What is the LOC file format?
.loc is an XML-based GPS waypoint format developed jointly by TopoGrafix (creators of EasyGPS) and Geocaching.com around 1999-2000, predating the .gpx standard by roughly two years. It was the original file format for downloading geocache coordinates from Geocaching.com and remains available on the site alongside GPX for backwards compatibility.
The file is plain UTF-8 XML with a <loc> root element bearing a version="1.0" attribute. Each <waypoint> child holds a <name> tag, a <coord> tag with lat and lon attributes in decimal degrees (WGS84), an optional <link> URL, and an optional <sym> symbol hint for GPS devices. The schema is deliberately minimal: .loc carries only waypoint data with no support for tracks, routes, or elevation profiles.
This limitation drove adoption of .gpx after GPX 1.0 was published in 2002. GPSBabel identifies the LOC format internally as the geo format type. Most GPS software still imports .loc for backwards compatibility, and Geocaching.com continues to offer it alongside .gpx for cache downloads.
EasyGPS, ExpertGPS, GPSBabel, Google Earth Pro, and GPS Visualizer all read .loc files.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWLOC is plain XML with no executable content. The main privacy concern: files may reveal the user's GPS waypoints (home location, regular routes). Safe to share if you review coordinates first.
Format details
in a nutshell- Localization String Resource Header - Some development tools (e.g. Microsoft Flight Simulator SDK, Crowdin) use .loc for localization string files - an entirely unrelated text/JSON/binary format for app internationalization.
- Generic developer localization file - Various IDEs and build tools use .loc as a project-specific extension for localized string tables; format varies by tool.
Programs that open LOC files
Windows4 apps
EasyGPS
Free File > Open the LOC file to view waypoints on a map and upload them to a Garmin/Magellan GPS receiver. 
GPSBabel
Open-source gpsbabel -i geo -f input.loc -o gpx -F output.gpx - converts LOC to GPX and many other formats. 
ExpertGPS
Paid File > Open to import LOC waypoints onto USGS topo and aerial maps; export to GPX, KML and more.
Google Earth Pro
Free File > Import supports LOC files, displaying waypoints as placemarks on the globe. 
macOS2 apps
GPSBabel
Open-source Command-line: gpsbabel -i geo -f input.loc -o gpx -F output.gpx to convert to GPX. 
Linux1 app
GPSBabel
Open-source gpsbabel -i geo -f input.loc -o gpx -F output.gpx to convert to GPX for any GPS app.
GPS Visualizer
Free Upload the LOC file to draw waypoints on a map or convert to GPX/KML in the browser. Technical details
deep spec| Encoding | Plain text, UTF-8 |
| Container | XML (no binary framing or compression) |
| Root element | `<loc version="1.0">` |
| Waypoint element | `<waypoint>` with children `<name>`, `<coord lat="" lon="">`, optional `<link>`, `<sym>`, `<type>` |
| Coordinate system | WGS84 decimal degrees (latitude and longitude) |
| Data types supported | Waypoints only - no tracks, routes, elevation data, or timestamps |
| Schema version | Version `1.0` only; no subsequent versions have been published |
| Compression | None (plain text XML) |
| Typical file size | 1 KB - 50 KB (a few to hundreds of waypoints) |
| Waypoint capacity | Unlimited (standard XML list) |
| Development context | Jointly developed ~1999-2000 by TopoGrafix and Geocaching.com before the GPX standard existed |
| GPSBabel format ID | `geo` (internal identifier for the LOC format type in GPSBabel) |
| Superseded by | `.gpx` (GPS Exchange Format, 2002) which adds tracks, routes, and richer waypoint metadata |
| Released | circa 1999-2000 (pre-GPX; developed jointly by TopoGrafix and Geocaching.com) |
| Latest version | LOC 1.0 (schema version attribute in root element) |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | www.topografix.com |
LOC conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about LOC files.
