![]() If you open a GPX file with a text editor and it's not formatted nicely like this or is all on one line, just cut and past it into a tool like and XML formatter, process it, and then paste it back to your file. The XML data is indented just like our bulleted list is, and has the same information, but just in the XML format. Instead of plain text like the last image, the GPX file is written in XML (eXtensible Markup Language). Information that is indented belongs to the higher level bullet point. Think of the GPX file like a bulleted outline containing your GPS information. The GPX file was specified in the text format so that any type of device could easily open and read it without a fuss. ![]() There are also more sophisticated tools that offer mapping and are easier to work with, and I'll talk about those later. You can open a GPX file with any text editor or word processor. If you open up a GPX file, you'll see that it's simply a text file. It might look crazy now, but if you know what to look for, you'll be able to decode it and understand what you're looking at. Many mapping sites and applications know how to use GPX files, and the file can also be easily converted into other formats.What's in a GPX File? Here's what a GPX file looks like if you open it up. You can preview the data inside your GPX file using EasyGPS (Windows) or MyTracks (MacOS). You should see a GPX folder, and within that folder, a file named Current.gpx.Ĭopy Current.gpx to your desktop, or somewhere else on your computer where you can find it easily. (If your GPS has an SD card inserted into it, the SD card will show up as a second external drive named NO NAME.)ĭouble click on GARMIN to view your device’s files. On MacOS, once the Garmin device is plugged in, it will show up in on the desktop as an external drive named GARMIN. This can be useful if the tracks you’re interested in were overwritten by newer tracks, though it’s best not to count on it.)Ĭopy Current.gpx to your desktop, or somewhere else on your computer where you can find it easily. ![]() (Your device may also have an Archive folder here, containing GPX files with older track data than that in Current.gpx. Within that folder, you should see a file named Current.gpx. You’ll want to find a GPX folder, usually located at This PC\ \ Internal Storage\ GPX (on some devices, it may just be in This PC\ \ GPX). The device name should be the model of your GPS in my case, it’s DriveSmart 50.ĭouble click your device to browse its files. On Windows 10, once the Garmin device is plugged in, it will show up in the This PC folder under Devices and drives. Copying files is fine, but to be safe, treat the device like it’s read only and don’t change anything on the device. Many Garmin GPS devices are very particular about the integrity of their internal files, even if you later copy them back onto the device-I’ve lost my favorites on more than one occasion from this. When you’re working with GPX files on a Garmin device, make sure you copy the file to your computer (do not use cut), and do not delete or modify this file (or any other file) on the device. When it’s plugged into a computer, the Garmin device should show up the same way a USB thumb drive would. The power/data port on the back of a Garmin DriveSmart 50 LMT. Every Garmin GPS I’ve owned has come with the appropriate cable in most cases, it’s a USB Mini cable. The Garmin devices can be connected to a PC using a USB cable plugged into the back of the unit, in the same place that the power cord would normally connect. In our case, we’re interested in the tracks, which are stored in a file called Current.gpx. ![]() Garmin devices use GPX files internally to store waypoints (saved places), planned routes, and GPS tracks (route history). GPX ( GPS Exchange format) is a file type used to store GPS data. However, I’ve found it to be safer to just get in the habit of frequently downloading the current data. If you do accidentally go too long without downloading data and some gets overwritten, some devices do have an Archive folder containing older GPS data (see below). So for typical driving I’ll download my driving data to my computer about once a week on particularly long road trips, it’s useful to download the data daily. In practice, it seems to be about the last 600–700 miles (970–1130 km) of data. One caveat, though, is that they only seem to save a certain amount of location history before overwriting the oldest data. By default, the nüvi and DriveSmart devices I’ve used record GPS data as long as they’re powered on-they’re automatically recording your driving history.
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