated map video in a few minutes, free and in your browser.
Updated
Open the MapAnimate editor, drop your GPX file onto the map, pick a transport and a map style, choose a camera, and press Export to download an MP4 up to 4K. It's free, needs no account, and the file never leaves your computer.
Step by step
- Export a GPX file from your watch, bike computer or app (Garmin Connect, Strava, Komoot, Wikiloc or your phone).
- Open the MapAnimate editor and drop the GPX file onto the map, or use Route → Import file.
- If the track has thousands of points, use Simplify so the line reads well on video.
- Pick a transport (hiking, cycling, running…) and a map style such as Topographic.
- Choose a camera: Follow keeps the marker in frame, Overview shows the whole track.
- Press Export, choose 1080p, 1440p or 4K, and download the MP4.
Where to get your GPX file
Almost every fitness or navigation app can export GPX, the open standard for GPS tracks:
- Garmin Connect: open the activity, use the gear menu and choose Export to GPX.
- Strava: open the activity, click the three dots and choose Export GPX.
- Komoot: open a tour and use Download → GPX.
- Google My Maps / Google Earth: export as KML or KMZ. MapAnimate reads those too.
- Paragliding and gliding instruments: IGC flight logs work as well.
Simplify long tracks
A day of hiking can contain 20,000 GPS points, and that much zig-zag looks noisy on a video. In the Route panel, Simplify removes points that don't change the shape. Simple lines read better on screen: aim for a shape people recognise, not every hairpin bend.
Pick a look that suits the activity
For hikes, treks and ski tours, try Topographic with 3D mountains switched on. For cycling and running, Monochrome keeps the focus on your line. For long journeys, Satellite shows the real landscape.
Camera tips
The Follow camera keeps the transport marker centred and can turn the map so the direction of travel points up. Tilt it to 45–60° with 3D mountains for a flyover feel. Overview frames the whole track and suits short intro clips.
Privacy
Your GPX file is read by your own browser. It's never uploaded, and the video is encoded on your computer, so your home address and training routes stay private.
Ready to animate your trip?
Free, in your browser, no account. MP4 up to 4K.
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