GPX upload and export issues
Fix common problems with GPX files not uploading, displaying incorrectly, or failing to export.
File won't upload
File size over 10 MB — Simplify the route in the source app (Garmin Connect, AllTrails, Gaia GPS) by reducing the point count, or split the file into segments for each section of the trip.
Not a valid GPX file — The file must be a GPX 1.0 or 1.1 file with a <trk> (track) or <rte> (route) element. Files exported as KML, FIT, or TCX will not work — convert them to GPX using GPSBabel or re-export from the source app.
File has wrong extension (Android) — Some Android apps export GPX files with incorrect or missing file extensions. Rename the file to end in .gpx using a file manager app. See Android notes for details.
File uploads but no route appears — Ensure the GPX file contains a <trk> or <rte> element with coordinates. A GPX file containing only waypoints (<wpt>) has no route to display.
Route looks wrong on the map
Missing elevation profile — Elevation data must be present as <ele> tags inside each trackpoint in the GPX file. Files without elevation tags will upload successfully but the elevation profile will be empty. The upload dialog indicates whether elevation data was found.
Route goes the wrong direction (loop trails) — GPX files don't encode a "direction" — the route is displayed in the order the coordinates were recorded. Use the Reverse button in the map dialog to flip the direction. Note: the Reverse setting is not saved across sessions.
Route visually correct but waypoints are in wrong places — Re-upload the GPX file and then replace (re-place) the affected waypoints on the map. Waypoints save their position independently of the route line.
GPX export issues
Export button is greyed out — GPX export requires an active trip with at least one waypoint placed on the map. If all waypoints are unplaced (no coordinates), there is nothing to export.
Garmin device doesn't read the exported file — Trailkeep exports standard GPX 1.1. If your Garmin device is older, check that it supports GPX 1.1. Garmin devices with a waypoint limit may also drop waypoints silently if the export exceeds the limit — Trailkeep subsamples routes to 500 points for Garmin compatibility.
Missing waypoints in the export — Only waypoints that have been placed on the map (assigned coordinates) are included in the GPX export. Unplaced waypoints (no location yet set) are skipped. Place them on the map first.
For a full overview of what the GPX export includes — waypoint names, elevation data, route subsampling — see Exporting a GPX file.
GPX file on iOS
GPX files downloaded from Garmin Connect, AllTrails, or other apps on iOS are often saved to the source app's private container — not the Files app. If the file picker appears empty, open the source app, export the file to the Files app first, then return to Trailkeep and upload from Files.