BYTETOOLS

Decimal to DMS Converter

Convert decimal degrees to degrees, minutes and seconds. Choose the seconds precision, see the component breakdown and bulk-convert a whole list.

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Two decimals on the seconds pin a point to roughly 30 cm — plenty for survey documents and legal descriptions.

Degrees, minutes, seconds

40°42'46.08"N 74°00'21.60"W

AxisDegreesMinutesSecondsHemisphere
Latitude404246.08N
Longitude74021.60W

Degrees decimal minutes (DDM)

40°42.7680'N 74°0.3600'W

DDM is the format most marine and aviation GPS units expect. The classic DMS form is 40°42'46.08"N.

What is the Decimal to DMS Converter?

This converter takes signed decimal degrees — the format used by Google Maps, GeoJSON and virtually every mapping API — and turns them into the degrees-minutes-seconds notation used on nautical charts, legal land descriptions, survey plats and aviation publications.

  • Decimal degrees to DMS with the hemisphere letter applied automatically
  • Adjustable seconds precision from 0 to 4 decimal places
  • Component table showing degrees, minutes, seconds and hemisphere
  • Degrees decimal minutes (DDM) output for marine and aviation GPS
  • Bulk mode for converting an entire pasted column
  • Runs entirely in your browser — no upload, works offline

How to use the Decimal to DMS Converter

  1. 1

    Choose single-coordinate or bulk mode.

  2. 2

    Enter the decimal latitude and longitude, using a minus sign for south and west.

  3. 3

    Set how many decimal places you want on the seconds.

  4. 4

    Copy the DMS string, the DDM string, or the whole converted list.

About the Decimal to DMS Converter

This converter takes signed decimal degrees — the format used by Google Maps, GeoJSON and virtually every mapping API — and turns them into the degrees-minutes-seconds notation used on nautical charts, legal land descriptions, survey plats and aviation publications. You get the assembled DMS string, a component-by-component breakdown, and the degrees decimal minutes (DDM) equivalent.

A precision control sets how many decimal places to keep on the seconds, from whole seconds up to four decimals. Two decimals pins a point to roughly 30 centimetres, which is the level most deeds and survey documents use. Bulk mode converts an entire pasted column at once.

It is aimed at surveyors and title researchers writing metes-and-bounds descriptions, sailors and pilots transferring positions to charts, geocachers, and anyone who has to hand a coordinate to somebody whose software only speaks DMS. Everything is computed locally — your coordinates are never uploaded.

Frequently asked questions

How do you convert decimal degrees to degrees, minutes and seconds?

Take the whole number as the degrees, multiply the remaining fraction by 60 to get the minutes, then multiply that leftover fraction by 60 again for the seconds. For 40.7128 that gives 40°42'46.08", and the sign becomes the N/S or E/W letter.

What does 40°26'46"N actually mean?

It means 40 whole degrees, 26 minutes (26/60 of a degree) and 46 seconds (46/3600 of a degree) north of the equator. One minute of latitude is about 1.85 km and one second is about 31 metres, so seconds matter for anything precise.

How precise is one second of latitude?

About 31 metres. Adding two decimal places to the seconds takes that down to roughly 30 centimetres, which is why survey documents and deeds usually quote seconds to two decimals.

What is the difference between DMS and DDM?

DMS splits each degree into 60 minutes and each minute into 60 seconds (40°26'46"N). DDM keeps whole degrees but writes the minutes as a decimal (40°26.767'N). Marine and aviation GPS units almost always use DDM, while legal descriptions use DMS — this tool shows both.

Which comes first, latitude or longitude?

In written coordinates latitude comes first: 40.7128, −74.0060 means 40.7128°N, 74.006°W. GeoJSON and many mapping libraries reverse this to [longitude, latitude], which causes a lot of bugs, so this tool always labels each value explicitly.

Is anything uploaded when I convert?

No. The arithmetic runs in your browser and nothing is sent to a server, so private parcel coordinates and client site locations stay on your machine. The page also keeps working with no internet connection.

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