This tool converts decimal degrees into degrees, minutes, and seconds (DMS) for latitude, longitude, or angles.
Convert decimal degrees
DMS result
Latitude first, then longitude for pairs
Enter coordinates or try a landmark.
Output format
Compact coordinates use two latitude degree digits and three longitude degree digits (NDDMMSS.ss, EDDDMMSS.ss). Plain angles and bearings use a signed compact number without a hemisphere. Check the receiving system’s required precision.
More results and reverse-conversion check
Convert a value to see DDM, totals, components, and a back-check.
Convert multiple coordinates
One latitude-longitude pair per line; use the same notation as the paste field. Blank lines are ignored. The current precision and output style apply. Up to 1,000 pairs per batch; CSV downloads only when every nonblank line is valid.
How to convert decimal degrees to DMS
Degrees: take the whole-number part of the absolute decimal degree value.
Minutes: multiply the remaining fractional degree by 60, then take its whole-number part.
Seconds: multiply the remaining fractional minute by 60. Round only at the end, then apply the original sign or coordinate hemisphere.
Formula
D = floor(|DD|)
M = floor((|DD| − D) × 60)
S = (((|DD| − D) × 60) − M) × 60
Example: −73.985656°
D = 73
M = floor(0.985656 × 60) = 59
S = 0.13936 × 60 = 8.3616
Result: 73° 59′ 8.36″ W as longitude.
Symbols: DD is decimal degrees, D is whole degrees, M is whole arcminutes, and S is arcseconds. One degree contains 60 arcminutes; one arcminute contains 60 arcseconds.
Decimal degrees and DMS examples
Single-angle examples and their coordinate meaning
Decimal degrees
DMS
Coordinate meaning
51.5074
51° 30′ 26.64″
51° 30′ 26.64″ N as latitude
−73.985656
−73° 59′ 8.3616″
73° 59′ 8.3616″ W as longitude
0.5
0° 30′ 0″
Half of one degree
12.345678
12° 20′ 44.4408″
Positive latitude is north; positive longitude is east
−0.0002777778
−0° 0′ 1″
The sign applies even when whole degrees are zero
Signs, hemispheres, and rounding
Latitude and longitude ranges
Latitude runs from −90° to +90°; longitude runs from −180° to +180°. Negative latitude is south, and negative longitude is west. At zero, this tool uses N/E by default; explicit −0, S, or W preserves the south/west direction. Both directions describe the same zero position.
The sign belongs to the whole angle
In −73° 59′ 8.36″, the minutes and seconds are not added to −73 as positive values. The notation means the negative of the complete magnitude: −(73 + 59/60 + 8.36/3600).
Rounding can carry
If seconds round to 60, the converter shows 0 seconds and increases the minutes. If that produces 60 minutes, it shows 0 minutes and increases the degrees. This keeps every DMS result normalized.
DMS versus decimal minutes
Degrees-minutes-seconds and degrees-decimal-minutes are different formats. For example, 40° 26′ 46″ is DMS, while 40° 26.7667′ uses decimal minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Does latitude or longitude come first?
This converter uses latitude, then longitude. Latitude is north/south (±90°); longitude is east/west (±180°). Explicit labels or hemisphere suffixes identify axes even if pasted in reverse order. Some GIS formats use longitude first, so check before copying an unlabeled pair.
How do I paste coordinates from Google Maps?
Copy the decimal coordinate pair shown for a selected location in Google Maps and paste it into the combined field, for example 40.748817, -73.985428. Use the numeric coordinates, not a Maps URL, address, or Plus Code. The converter fills latitude and longitude automatically.
Does converting DD to DMS change WGS84 or another datum?
No. DD-to-DMS changes notation only. It does not transform the datum, reference frame, projection, epoch, or measurement accuracy. WGS84 input remains WGS84; transforming coordinates between reference frames requires a separate geodetic tool.
How can I convert decimal degrees in Excel or Google Sheets?
For a decimal angle in A2, round the absolute total seconds first: B2 = ROUND(ABS(A2)*3600,2). Then degrees = INT(B2/3600), minutes = INT(MOD(B2,3600)/60), and seconds = ROUND(MOD(B2,60),2). Apply the sign of A2 to the whole angle, or use S for negative latitude and W for negative longitude. Replace 2 with the desired second precision. Spreadsheet numeric cells may not preserve negative zero.
Why do two converters differ by one second?
Different second precision, truncation instead of rounding, or rounding intermediate minutes can move the final second by one. This tool rounds the absolute total arcseconds once, then splits degrees, minutes, and seconds, carrying 60 seconds into a minute. Compare the same source digits and precision; the back-check uses the displayed rounded DMS.
Complete landmark coordinates
Illustrative landmark locations, latitude first; seconds rounded to two places
Landmark
Decimal degrees
DMS pair
Empire State Building, New York
40.748817, −73.985428
40° 44′ 55.74″ N, 73° 59′ 07.54″ W
Eiffel Tower, Paris
48.8584, 2.2945
48° 51′ 30.24″ N, 2° 17′ 40.20″ E
Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro
−22.9519, −43.2105
22° 57′ 06.84″ S, 43° 12′ 37.80″ W
How much coordinate precision do you need?
Approximate spacing of the last displayed digit, using 111.3 km per degree of latitude
DD decimal places
Latitude spacing
DMS second step
Latitude spacing
3 (0.001°)
111 m
1″ (whole seconds)
31 m
4 (0.0001°)
11.1 m
0.1″ (tenths)
3.1 m
5 (0.00001°)
1.11 m
0.01″ (hundredths)
0.31 m
6 (0.000001°)
0.111 m
0.001″ (thousandths)
0.031 m
The DD and DMS columns are independent step sizes, not equivalent precision. Whole seconds suit rough map locations; tenths give meter-scale formatting; hundredths retain finer GPS digits; thousandths can retain centimeter-scale survey data when the source supports it. Additional digits may help round trips but do not prove measurement accuracy.
These are approximate latitude distances. Longitude spacing decreases toward the poles (approximately multiply by cos(latitude)); at 60° latitude it is about half the equatorial value. Formatting cannot create accuracy absent from the source. See the USGS explanation of angular distance and latitude.
Method and sources
Publisher: Starlight Tools, by Starlight Robotics. Last reviewed: .
The calculation rounds |DD| × 3,600 at the chosen second precision, splits the rounded total into degrees, minutes, and seconds, then restores the sign or hemisphere. The reverse check reconstructs the displayed rounded DMS; a small rounding difference from the input is expected (bearings may wrap from nearly 360° to 0°). DDM and signed arcminute/arcsecond totals are calculated from the input (or normalized bearing), independently of DMS rounding.
Boundary checks: −0° longitude → 0° 00′ 00.00″ W; −0.0002777778° latitude → 0° 00′ 01.00″ S; 12.999999722222° (12° 59′ 59.999″) → 13° 00′ 00.00″ at two places. A bearing of 360° becomes 0°.
