Why convert GPX to TCX?
TCX is Garmin's fitness XML format that explicitly structures laps, tracks and heart-rate samples in ways that raw GPX does not. Some fitness platforms and older Garmin software require TCX rather than GPX for import, since TCX's schema separates activity data more precisely.
How to convert GPX to TCX
GPSBabel OPEN-SOURCE
In GPSBabelFE set input format to GPX XML and output format to Garmin Training Center (.tcx), select your files and click Apply. Also available for macOS and Linux.
About these formats
.GPX
GPS Exchange Format
A GPX file stores GPS data - waypoints, tracks and routes - in plain XML. To view a route, drag it into Google Earth Pro or upload it to GPS Visualizer. To load it onto a Garmin, Wahoo or…
Open .GPX details →
.TCX
Training Center XML
A TCX file is a Garmin XML file that stores a workout - GPS route, laps, heart rate, cadence, and calories - in plain text. Upload it to Garmin Connect or Strava to view and analyze it, or…
Open .TCX details →Quality & what to watch
- TCX does not add heart rate, cadence or power data that was not already in the GPX; conversion only populates those fields if the source file contains them.
- If your GPX is a planned route rather than a recorded activity, the TCX output will be a course structure - the correct format for loading onto a Garmin device.
- GPSBabel is the only standalone desktop tool that converts GPX to TCX directly; GPS Visualizer and GpsPrune do not output TCX.
Frequently asked questions
Is TCX still widely used?
Can Garmin Connect export TCX from a course?
What GPSBabel output format name produces TCX?
-o gtrnctr in the GPSBabel command line, which stands for Garmin Training Center.
