Coordinates Converter Widget
Paste a position in almost any format - 40° 26′ 46″ N, 40 26 46N, N40 26.767 or -73.98 - and get it back as decimal degrees for maps and apps, degrees-minutes-seconds for charts and surveys, and degrees with decimal minutes for GPS units and marine radios.
Live preview
Under the widget on your page: Powered by A2Z Tools
Embed code
<iframe src="https://a2z.tools/embed/w/coordinates-converter" title="Coordinates Converter by A2Z Tools" width="100%" height="560" style="border:0;width:100%" loading="lazy" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>
A plain iframe. Works everywhere, including site builders that strip scripts. Adjust height if your content needs more room.
<div data-a2z-widget="coordinates-converter" data-height="560"></div> <script async src="https://a2z.tools/embed.js"></script>
Adds a small script (what it does) that sizes the widget to fit its content, loads it lazily and keeps it isolated from your page's CSS.
Works with
How it works
Each box reads one coordinate. The parser accepts degree, minute and second symbols (including straight quotes typed on a keyboard) or plain spaces, a hemisphere letter before or after the numbers, or a minus sign, but not both. One number is decimal degrees, two are degrees and decimal minutes, three are degrees, minutes and seconds; only the last part may carry decimals and minutes and seconds must be below 60. Latitude must lie within 90 degrees and take N or S, longitude within 180 and take E or W, so a swapped pair is caught. Conversion is exact arithmetic: degrees plus minutes over 60 plus seconds over 3,600, negative for south and west. Going back, the value is rounded to the displayed precision first (0.1 second or 0.0001 minute) so 59.99 seconds becomes the next whole minute rather than showing as 60. The Swap button exchanges the two boxes for data pasted in longitude-latitude order, as GeoJSON uses.
Method
- Decimal degrees = degrees + minutes / 60 + seconds / 3600 (negative for S and W)
- Degrees = whole part of |value|; minutes = whole part of the remainder x 60; seconds = what is left x 60
- Decimal minutes = (|value| - degrees) x 60
- Rounding is applied to total seconds (0.1) or total minutes (0.0001) before splitting, so carries are exact
Worked examples
DMS to decimal
Inputs: 40° 26′ 46″ N, 79° 58′ 56″ W
Result: 40.446111, -79.982222; 40° 26.7667′ N, 79° 58.9333′ W
40 + 26/60 + 46/3600 = 40.446111.
Decimal to DMS
Inputs: -33.8568, 151.2153
Result: 33° 51′ 24.5″ S, 151° 12′ 55.1″ E; 33° 51.4080′ S, 151° 12.9180′ E
0.8568 x 60 = 51.408 minutes; 0.408 x 60 = 24.5 seconds.
Limitations
- Formats only; no datum transformation and no UTM, MGRS or grid-reference systems.
- Does not look up place names or check that a point is on land.
Where publishers use it
- A geocaching blog where listings use degrees and decimal minutes
- A sailing school page converting chart positions for a chartplotter
- A hiking club's route page with summit coordinates
- A surveying or GIS course worksheet
- A drone pilot guide checking no-fly zone coordinates
Questions
Which format should I use?
Decimal degrees (40.446111, -79.982222) suit web maps, spreadsheets and most apps. Degrees-minutes-seconds appear on nautical and aeronautical charts and land surveys. Degrees and decimal minutes are the default on many handheld GPS units, aviation systems and marine VHF radios.
How precise are the decimals?
One degree of latitude is about 111 km, so 6 decimal places of a degree is about 0.11 m, 0.0001 minute is about 0.19 m and 0.1 second is about 3 m. Longitude distances shrink towards the poles by the cosine of the latitude.
Why was my coordinate rejected?
Common causes: minutes or seconds of 60 or more, a latitude above 90, an E or W letter on a latitude, decimals in the degrees when minutes are also given, or both a minus sign and a hemisphere letter.
Does it change the datum?
No. Converting the format never moves the point. Converting between datums such as WGS 84 and an older local datum can shift a position by tens or hundreds of metres and needs a transformation, which this widget does not do.
What order do latitude and longitude go in?
Most maps and humans write latitude first, but GeoJSON, many GIS tools and some APIs store longitude first. If a point lands in the ocean, try the Swap button.
Cite or recommend this tool
If you reference this tool in an article, course or documentation, these formats are ready to copy. They are optional - nothing is added to your site unless you paste it.
A2Z Tools Coordinates Converter https://a2z.tools/coordinate-format-converter
<a href="https://a2z.tools/coordinate-format-converter">A2Z Tools Coordinates Converter</a>
[A2Z Tools Coordinates Converter](https://a2z.tools/coordinate-format-converter)
Coordinates Converter by A2Z Tools - https://a2z.tools/coordinate-format-converter
Related widgets
-
Great-circle distance, initial bearing and midpoint between two latitude and longitude points.
-
Convert a date and time between any two time zones, with daylight-saving gaps and overlaps explained.
-
Length, mass, volume, area, temperature, speed, time, data, pressure, energy and power - exact factors.
-
Fuel needed and trip cost from distance, economy and fuel price, split between passengers.
-
Convert between MPG (US), MPG (UK), L/100 km and km per litre with exact factors.
-
Monthly car payment with down payment, trade-in, sales tax and fees, plus the total cost.