Convert shapefiles to KML in ArcGIS Pro

Summary

Keyhole Markup Language (KML) is an XML-based format for storing geographic data, and is a common format for sharing data with non-GIS users. It can be composed of point, line, polygon features, and raster imagery with either a .kml or .kmz file extension. This article provides the steps to convert single or multiple shapefiles to a KML file in ArcGIS Pro.

Procedure

1. Add the shapefiles to the map. Refer to ArcGIS Pro: Add a shapefile to the map for instructions.

Note:
KML and KMZ files must be in the coordinate system GCS_WGS_1984, WKID 4326. If the input data is on another datum than WGS 1984, run the Project tool in ArcToolbox > Data Management Tools > Projections and Transformations to apply the correct datum transformation.
If raster data will be included in the data being converted use the Project Raster tool.  This is critical if a datum transformation is required in the Project tool. Refer to the Knowledgebase article: Select the correct geographic (datum) transformation when projecting between datums to access the list of datum transformations.

2. To convert multiple shapefiles to a KML file, group all the shapefiles in the Content pane. Skip this step if converting only one shapefile.
   1. Press Ctrl and click to select the desired shapefiles.
   2. Right-click a selected shapefile, and click Group. The selected shapefiles are grouped into New Group Layer.
3. In the Geoprocessing pane, click Toolboxes, and navigate to Conversion Tools > KML > Layer To KML.
4. In the Layer drop-down list, select the shapefile or the layer group containing the shapefiles.
5. Set a name and location for the Output File.
6. Set other parameters as desired, and click Run.

The converted KML file is located in the specified output location with a .kmz extension (compressed or zipped KML files). The image below shows the KMZ file opened in ArcGIS Earth.

Note:
To extract the KML files from the KMZ file, use a file extractor such as WinZip or WinRAR.