How to open GPX files on PC
It is your intention open GPX files on a computer equipped with the operating system Windows, I advise you to rely on free software GPXSee: it allows, in a few clicks, to view the content of the tracks contained in the aforementioned file types, using maps both online and offline.
To use it, connected to the program's website, click on the button Download located at the top and wait for the installation file to be downloaded to your computer. Once the download is complete, start the application you just downloaded (eg. GPXSee-6.3), presses the buttons Yes, Next, I Agree, yet Next two more times and, to complete the setup, click on the buttons install e Close.
At this point, start the program GPXSee calling it up from the menu Home Windows (accessible via the icon in the shape of pennant located in the lower left corner of the screen), enters the menu File> Open (or press the key combination Ctrl + A) and, with the help of the File Explorer, select the GPX file you want to open.
To get a better view of the routes and information stored in the file, I recommend that you go to the menu map and to select the display using Open Street Map: completed this operation, double click on the points of the track to enlarge the map and view the details of the route, times, altitudes and all other information saved in the file in question. Alternatively, you can get the same result using the mouse wheel.
If necessary, you can modify the map display parameters (add / remove points of interest, modify the time and route display parameters, and so on) using the menu items (POI, Data and Settings) located at the top of the program.
When you are done, you can export the map containing the information of the GPX file in a convenient PDF file: to do this, you simply have to go to the menu File > Export to PDF… and select the path to save the resulting file.
How to open GPX files on Mac
You didn't find the steps above helpful, as you have a Mac and not a computer with Windows? Don't worry, since GPXSee, the program that I pointed out a moment ago, is also compatible with Apple-branded computers and works in a very similar way to what we have seen above.
So, first of all, connected to the dedicated page on Sourceforge, press the button Download Now and wait for the file (eg. GPXSeexx.dmg) is downloaded to the Mac, then start the file you just obtained and drag the file GPXSee in the folder Applications say macOS.
At this point, right click on the file you just copied, select the item apri from the proposed menu and, to start the program with GateKeeper authorization, click on the button apri and that's it: to immediately view the GPX track within the program, press the button Open and select the file of your interest, helping you with the panel Finder shown on the screen.
I advise you, then, to use Open Street Map to consult the graph: to do so, click on the menu map located at the top of the program window and select the item Open Street Map. If you wish, you can change the program and data display settings in the map using the menus POI, Data and Settings and, again, you can export the entire chart to a PDF file by accessing the menu File > Export to PDF…
How to open GPX files from browsers
You don't intend to install any kind of program but would like to anyway open GPX files on the computer at your disposal? Then you can turn to a web application like wTracks: all you have to do, in this case, is to go to the main page of the service using the browser you prefer, and then load the GPX track, view the information on a practical map and, if you wish, manually add new routes.
To use it, connected to the wTracks website, press the button ☰ located at the top left (next to the wording New Tracks), select the voice Load e pulsing sul pulsating Fillet to select the GPX file to be displayed: after a few moments, a map should appear containing the information specified in the file in question (routes, altitudes, times and so on). If you wish, you can add additional tracks to the displayed route by clicking on the button in the shape of pencil located on the left.
After making the necessary changes, you can save the file again by clicking on the button ☰ and, subsequently, on the voice Save on your pulse As file. Really simple, isn't it?
How to open GPX files from smartphones and tablets
Do you need to view the contents of a GPX file from your phone or tablet, so the information I have given you so far has not been very useful? So I really think that, in this section, you will be able to find what is right for you: below, in fact, I intend to point out a couple of free and efficient apps, designed to view GPS tracks both on Android that of iOS.
Android
You need to view a GPX file from a device Android, but without using the navigator? Then the app can help you GPX Viewer, downloadable for free from Google Play: in fact, it allows you to upload and view the tracks contained in a file of this type in a simple and fast way, with the possibility of modifying current information and adding new places.
After downloading and installing the app on the Android device in your possession, start it through the icon residing in the system drawer, allow (or deny) access to the current position and, in the screen that opens, tap on the item Open file located on the left (or on the button in the shape of folder located at the top). After that, granted to the app the permission to access the device memory by pressing the appropriate button shown on the screen and, with the help of the integrated file manager, select the GPX file to open.
Within a few seconds, the information contained in the track in question should be displayed on the map: you can increase or decrease the zoom by "pinching" the screen outwards or inwards or, again, you can turn the map by making a movement rotation with two fingers. If you wish, you can view the Waypoint properties satellite map or follow the route through the GPS of the device using the main menu of the app, accessible by pressing the button ☰ located at the top left.
iOS
Have a iPhone or of an iPad? Then Open GPX Tracker is the app that's right for you: available for free on the App Store, it was initially designed to create tracks in real time, however it can be used as needed to open GPX files on a map containing the routes, times and other information entered inside.
After downloading and installing the app on your device, start it for the first time by tapping on its icon located on the iOS home screen and choose whether always allow permission to access the location or to agree on it only while using the app, then exit the app and open the GPX file of your interest, recalling it from the app from which you received it or from the manager Fillet iOS: it should look like a text file with seemingly meaningless content.
At this point, press the button sharing (The square with up arrow), presses the button Copia on GPX Tracker present in the menu that appears and, once the latter app is open, tap the button in the shape of folder with viewfinder located at the top left, select the file you just uploaded and, from the menu that appears, choose the option Load in Map.
After a few seconds, the information contained in the file should be visible on the map: you can zoom in or out on the map, using the classic “two-finger pinch”; rotate it, making a rotation movement on the screen (always with two fingers) and, if necessary, modify the map on which the track is displayed (choosing between Apple Mapkit, Open Street Map e Carto DB), pressing the button in the shape of gear.
If you wish, you can add a new path to the GPX file by pressing the button DESCRIPTION located at the bottom of the screen, before setting off: when you're done, you can save the file again by pressing the button Save.
How to open GPX
