---
title: "How to import a shapefile"
description: "Import a shapefile by uploading its four loose files together: .shp, .shx, .dbf, and .prj. Do not upload a .zip. The .prj sets the coordinate system."
sidebar:
  label: "Import a shapefile"
search:
  keywords: [esri, arcgis, shape file]
  boost: 2
---

MangoMap reads a shapefile as four loose files: `.shp`, `.shx`, `.dbf`, and `.prj`. Upload them together, not as a `.zip`. The `.prj` defines the coordinate system and the import form requires it.

## Before you start

- You need an account role of `Admin` or above to import data.
- Your shapefile must include all four files: `.shp` (geometry), `.shx` (index), `.dbf` (attributes), and `.prj` (coordinate system). If your source tool didn't export the `.prj`, see [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting) below.
- Each file must be 5 GB or smaller. The shapefile components are uploaded as separate files, so the limit applies to each one — typically `.shp` is the largest.

## Open the import page

From the `Data` page, click `Import data`. Or, from a map, open `Manage layers` and click `Import new data`. That opens the same page and adds the new dataset to the map as a layer.

## Pick the format

In the `Data format` dropdown, select `Shapefile`.

## Add the four files

Click `Upload files` and select all four files in the picker, or drag them onto the page. You can also add them in stages. MangoMap matches each file to its row by extension and uploads it in the background.

If a row shows `File missing`, that extension hasn't been added yet. Click the `Upload` button on that row to add the missing file.

## Name the dataset and save

When all four files are in, the `Dataset name` and `Description` fields appear. Wait until every progress bar is full and green before you save.

<img src="/_assets/importing-data/import-shapefile--uploaded.png" alt="Import data page with Data format set to Shapefile, singapore_places .shp, .dbf, .shx, and .prj files each with a full green progress bar, Dataset name Singapore places, an empty Description, and the Cancel and Save buttons" width="1600" height="960" />

- `Dataset name` is required. MangoMap fills it in from the file name; change it to the name you want in your library and in map layer lists.
- `Description` is optional. It shows on the dataset detail page.

Click `Save`. A `Processing data…` dialog appears while MangoMap reads the files. When processing finishes, you land on the dataset's detail page (or back on the map, if you started from a map).

## If your file is over 5 GB

5 GB is a per-file limit. If your `.shp` is over the limit, you can't import the file as-is — clip it to a smaller area in QGIS or `ogr2ogr` first, or split it into multiple datasets by attribute.

## If you only have a `.zip`

The `Shapefile` option in MangoMap expects the four loose files, not a zipped archive. Extract the `.zip` first, then upload the four files together. If the archive contains shapefiles for several layers, import each set separately.

## Troubleshooting

**"File missing" never goes away on one of the rows.** The file with that extension hasn't been uploaded. Make sure the filename actually ends in the right extension — some operating systems hide extensions, so what looks like `roads` may be `roads.shp.txt`. See [Shapefile upload says "File missing"](/docs/importing-data/troubleshoot-shapefile-missing-files).

**You don't have a `.prj` file.** MangoMap will not complete the four-file selection without it. Re-export the shapefile from your source tool with projection information, or set the layer's CRS in QGIS and export it again.

**Processing fails with `Unsupported coordinate system`.** Your `.prj` declares a projection MangoMap can't reproject from. Reproject the shapefile to `EPSG:4326` or `EPSG:3857` first. See [Unsupported coordinate system](/docs/importing-data/troubleshoot-unsupported-crs).

**Storage limit reached.** Your account has run out of storage. See [Storage limit reached when importing](/docs/importing-data/troubleshoot-storage-limit).

## Related

- [Supported file formats and limits](/docs/importing-data/supported-formats)
- [How importing data works in MangoMap](/docs/importing-data/concepts-importing-data)
- [Shapefile upload says "File missing"](/docs/importing-data/troubleshoot-shapefile-missing-files)
- [Unsupported coordinate system](/docs/importing-data/troubleshoot-unsupported-crs)