Do you need to convert at all?
Only when the app or device in front of you cannot read the file you have. The Wahoo app imports TCX, GPX and FIT routes for ACE, BOLT 3 and ROAM 3. Polar Flow imports GPX and TCX. Garmin owners report that the course import on the Garmin Connect website takes GPX and TCX. If your app already accepts your file, you can skip this tool.
TCX, GPX and FIT compared
| Format | What it is | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| GPX | Open XML format that almost every mapping app reads. | Position, elevation and time. Extensions can add more, but not every app reads them. |
| TCX | Garmin's Training Center XML, used for activities and courses. | Position, elevation and time, plus heart rate, cadence and laps. A course can also hold cue points. |
| FIT | Binary format from Garmin that many sports devices record in. | The most detail of the three, including sensor data, laps and session totals. |
Where to get a TCX file
Menu names checked in November 2026. Apps change them, so yours may differ slightly.
Garmin Connect
On the Garmin Connect website, open the activity and click the gear icon. TCX is one of the export options.
Ride with GPS
Exports include TCX Course, which carries turn-by-turn data for a route, and TCX History, which holds recorded data and no directions.
TCX to GPX: what is kept and what is lost
Kept
Latitude, longitude, elevation and time for every point with a position. The track is not simplified or re-routed.
Left out
Heart rate, cadence, power, calories and cue points. Laps are not kept either: all of them go into one continuous track.
A TCX with no positions, such as an indoor session, has no line to draw. You will see an error and it does not use a conversion.
GPX to TCX: what you get
Kept
Every point of your track or route, in order, with the distance along it and the elevation if your GPX has it. The line is not simplified or re-routed.
Left out
Waypoints, stop names, turn instructions, sensor data and any times in your GPX.
- A course needs a time for every point, so we work them out at a steady 20 km/h or so (12 mph). A feature that races you against the course, such as a virtual partner, will use that speed.
- If your GPX has both a track and a route, the track is used.
- Several tracks are joined in order into one course, so any gap between them becomes a straight line.
- The name stored in the course is cut to 15 characters at most. The file name keeps the full one.
Turn prompts
A TCX can carry cue points, and a TCX Course from a route planner often does. Converting a GPX cannot create them: this tool writes the line, the distance and the elevation, and nothing else. Ride with GPS notes that most devices generate directions from their own map data, and we cannot say which ones will do that with this file.
How to put the TCX course on your device
Garmin
Garmin owners report two ways: import the .tcx as a course on the Garmin Connect website, or connect the device to a computer, copy the .tcx into the Garmin/NewFiles folder, then eject and unplug it. This comes from Garmin users rather than a Garmin manual, and not every model behaves the same.
Wahoo ACE, BOLT 3 and ROAM 3
Open the .tcx on your phone, choose the Wahoo app and confirm the import. Your phone needs an internet connection for this. Then, in Explore, My Collection, My Routes, choose Send to ELEMNT with the computer paired and connected.
Test it before you ride
The TCX we write passes the schema that Garmin publishes for the format, and we do not promise that it will load on any particular model. Load it at home, check that the line and the distance look right, and try a short stretch before you depend on it on a long day out.
More tools for your route
- Turn a recorded .fit activity into a GPX.
- To make a course from a GPX, use the GPX to FIT converter.
- Check your GPX on a map first with the free GPX viewer.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a TCX file to GPX?
Choose TCX to GPX, upload the file and click Convert. A .gpx file downloads in a few seconds, with position, elevation and time for each point.
Can I convert a GPX to TCX?
Yes. Choose GPX to TCX and upload the file. You get a course to follow on a device, not a workout with training data.
Why did my heart rate disappear?
GPX has no standard field for it, and this tool writes position, elevation and time only. Keep your original .tcx file if you need the training data.
Will the TCX course give me turn-by-turn directions?
No. A TCX made from a GPX holds the line, the distance and the elevation, with no cue points. Any guidance has to come from your device.
Is the TCX and GPX converter free?
You can start for free: each month you get 2 free conversions with a free account, or 1 without one. Pro Lifetime is a one-time payment for unlimited conversions in both directions.
Do you keep my file?
No. The file is sent to our server, read once to build the new file and not stored. We keep no copy of the file or the route.