Files: GPX, FIT and TCX

What is a GPX file, and how do you open it?

A GPX file is a plain-text list of GPS points: where you were, how high, and when. What is inside one, how to open...

What is a FIT file? What your watch actually writes

A FIT file is the binary recording a Garmin, Wahoo, Coros or Suunto writes: every second's position and sensors, plus the watch's own totals....

How to upload a GPX, FIT or TCX file to Strava

Strava accepts GPX, FIT and TCX files, on the website. Where the upload button is, what happens to a zipped FIT, why the app...

GPX track vs route: which one to send

A GPX can hold a track, which is a recording with times, or a route, which is a plan without them. Which is which...

Turn a GPX file into an image, an SVG, a PDF or a poster

A GPX is coordinates, not a picture. How to draw one as a PNG or SVG in your browser without installing anything, what the...

Get a GPX file onto a Garmin watch or Edge

Two ways to put a GPX on a Garmin: import it as a course in Garmin Connect and sync, or copy it to the...

GPX file not uploading to Strava: every reason, and the fix

Strava refuses a GPX for a handful of reasons: no timestamps, a duplicate activity, a malformed file, no positions, or a file that is...

A sample GPX file to read, and where to get real ones

A complete, minimal GPX file you can copy, with every line explained, plus where to get real sample files — a run, a ride,...

Missing or wrong elevation in a GPX file

A GPX from a planner has no elevation; a GPX from a GPS-only watch has a rough one; a barometer's is right but drifts....

.fit.gz files: what they are and how to open them

A .fit.gz is an ordinary FIT file compressed with gzip. Strava's bulk export is full of them. How to open one, when you need...