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.GEOJSON file extension

To open .GEOJSON files on Windows, if you want to view or analyze it, open it with a GIS application that supports GeoJSON (many GIS tools can load it as vector data).

To open a .geojson file, use a GIS tool or any app that can view JSON text. On desktops, GIS software and GDAL-based tools commonly open GeoJSON; you can also open it in a text editor to inspect or validate the JSON.

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Last updated: June 12, 2026

Open on your device

Choose your operating system for a dedicated step-by-step opening guide.

How to open .GEOJSON files

Use these platform-specific instructions to open .GEOJSON files safely.

Windows

  1. If you want to view or analyze it, open it with a GIS application that supports GeoJSON (many GIS tools can load it as vector data).
  2. If you just need to inspect contents, open it in a text editor (it is JSON) and look for top-level objects like "Feature" or "FeatureCollection".
Full Windows guide

Mac

  1. Open the file in a GIS application that supports GeoJSON to see the geometry on a map and browse attributes.
  2. For a quick check, open it in a text editor to confirm it is valid JSON and contains GeoJSON types such as "FeatureCollection".
Full Mac guide

Linux

  1. Open it in a GIS application that supports GeoJSON, or use GDAL/OGR tooling (GeoJSON is supported as a vector driver) to inspect/convert it.
  2. On Linux desktops, file associations commonly rely on the shared-mime-info system; if double-clicking does nothing, open it from within your GIS app instead.
Full Linux guide

iOS

  1. There is no single guaranteed built-in GeoJSON viewer; if an installed GIS/map app doesn’t recognize it, open it as text (JSON) in a text-capable app or transfer it to a desktop GIS tool.
Full iOS guide

Android

  1. If your mapping/GIS app doesn’t import it, open it in a text viewer to confirm it is GeoJSON JSON, or transfer it to a desktop GIS tool for full viewing and validation.
Full Android guide

Security notes

  • GeoJSON is data (JSON) and does not define executable content, but it is still untrusted input: malformed or extremely large files can trigger crashes or heavy memory/CPU usage in parsers and GIS applications.
  • Be cautious when loading GeoJSON from unknown sources into complex GIS stacks (including GDAL-based toolchains), because vulnerabilities in file parsing can exist even for data-only formats.
  • If a GeoJSON file is unexpectedly huge or contains deeply nested arrays, treat it as potentially abusive input and inspect it as text before loading into a viewer.

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Can't open this file?

These are the most common causes and fixes when .GEOJSON files fail to open.

Common reasons

  • Opens as plain text instead of a map
  • File is rejected as invalid GeoJSON
  • Coordinates appear in the wrong place (shifted or swapped)
  • Very large .geojson is slow to open or render

Fix steps

  1. Open the file from inside a GIS application using its “Open/Import/Add vector layer” function and select the .geojson file.
  2. On Linux, ensure MIME associations are set up via your desktop environment’s shared-mime-info-based settings; otherwise use the GIS app’s file picker.

OS-specific troubleshooting

What is a .GEOJSON file?

GeoJSON is a geospatial data interchange format built on JSON, representing geometries (like Point, LineString, Polygon) as “Features” and “FeatureCollections” with properties. RFC 7946 defines how GeoJSON is structured and sets rules such as using WGS 84 longitude/latitude coordinates. The registered media type for GeoJSON is application/geo+json.

Background

GeoJSON is a lightweight way to exchange vector geospatial data using JSON, making it easy to generate, parse, and transmit in modern software stacks. It is commonly used for web mapping, data sharing, and GIS workflows where a simple text-based format is preferred.

The normative definition is in RFC 7946, which standardizes how coordinates and geometries are represented and clarifies interoperability details (for example, the coordinate reference system expectations). This helps different tools interpret the same .geojson file consistently.

Many GIS and geospatial processing toolchains support GeoJSON, including GDAL/OGR, which can read and write GeoJSON as a vector format. Because it is plain text, it is also frequently stored in version control systems and edited programmatically.

Common MIME types: application/geo+json

Further reading

Authoritative resources for more details on the .GEOJSON format.

Common .GEOJSON issues

Opens as plain text instead of a map

GeoJSON is JSON; if your system has no GIS app associated with .geojson, it may open in a text editor by default.

  1. Open the file from inside a GIS application using its “Open/Import/Add vector layer” function and select the .geojson file.
  2. On Linux, ensure MIME associations are set up via your desktop environment’s shared-mime-info-based settings; otherwise use the GIS app’s file picker.

File is rejected as invalid GeoJSON

Some JSON files are not valid GeoJSON, and some GeoJSON producers include non-standard fields. RFC 7946 defines required structure and rules (for example, geometry and coordinate conventions).

  1. Open the file in a text editor and check that it is valid JSON and that the top-level "type" is a GeoJSON type (commonly "FeatureCollection" or "Feature").
  2. Verify that geometries use the GeoJSON coordinate arrays expected by RFC 7946 (e.g., positions are arrays of numbers in longitude/latitude order).

Coordinates appear in the wrong place (shifted or swapped)

RFC 7946 GeoJSON uses WGS 84 geographic coordinates and positions are expressed as longitude, latitude (not latitude, longitude). If a dataset uses a different CRS or swaps order, features may plot incorrectly.

  1. Confirm the coordinate order is [longitude, latitude] as specified by RFC 7946.
  2. If the data is not in WGS 84 (or was exported from another CRS), re-export or transform it with a GIS/GDAL workflow into RFC 7946-compliant WGS 84 coordinates.

Very large .geojson is slow to open or render

GeoJSON is text-based; very large FeatureCollections can be heavy to parse and render compared with more compact formats.

  1. Use GDAL/OGR to convert the data to a more efficient format for your workflow, or to split/simplify the dataset before viewing.
  2. If you must keep GeoJSON, reduce feature count or simplify geometries and test performance again.

FAQ

Is .geojson just JSON?

Yes. GeoJSON is a specific convention for JSON objects that represent geographic features and geometries as defined by RFC 7946.

What MIME type should GeoJSON use?

IANA registers the GeoJSON media type as application/geo+json.

What coordinate reference system does GeoJSON use?

RFC 7946 standardizes GeoJSON to use WGS 84 geographic coordinates and represents positions as longitude/latitude numeric arrays.

Can GDAL read and convert .geojson files?

Yes. GDAL/OGR includes a GeoJSON vector driver and commonly supports opening and converting GeoJSON in geospatial workflows.

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