DGML File

What are DGML files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a DGML file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your DGML files.

What is a DGML file?

DGML files have multiple uses, and Directed Graph XML Document is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Directed Graph XML Document

.DGML files are the XML document files of the Directed Graph Markup Language (DGML). DGML is an XML-based file format for directed graphs. A directed graph is a graph with a set of vertices connected by edges, where these edges have a direction associated.

XML stands for Extensible Markup Language, a standard that is designed to be read by humans and machines.

How to open DGML files

Important: Different programs may use files with the DGML file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your DGML file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the app ourselves yet, our users have suggested a single DGML opener which you will find listed below.

Last updated: October 27, 2026

All known file formats using extension .DGML

While Directed Graph XML Document is a popular type of DGML-file, we know of 2 different uses of the .DGML file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Marble Map Description

A Marble Map Description file specifies a map theme or "map style" for the Marble virtual globe application. It allows defining how Marble should display a map: which image or tile layers to use, how to show map features like borders or terrain, what legends, icons and settings to include.

Such files are written by Marble itself or by map-theme creators for Marble. Marble reads these files to load new map themes. Common uses include built-in maps like satellite views, historical maps, planet maps, or user-created maps. The theme's name, preview icon, visible layers, zoom limits, and other display settings come from the file.

Internally this is plain XML, with a root element that declares a Marble-dgml namespace. The document includes a "head" section naming the theme (for example via tags like name, target, theme, icon, visible, description, zoom with minimum/maximum/discrete). Beneath that are elements defining map contents: map layers, textures, sourcedirs, storage layout, and rendering layers for features like terrain or placemarks. It also contains document-wide settings: which map features are checkable, visible, or available (e.g. "coordinate-grid", "compass", "scalebar", etc.), plus a legend section grouping icons and items under headings. Files begin with the XML declaration "<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>" and use keywords like DGML, target, theme, ICON PIXMAP, MAP BGCOLOR, OVERVIEWMAP, among others to identify sections.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of DGML files. Remember, different programs may use DGML files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

Help us help others

File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about DGML file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.