How to open a .MSD file online
From file to map in seconds.
Open your .MSD file
Drag it onto the box or click to choose it from your device. It opens on your computer.
See it on the map
Points, lines and areas from your .MSD file appear on an interactive map. Click any feature to read its details.
Read the stats
Check distance, elevation gain and loss, the bounding box and a height profile linked to the map.
What is a .MSD file?
The common language of GPS devices.
An MSD file is an ArcGIS Map Service Definition, a compiled version of an ArcMap map document (.mxd) that ArcGIS Server used to host map services. It is not an editable map or a dataset. You work with it through ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap) or ArcGIS Pro. The format is legacy, replaced by .sddraft/.sd service definitions since ArcGIS 10.1 in 2012.
Programs that open .MSD files
| Full name | ArcGIS Map Service Definition |
|---|---|
| Developer | Esri |
| First released | 2008 (ArcGIS Server 9.3 — optimized map service publishing) |
| Category | Maps & GIS |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream |
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Is my .MSD file uploaded anywhere?
No. Your .MSD file is read by your browser and never sent to us. Only the background map tiles are loaded from OpenStreetMap, which sees which map area you're looking at, not your data.
How is the elevation gain calculated?
We add up every climb between track points, ignoring tiny wiggles of less than 3 metres that come from GPS noise. That's close to what Strava and Garmin report; barometric devices may differ slightly.
How do I open a Shapefile?
A Shapefile is several files. Drop the whole .zip, or select the .shp, .dbf and .prj files together. With only the .shp you'll see the shapes but no attributes.
Can I convert GPX to KML or GeoJSON?
Use Export GeoJSON to save everything you see. GPX ↔ KML conversion is part of our upcoming converter.
My CSV has coordinates. Will it work?
Yes, if it has columns named like lat/latitude/y and lon/lng/longitude/x. Every row becomes a point with the other columns as properties.
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