What is a GPX File?
A GPX file is a format that enables the storage and processing of GPS data (geodata). You can use our app to record your own GPS data and upload the tracks you have created to our platform in order to then share your routes with others. You can also download the data for existing routes.
How do I download a GPX file?
Using the app:
- iOS: Open the route you are interested in ⇒ select "Export GPX" ⇒ "Export" in the lower line. You can now choose whether you want to forward the GPX file via a provider, copy it or save it in your data.
- Android: Open the route you are interested in ⇒ select "More" ⇒ select "Export GPX" ⇒ the GPX file is now downloaded. You can find these files in the download folder of your smartphone or, from Android 11 on, via the path: /Android/Data/com.outdooractive.Outdooractive/Files/gpx. The file is stored in this folder, but presumably most file managers cannot easily access the folder, as Android prevents that. But it should always be accessible from the PC.
We recommend: After downloading the GPX track, a snackbar with the "Share" option appears in the app which allows you to share the downloaded file for further use. For example, you can choose Google Drive and upload the file there or select a third party file manager to save the GPX file in your preferred location.
For both operating systems, a GPX file cannot be downloaded until the route/track/plan has been successfully synchronized with our server.
Using the web version:
Open the desired route ⇒ select "GPX" in the top right (if necessary under "more" = the three points) ⇒ if the download does not start automatically, you can trigger it manually.
How do I upload / import a GPX file to the PC?
This is done by first opening the Route Planner, after which you click on the "Import GPX" button. Select your file and then click "Import" to upload the file. Larger files might take a while to upload and display and so a little patience may be required.
Only one GPX file can be uploaded per route. If you want to combine several GPX files into one, please use this external program.
How do I open a GPX track in the app?
To open a GPX file with our app, you will first need to import it using one of the following options:
- Open the Route Planner in the app, tap on the button "A, B, C" in the top right corner of the map, and then on "Import GPX".
- You can send the track to yourself by email. Open the attachment from your smartphone and select our app via "Open with ...". The track is saved under "My Routes".
- You can also save the track by downloading it directly from our website. All you have to do is open the page in a browser, select the route you want and download the GPX file.
- The final option is to download the track via Dropbox and import it into our app.
Why is a .gpx file type not created when downloading a GPX file?
This is a bug that mainly occurs with a Firefox browser on Windows 10. When downloading the GPX file- the name of which contains special characters- Firefox will abbreviate the title to the first special character and in doing so fails to adopt ".gpx" as the correct file extension. This means that file will not be recognized as a GPX file by not just the PC, but also by many GPS devices.
Solution: It is best to use Chrome as your browser when downloading a GPX file. This does recognize special characters to create the ".gpx" extension. Alternatively, you can add a ".gpx" to the end of the downloaded file's name so that the it is recognized as a GPX file.
