Guides
How to create a GPX file, free
The fastest free way to create a GPX file: open the routess planner, click your route together on the map, and export. No account needed to plan, no software to install, takes about two minutes. This guide also covers what a GPX file actually contains and how to get it onto your devices.
What a GPX file actually is
GPX (GPS Exchange Format) is a small, open XML file that describes geographic data. It can hold three kinds of things: waypoints (single points), routes (an ordered list of points to navigate between), and tracks (a dense trail of points describing the exact path). Most modern devices and apps want a track: it follows roads and trails precisely instead of drawing straight lines between a few points. routess exports the full computed path of your route, so your device follows the actual roads you planned.
Create a GPX in two minutes
- Open app.routess.com in any browser, on desktop or phone.
- Pick your activity: run, cycle, or walk. It changes how routes snap to the network.
- Click the map to drop waypoints. The path snaps along roads and trails between them.
- Need to cut across a field or follow an unmapped trail? Switch a segment to a straight line instead of a routed one.
- Check the distance, elevation profile, and surface breakdown as you go.
- Export as GPX. That is the whole process.
Getting the GPX onto your device
Garmin
Import the GPX in Garmin Connect (web or app) as a course and send it to your watch or Edge from there. Older devices also accept GPX files copied straight into the NewFiles folder over USB.
Wahoo
Import the file in the Wahoo companion app (or a linked service) and sync; the route shows up on your ELEMNT ready to ride.
Phones and other apps
Nearly every outdoor app accepts GPX imports. And since routess itself runs as a web app on your phone, you can also skip the file entirely and just open your saved route.
Editing an existing GPX file
Import any GPX into routess and it becomes editable: the importer detects turns and rebuilds waypoints you can drag, add, and delete, instead of leaving you a frozen line. Adjust the route, then export a fresh GPX. Useful for fixing a friend's route, shortening a ride from another platform, or rerouting around roadworks. For planning a good route from scratch, see how to plan a cycling route.