Which files of a shapefile do I need?

The .shp is the one that cannot be missing: it holds the shapes. Without the .dbf the shapes have no attributes, and without the .prj the page cannot tell which coordinate system they use. The .shx index and other extra files are not needed. A .dbf or .prj on its own is not enough; the page says so.

Why does it say the coordinates are not longitude and latitude?

The shapefile uses a national or local grid, measured in metres or feet, and its .prj file, which names that grid, is missing. Add the .prj (it usually came with the other files) and the shapes are converted and placed on the map.

Can I open several shapefiles together?

Yes. Choose all their files at once, or a ZIP holding several, and every layer is drawn on the same map in its own colour, each shape tagged with the file it came from.

Can I convert a shapefile to GeoJSON or KML?

Yes. Once it is open, save it as GeoJSON, which keeps the attributes and is read by web maps and most GIS tools, or as KML for Google Earth. The coordinates are saved in longitude and latitude (WGS 84).

Are my shapefiles uploaded?

No. The files are read and drawn in this browser tab. Only the map background is fetched from OpenStreetMap, which shows them the area you are looking at; untick the map to fetch nothing.

Stays on your computer Map tiles come from openstreetmap.org, which reveals the area of the data; untick the map to avoid itHow this works

Free shapefile viewer online: open .shp files on a map

Open a zipped shapefile, or its .shp with the .dbf and .prj, see its points, lines and areas on a map, click any shape for its attributes, and save it as GeoJSON or KML - no GIS software, and the files never leave your machine

Drag & drop track or map files here, or browse

Tap to choose track or map files

GPX, KML, KMZ, TCX, GeoJSON, a DJI drone's .SRT, or a shapefile (a .zip, or the .shp with its .dbf and .prj) · several tracks at once are drawn together · the files are read on your machine

Show the track on a map (the map squares come from OpenStreetMap; untick to request nothing from them)

About this shapefile viewer

Councils, governments, utilities and mapping software hand out map data as shapefiles: boundaries, parcels, roads, rivers, survey points. Opening one usually means installing QGIS or ArcGIS. Here you drop the shapefile on the page and see it on a map straight away, with every area, line and point drawn and each one's attributes shown when you click it.

A shapefile is several files that share a name: the .shp holds the shapes, the .dbf their attributes, the .prj the coordinate system and the .cpg the text encoding. Open the ZIP they came in, or choose the files together. Data in a national or local grid, such as British National Grid, a UTM zone or a State Plane zone, is converted to longitude and latitude with its .prj file, using the shpjs reader and the proj4 library it includes. It is free to use, with no account and no upload limit, and it runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, and while the page stays open, a feature you have already used keeps working offline.

What you can do

Open a shapefile as a ZIP, or as its .shp, .dbf, .prj and .cpg files chosen together
Open several layers at once, each in its own colour: several .shp files, or a ZIP with more than one
See points, lines and polygons on an OpenStreetMap background
Click a shape to see its attributes from the .dbf
Reproject from a national or UTM grid to longitude and latitude using the .prj file
Save the shapes as GeoJSON or KML for Google Earth, or GPX and CSV of their points
Turn the map off, so nothing is fetched from OpenStreetMap

How to open a shapefile online

Drop the shapefile's ZIP on the box, or click it and choose the .shp together with its .dbf and .prj files.
Tap the box and choose the shapefile's ZIP.
The shapes are drawn on the map. Zoom in, and click a shape to see its attributes.
To use the data elsewhere, save it as GeoJSON or KML.

Questions

Which files of a shapefile do I need?: The .shp is the one that cannot be missing: it holds the shapes. Without the .dbf the shapes have no attributes, and without the .prj the page cannot tell which coordinate system they use. The .shx index and other extra files are not needed. A .dbf or .prj on its own is not enough; the page says so.
Why does it say the coordinates are not longitude and latitude?: The shapefile uses a national or local grid, measured in metres or feet, and its .prj file, which names that grid, is missing. Add the .prj (it usually came with the other files) and the shapes are converted and placed on the map.
Can I open several shapefiles together?: Yes. Choose all their files at once, or a ZIP holding several, and every layer is drawn on the same map in its own colour, each shape tagged with the file it came from.
Can I convert a shapefile to GeoJSON or KML?: Yes. Once it is open, save it as GeoJSON, which keeps the attributes and is read by web maps and most GIS tools, or as KML for Google Earth. The coordinates are saved in longitude and latitude (WGS 84).
Are my shapefiles uploaded?: No. The files are read and drawn in this browser tab. Only the map background is fetched from OpenStreetMap, which shows them the area you are looking at; untick the map to fetch nothing.

For GPS tracks from a watch or phone, use the GPX Viewer; for Garmin activity files, the FIT Viewer; for CAD drawings, the DWG Viewer.