Reverse a GPX route
Have a route out to somewhere and want to navigate it home? Reverse it and the whole path runs the other way — same roads and trails, opposite direction — ready to load onto a watch or bike computer.
Open the tool
Opens the GPX editor with the reverse a gpx route tool selected. Your file stays on your device — nothing is uploaded.
Open the GPX route reverserHow to reverse a gpx route
- Open your route. Drop the GPX route or track you want to flip into the editor.
- Reverse it. Click Reverse direction; the point order and every segment flip, so the finish becomes the start.
- Download the reversed GPX. Export from the Download menu and send it to your device for the return leg.
Formats & what's kept
- Input: GPX, FIT, TCX, KML, KMZ
- Output: GPX 1.1
- Preserved: The exact path and its elevation profile (mirrored), multi-segment structure, waypoints, and any sensor values — each reading stays attached to its own point.
- Changed or dropped: Timestamps are removed. A reversed path is a plan, not a recording — keeping the original times would wrongly imply you travelled it backwards in time. That also turns it into a clean route for navigation.
A real example
You recorded a point-to-point hike to a summit. Reverse it to get the descent route for your GPS watch, following the same trail back to the trailhead without re-planning anything.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| start → summit · 3,200 points, timed | summit → start · 3,200 points, no times |
Try it yourself with a free sample GPX file — the numbers above are illustrative of a typical case.
Privacy
This edit runs entirely in your browser using the W3C File API — your file is never uploaded, and your original is left untouched (the editor works on a copy). This tool makes no network requests at all to do its job; only route planning and snapping, which this tool doesn't perform, would ever send coordinates to a routing provider.
Frequently asked questions
Why does reversing delete the timestamps?
Because the reversed direction was never actually travelled at those times. Rather than emit misleading data, reversing strips the clock and leaves you a clean navigable route. Elevation, distance and shape are untouched.
Will the elevation profile be wrong?
No. The profile is mirrored to match the new direction, so a climb on the way out correctly reads as a descent on the way back.
Does it keep my waypoints?
Yes. Waypoints such as a summit or a water stop are preserved; only their order in the file relative to the track changes.
Is a reversed track good for navigation apps?
Yes — because it has no timestamps it behaves as a route. If a target app prefers a GPX route element specifically, note it in the export; most watches accept the reversed track directly.