DMS and Decimal Degrees Converter

How does DMS conversion work?

Each degree contains 60 arcminutes and each arcminute contains 60 arcseconds. Add minutes divided by 60 and seconds divided by 3600 to the whole degrees. Apply a negative sign to the total for south or west. For example, 45 degrees 37 minutes 57 seconds equals 45.6325 degrees.

Use and limits

Convert latitude and longitude separately. Latitude cannot exceed 90 degrees and longitude cannot exceed 180 degrees. To obtain DMS, take the whole degrees, multiply the remainder by 60 for minutes and repeat for seconds. This changes notation only. It does not move a GPS position to another datum or map projection.

Apply the sign to the whole angle

Take 12° 15′ 30″ west. First calculate the magnitude as 12 + 15/60 + 30/3600 = 12.258333… degrees. The west direction makes the whole value negative. For the inverse conversion, the absolute value has integer part 12, the remaining fraction multiplied by 60 has integer part 15, and the final fraction multiplied by 60 gives 30. The sign belongs to the whole angle, not just its degree component.

Keep the direction even when the whole degree is zero. Use the tool's separate sign selection rather than entering a negative degree and also selecting a negative direction. An arcminute is not a minute of time. Dividing minutes by 100 instead of 60, or reading 12°15′ as 12.15°, gives a wrong location. Since 15′ = 0.25°, the correct value is 12.25°.

More displayed digits do not improve measurement accuracy. If the source is approximate, extra decimals only refine its representation. When recording converted latitude and longitude together, state the axis order. Systems using the same two values in different orders can identify different points. Preserve datum information after changing the notation.

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate decimal degrees from degrees, minutes and seconds?

For example, a north latitude of 45 degrees 37 minutes 57 seconds equals 45.63250000° in decimal degrees. Convert arcminutes and arcseconds to degrees and add them to the whole degrees, changing sign for south or west without converting the coordinate system or datum.

Calculate with these values