How to Convert Degrees, Minutes and Seconds to Decimal Degrees
Updated 6 October 2026
To convert degrees, minutes and seconds (DMS) to decimal degrees, divide the minutes by 60, divide the seconds by 3600 and add both to the degrees. Southern and western coordinates become negative. Use the converter below, or read on for the method.
Two ways to write the same place
Every point on Earth has a latitude (how far north or south) and a longitude (how far east or west). You will see them written in two styles. Decimal degrees, such as 33.6844, are a single number and are what spreadsheets and most apps prefer. Degrees, minutes and seconds, such as 33°41'04"N, split the same value into three parts, much like hours, minutes and seconds on a clock. One degree holds 60 minutes, and one minute holds 60 seconds.
The formula
Decimal degrees = degrees + minutes ÷ 60 + seconds ÷ 3600
Take 33°41'04"N. The minutes give 41 ÷ 60 = 0.68333. The seconds give 4 ÷ 3600 = 0.00111. Add them to 33 and you get 33.68444. That is a latitude north of the equator, so it stays positive.
Getting the sign right
- North and east are positive. 33.6844 N and 73.0479 E are written as 33.6844 and 73.0479.
- South and west are negative. 33°51'S becomes -33.85, and 74°00'W becomes -74.0.
- Latitude runs from -90 to 90 and longitude from -180 to 180. A latitude of 120 cannot be right, which makes this a quick way to spot a typing mistake.
Converting back to degrees, minutes and seconds
Keep the whole number as the degrees. Multiply the leftover decimal by 60: the whole number of that result is the minutes. Multiply what is left by 60 again for the seconds. For 73.0479, the degrees are 73, then 0.0479 × 60 = 2.874, so the minutes are 2, and 0.874 × 60 = 52.44 seconds. That gives 73°02'52.4"E.
Common mistakes
- Swapping latitude and longitude. Latitude comes first. If your pin lands in the wrong ocean, swap them.
- Forgetting the minus sign. A missing minus on a western longitude moves the pin to the opposite side of the world.
- Treating minutes as decimals. 33°30' is 33.5, not 33.30, because 30 minutes is half a degree.
- Mixed symbols. Copied coordinates often use curly quotes or the word "deg". Remove stray characters before converting.
You often do not need to convert at all
The Map Studio accepts both styles directly. Type 33.6844 or 33°41'04"N, with or without N, S, E or W, and it understands. When you import a spreadsheet, each row is read the same way, and rows it cannot read are flagged in a preview so you can fix them. See how to plot coordinates from Excel for the full import steps.
Worked examples
- Eiffel Tower, Paris: 48°51'30"N, 2°17'40"E. Latitude: 48 + 51/60 + 30/3600 = 48.858333. Longitude: 2 + 17/60 + 40/3600 = 2.294444. Decimal result: 48.858333, 2.294444.
- Sydney Opera House: 33°51'54"S, 151°12'33"E. Latitude: 33 + 51/60 + 54/3600 = 33.865, and because it is south, -33.865. Longitude: 151 + 12/60 + 33/3600 = 151.209167. Decimal result: -33.865, 151.209167.
- Statue of Liberty, New York: 40°41'21"N, 74°02'41"W. Latitude 40.689167. Longitude 74.044722, and because it is west, -74.044722.
Other notations you may meet
Some sources use degrees and decimal minutes, such as 33°41.067'N. Here you divide only the minutes by 60: 41.067 ÷ 60 = 0.68445, so the answer is 33.68445. Others write the direction first (N 33° 41' 04") or use spaces instead of symbols (33 41 04 N). Whatever the style, the three numbers always mean degrees, minutes and seconds, in that order, and the letter or minus sign tells you the hemisphere.
A quick sanity check
Before you trust a converted value, look at the size of the numbers. If the minutes or seconds in your source are 60 or more, it was written wrongly. If a latitude comes out above 90, you have probably pasted a longitude into the wrong box. Put the result on a map and look at where the pin lands: a pin in the middle of an ocean is the fastest way to catch a swapped value or a missing minus sign.
Common questions
How many decimal places do I need?
Five decimal places is accurate to about one metre, which is far more than most maps need. Four places (about 11 metres) is plenty for pins on a city map.
Where can I find the coordinates of a place?
Search for the place in the Studio's Find box and the pin is placed for you, or copy coordinates from any map app by pressing and holding on a spot.
Is 33.6844, 73.0479 the same as 73.0479, 33.6844?
No. Latitude is always first. Reversed, the pin would land somewhere completely different.