What do the GPX samples contain?

One waypoint and one track with a single segment: a fictional walk that starts in Lisbon, with a point every five seconds, each carrying an elevation and a UTC time.

Which media type should a server send for GPX?

application/gpx+xml is the customary one, although it has never been formally registered. Many servers send application/xml, which works just as well for a download.

What is the MIME type of a GPX file?

The MIME type is application/gpx+xml. You will also meet application/xml and text/xml in practice. The file extension is .gpx.

Is a sample GPX file the same as a dummy or example GPX file?

Yes. Sample, test, dummy and example GPX files are different names for the same thing: a GPX file with known contents that stands in for a real one. Any file on this page will do wherever a tutorial or a test plan asks for a dummy GPX file.

Free GPX sample files

The XML format that GPS devices and fitness apps use for waypoints, routes and recorded tracks. Download valid GPX test files in 4 exact sizes, from 1 KB to 1 MB, each with a checksum.

Extension: .gpx
MIME type: application/gpx+xml
Kind: Text
Category: GIS

GPX files by size

Every file below is a valid GPS Exchange Format file of exactly the stated size. Open a file's page for its checksum and contents, and to preview it in your browser before downloading.

GPX sample files by size
File	Size	Contents	Download
1 KB GPX samplesample-gpx-1kb.gpx	1 KB1,024 bytes	Track points: 5	Download GPX
10 KB GPX samplesample-gpx-10kb.gpx	10 KB10,240 bytes	Track points: 97	Download GPX
100 KB GPX samplesample-gpx-100kb.gpx	100 KB102,400 bytes	Track points: 1,023	Download GPX
1 MB GPX samplesample-gpx-1mb.gpx	1 MB1,048,576 bytes	Track points: 10,524	Download GPX

What is a GPX file?

GPX is a small XML vocabulary for location data. It has three building blocks: waypoints, which are single named positions; routes, which are ordered lists of points to follow; and tracks, which record where a device actually went, as segments of timestamped points.

Latitude and longitude are attributes of each point, in decimal degrees on the WGS 84 datum. Elevation is in metres and time is in UTC. Version 1.1, from 2004, is the one in use everywhere.

How to recognise a GPX file

GPX files have no file signature, the magic bytes that most binary formats begin with.

No signature bytes. GPX files are identified by parsing their content.

Extension	.gpx
MIME type	application/gpx+xml
Also seen as	application/xml, text/xml
Schema	GPX 1.1 (Topografix)
Root element	<gpx version="1.1"> in the namespace http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/1
Coordinates	lat and lon attributes, decimal degrees, WGS 84
Elevation and time	Metres; UTC in ISO 8601

What to test for

These are the behaviours that most often go wrong when software handles GPX files.

GPX writes latitude before longitude, the opposite of GeoJSON and KML. Converters that copy the numbers across without swapping them put tracks in the wrong place.
The time element is optional. A file without it has no speed or duration, and code that assumes timestamps fails on routes drawn by hand.
Devices add heart rate, cadence and temperature in extension elements from other namespaces. A parser must skip what it does not recognise.

Strengths of GPX

Supported by practically every GPS device and fitness service.
A small, stable schema that is easy to read and write.

Limitations of GPX

No styling, and no geometry beyond points, routes and tracks.
Large tracks are bulky: every point repeats the same element and attribute names.

Typical uses of GPX test files

Testing activity upload in fitness and mapping apps
Checking distance, speed and elevation calculations
Verifying conversion to GeoJSON or KML
Load-testing track rendering with many points

Software that opens GPX

Garmin devices, Garmin Connect and BaseCamp
Strava, Komoot and other fitness services
QGIS and Google Earth
GPSBabel and GDAL

Specifications

GPX 1.1 schema documentation

GPX sample files: questions

What do the GPX samples contain?: One waypoint and one track with a single segment: a fictional walk that starts in Lisbon, with a point every five seconds, each carrying an elevation and a UTC time.
Which media type should a server send for GPX?: application/gpx+xml is the customary one, although it has never been formally registered. Many servers send application/xml, which works just as well for a download.
What is the MIME type of a GPX file?: The MIME type is application/gpx+xml. You will also meet application/xml and text/xml in practice. The file extension is .gpx.
Is a sample GPX file the same as a dummy or example GPX file?: Yes. Sample, test, dummy and example GPX files are different names for the same thing: a GPX file with known contents that stands in for a real one. Any file on this page will do wherever a tutorial or a test plan asks for a dummy GPX file.