The three files a watch or an app gives you, explained from the inside: what a GPX, FIT or TCX actually contains, which to send where, how to open, convert, repair and upload them, and what to do when the elevation is wrong or Strava says no.
How-to · 07.09.2026
A TCX file is Garmin's older text format for workouts: like GPX with laps, heart rate and the watch's totals added. Where it still turns up, what opens it, whether to upload GPX, TCX or FIT, and how to convert it.
What is a TCX file, and when does Garmin give you one?
How-to
07.09.2026
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...
How-to
07.09.2026
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
07.09.2026
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...
How-to
07.09.2026
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...
How-to
07.09.2026
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...
How-to
07.09.2026
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...
How-to
07.09.2026
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...
How-to
07.09.2026
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,...
How-to
07.09.2026
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....
How-to
07.09.2026
.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...
