TopoJSON to Shapefile Converter
Round-trip from a web visualisation dataset back into the GIS workflow — typically when a domain expert wants to extend a published map.
Convert TopoJSON to Shapefile now
Common issues converting TopoJSON to Shapefile
- TopoJSON arcs are de-shared into individual feature geometries on output. Topology is logically preserved (shared borders remain coincident), but storage size grows.
- Quantization-induced precision loss in the source TopoJSON carries over — the output shapefile has the same precision as the source, regardless of shapefile's native double precision.
- Multiple objects in the topology produce only the first object as the Shapefile (single-type constraint). Other objects are silently dropped — split your input first if you need all of them.
- DBF 10-char field-name truncation applies; long property names from the topology will be cut. Rename pre-conversion if needed.
Frequently asked questions
What if my topology has multiple objects?
Only the first object becomes the Shapefile. Split into multiple TopoJSON files (one per object) and convert each, or use FlatGeobuf which carries all objects in one file.
Will the spatial index be built?
Not by the converter. QGIS / ArcGIS build .sbn / .qix indexes on first open — let the consuming tool handle it.
Is the resulting shapefile in WGS 84?
Yes — output .prj is the WGS 84 declaration. TopoJSON is in WGS 84 by convention, so coordinates pass through unchanged.
Why is the file larger than the source TopoJSON?
Arc-sharing is lost — every feature now stores its own ring vertices. Expect 3–10× growth on dense polygon networks.