Help

Welcome to GPXLAB. This guide explains how to use the application from a user's point of view: how to find places, draw and edit GPS tracks, route between points of interest, import and export tracks, and share them with others.

Quick start

  1. Open https://gpxlab.app in your web browser. No account is needed.
  2. Type a place name (for example a village or mountain) or GPS coordinates into the search box and press Enter. The map will center on the first matching location.
  3. Click on the map to place your first point. If a routing profile is enabled (Car Eco by default), GPXLAB will automatically route between the points.
  4. Keep clicking to add more points. Drag any point or line to adjust the route.
  5. Use the Download button to save your track to a GPS device (GPX, KML, KMZ or GeoJSON).

Interface overview

Top toolbar

Map controls (left side of the map)

Projects (bottom-left of the map)

Map controls (right side of the map)

Status bar (bottom)

Mouse cursor on desktop

On a computer with a mouse and a wide window, GPXLAB draws its own cursor: a small dot exactly under your pointer, with a ring that glides after it and turns blue while a mouse button is held down. Touch devices and narrow windows keep the standard system cursor.

Searching for places

Type anything into the search box: a place name (e.g. "Kasprowy Wierch"), a partial name (the search box suggests results while you type), or raw GPS coordinates (e.g. 49.2901,19.8418). Press Enter or click the highlighted suggestion to jump to that place. Place names come from public geographical data, so the search works worldwide.

Drawing a track

  1. Select the Router tool (the route icon on the right side of the map) — it is already active by default when a routing profile is enabled.
  2. Click on the map to add a point. GPXLAB routes between the points using the selected routing profile.
  3. Keep clicking to add more points. To continue an existing track, click on one of its existing points.
  4. When the route does not fit the terrain, simply drag a point or any part of the line to the place where you want it to go. The rest of the track adjusts automatically.
  5. Click on a track line to cut it at that point — you can then draw alternative branches.
  6. Double-click a point or a track line to delete it (you will be asked to confirm). Double-click an empty spot on the map to add a POI (point of interest).
  7. Press the Delete key to remove a selected element.
  8. Use the Undo button to step back, or Trash to clear the whole map.

A single track can consist of many segments, for example if you explore different routes from the same campsite. If you start drawing from a point that already joins two track segments, GPXLAB starts a separate new track from it, so your existing track stays intact.

Track lines are decorated with small arrows pointing in the direction of travel — the order in which the points were made. When you continue or join an existing track, the new part automatically follows that track's direction of travel, so the arrows stay consistent. If a track runs the wrong way, for example an imported one you would rather follow in reverse, click it and use Reverse direction in its information panel. The arrows can be hidden in Settings.

Inspecting a track

Click on any point or track segment to open an information panel. It shows the name, type and coordinates of the feature, and for tracks the total length and the number of points of the whole track. The panel also offers the following actions:

For tracks, the panel also contains a track color picker: pick a color and all segments of the track are repainted. The color is remembered for the whole project.

Routing

GPXLAB routes tracks with the Brouter engine, which is specifically designed for off-road navigation and uses SRTM terrain data. Choose the profile that matches your means of transport — the router will follow suitable trails, paths and roads.

Street profiles:

Experimental profiles:

The experimental profiles are still being tuned, so expect the occasional unexpected route choice.

If you want to draw a track without automatic routing, select Disable router in the routing profile dropdown — then the track is simply connected between the points you click.

Points and POIs

Points can carry metadata — open the information panel of a point (see "Inspecting a track") and press Edit to set a name, symbol, description, comment or link. This is useful for marking campsites, water sources, viewpoints and similar.

New points are named automatically in sequence: Point 1, Point 2, and so on — new tracks the same way (Track 1, Track 2, ...). You can rename them in the editor or the share modal.

POIs keep their pin icon even when a track passes through them, so they are always visible on the map. A double-click on an empty spot of the map (with the Router tool active) creates a POI at that place. Waypoints contained in an imported GPX or KML file become POIs as well.

The thumbtack button on the right side of the map shows or hides all POIs.

Measuring distances

Select the Measure tool (ruler icon), then click two or more points on the map. GPXLAB draws a line between them and displays the total distance.

Multi-select

Select the Multi-select tool, then drag a box around several points or track segments. All selected elements are highlighted — press the Delete key to remove them all at once.

Your work is saved automatically

GPXLAB saves everything you do — tracks, POIs, track colors, map position, base map, overlays, the active tool and the routing profile — into your active project, in your browser. If you refresh the page or the browser tab is closed, your work is restored exactly where you left it.

Projects

GPXLAB lets you keep several trips side by side as projects. A project is a complete workspace: its own tracks, POIs, uploaded overlays, map position, base map, tool and routing profile.

Settings

The Gear button on the left side of the map opens the Settings dialog. Your choices are remembered and restored when you open GPXLAB again.

The Restore defaults button (bottom of the dialog) returns all settings to their defaults.

Import and export

Upload (top toolbar) imports tracks from files in the following formats:

You can upload several files at once. Each new track is displayed in a color no other track on the map is using, so multiple tracks stay easy to tell apart, and the track name from the file is kept when present. Continuing or merging a track keeps its color. Colors and names are remembered for the whole project, and the color can be changed at any time from the track's information panel. Importing into an empty project also names the project after the file (see Projects).

Download exports the current tracks in the same four formats, or as a PNG image of the current map view (useful for the trip report). Export files are named after the active project, or after the track itself when you export a single track from its information panel.

Sharing a track

Click the Share button, give the track a name (for example "Tatras enduro loop") and press Create share link. GPXLAB uploads the track and generates a link of the form https://gpxlab.app/share/....

Map layers

URL parameters

The map can be preconfigured with URL query parameters, which is useful for bookmarking specific views:

Examples:

Parameters can be combined freely. A choice made in the Settings dialog always wins over the lang, units, coords and arrows parameters.

Using GPXLAB on a mobile device

The web version works in mobile browsers (iOS and Android). GPXLAB is also available as a native mobile app — the app is temporarily removed from the app stores, we will be back soon. In the meantime, add the web version to your home screen:

Downloads also work inside the built-in browsers of chat apps (Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, X) — a file saved from a shared link lands in the device's Downloads app without opening a separate browser.

Tips for using GPXLAB in the field

Support

If you have any questions, found a bug, or would like to suggest a new feature, please use the support form. You can also read the Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use.