# How to Open and View a GPX File Online (Map, Profile and 3D)

Drag a GPX file into your browser and see the route on a map, its elevation profile, climbs, surfaces and a 3D flyover — free, private, no upload.

Updated 2026-10-26 · TrailScout blog

## Quick answer

Open TrailScout in Chrome, Edge or Safari and drag the .gpx file anywhere onto the window, or use Routes → Import GPX. The route appears on the map with its distance, ascent, elevation profile, climbs and descents; press the 3D tab to fly over it. The file is read in your browser and stays on your device — nothing is uploaded, and no account is needed.

## Key takeaways

- Drag and drop: several GPX files at once, big files too (they are read in the background).
- The file is processed in your browser — it is never uploaded.
- Tracks, routes and waypoints are read; heights come from the file or from the terrain model.
- Every imported route can be edited, exported again as GPX and viewed in 3D.

GPX is the common language of outdoor routes: every GPS device, watch, cycling computer and route website can export it. But a `.gpx` file on its own is just text. To see what is in it — where it goes, how hard it is — you need a viewer. Here is how to open one in your browser in a few seconds.

## How to open a GPX file

1. Open [TrailScout](index.html?app) in Chrome, Edge or Safari (phone, tablet or computer).
2. **Drag the .gpx file** anywhere onto the window. Or press **Routes → Import GPX** (key `O`) and choose the file.
3. The route opens on the map, fitted to the screen, with its numbers and elevation profile.
4. Drop **several files** at once to import a whole folder of rides.

On a phone, **Import GPX** opens the file picker; on Android you can also share a GPX file from another app straight to TrailScout once it is installed.

*Screenshot: The library: imported routes, filters and search — Imported routes land in your library, on your device.*

## What you see

- **The route on the map**, coloured by climbs and descents (or by gradient, surface, or one colour — key `G`), with direction arrows.
- **The numbers**: distance, ascent, descent, max gradient, estimated time and difficulty.
- **The elevation profile**: hover it to read heights and gradients. See [how to read an elevation profile](blog/how-to-read-an-elevation-profile.html).
- **Jump to**: highest point, steepest climb and descent, the biggest climbs.
- **Sections, Surfaces and POIs** tabs.
- **Waypoints** from the file, shown on the map with their names.
- **3D**: press `V` to [fly over the route in 3D](blog/preview-bike-route-in-3d.html).

## Private by design

The GPX file is read **in your browser**. It isn't uploaded to any server; the route is stored in your browser's own storage on this device. Map tiles, terrain heights and the like are fetched for the area you look at — the file itself never leaves your device unless you share or export it.

## Files with problems

- **No heights?** They're added from the terrain model automatically.
- **Noisy heights** (a phone recording that shows far too much climbing)? A “noisy?” hint appears; switch the elevation source to **Terrain** in the route's details.
- **Very big files** (long recordings with hundreds of thousands of points) are read in the background so the page stays responsive.
- **Gaps** where the recording stopped are shown as Attention markers.

## After opening

Edit it in the [route builder](blog/edit-gpx-route-waypoints.html), [export it again](blog/export-route-as-gpx.html) for your device, download an [offline area](blog/offline-bike-maps-download-area.html) around it, or start [Bike GPS](blog/phone-as-bike-gps-voice-navigation.html) to follow it.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is it safe to open my GPX files online?
With TrailScout the file is processed locally in your browser and never uploaded. Your routes stay on your device.

### Can I open GPX files on an iPhone?
Yes. Open TrailScout in Safari, press Import GPX and choose the file from Files.

### What is in a GPX file?
Tracks (the recorded or planned line, with points that can carry height and time), routes (a list of route points) and waypoints (named places). TrailScout reads all three.

### Can I open other formats?
TrailScout imports GPX and its own JSON files. Most apps and devices can export GPX.