Coordinate Converter (DMS)
Convert GPS coordinates between decimal degrees, degrees and decimal minutes, DMS and UTM.
DD, DDM or DMS, with or without hemisphere letters. Results update as you type.
- Decimal degrees (DD)
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- Degrees & decimal minutes (DDM)
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- Degrees, minutes, seconds (DMS)
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- UTM (WGS84)
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- geo: URI
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Type degrees, minutes and seconds instead
These boxes fill the field above. Leave minutes or seconds empty for zero.
Everything is computed in your browser — no coordinates are uploaded, logged or sent anywhere.
How it works
The three ways of writing a latitude or longitude are the same number in different clothes.
Decimal degrees (DD) keep everything after the decimal point. Degrees and decimal minutes
(DDM), the format GPS units and marine charts use, take the fractional part and multiply it
by 60. Degrees, minutes and seconds (DMS) go one step further and multiply the leftover
fraction of a minute by 60 again. So
40°26'46"N = 40 + 26/60 + 46/3600 = 40.446111°, and back the other way
0.446111 × 60 = 26.7667', then 0.7667 × 60 = 46". South and West are
negative in decimal degrees, which is why 79°58'56"W becomes
-79.982222.
Paste a coordinate in almost any layout — 40.446111, -79.982222,
N40 26 46 W79 58 56, 40:26:46N 79:58:56W — and the parser works out
which number is degrees, minutes and seconds and which half is the latitude. The UTM line uses
the standard USGS/Snyder transverse Mercator series on the WGS84 ellipsoid with a scale factor
of 0.9996, a 500 000 m false easting and a 10 000 000 m false northing in the southern
hemisphere, including the widened zone 32 over south-west Norway and the Svalbard exceptions.
UTM is only defined between 80°S and 84°N, so the line reads “not defined” outside that band.
All output is WGS84 (the datum GPS and Google Maps use). Converting between DD, DDM and DMS never changes the datum — it is pure arithmetic — so a coordinate read off an old local-datum map may still land a few hundred metres from where you expect.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert DMS to decimal degrees?
Divide the minutes by 60 and the seconds by 3600, then add both to the degrees: 40°26'46"N = 40 + 26/60 + 46/3600 = 40.446111. South and West values get a minus sign, so 79°58'56"W becomes -79.982222. Paste the DMS string into the box and the tool does it instantly.
What is the difference between DD, DDM and DMS?
They are the same angle written three ways. Decimal degrees (DD) keep the fraction after the point (40.446111). Degrees and decimal minutes (DDM), used by GPS receivers and marine charts, split off whole degrees and leave the rest as minutes (40°26.7667'). DMS goes one step further and splits the fractional minute into seconds (40°26'46").
Which datum and UTM formula does the converter use?
Everything is WGS84, the datum used by GPS and web maps. The UTM line uses the standard USGS/Snyder transverse Mercator series with a scale factor of 0.9996, a 500,000 m false easting and a 10,000,000 m false northing south of the equator, including the widened zone 32 over Norway and the Svalbard zone exceptions. UTM is undefined above 84°N and below 80°S.