Your Apple Watch records the route of every outdoor run, walk, hike and ride, and you can see it on the map in the Fitness app. What Apple does not give you is a way to save that route as a file. To get a GPX file you need a small helper app that reads the workout from Apple Health and writes it out for you. It takes under a minute once the app is set up.
Why there is no export button
The Workout app saves the route into Apple Health on your iPhone. Health keeps it private and only shares it with apps you allow. A helper app asks for permission to read your workouts, then turns the one you choose into a GPX file, which is the standard format that mapping apps and our poster designer read.
Option one: RunGap
RunGap is free to install. Exporting files needs its Swag Bag subscription, A$7.99 for three months.
- Install RunGap on your iPhone and open it.
- Open Accounts & Settings, turn on Health, and allow RunGap to read your workouts when your iPhone asks.
- Your Apple Watch workouts appear in the Activities list. Open the one you want.
- Tap the ••• button in the top right corner, choose Share, then Export, and pick GPX.
- Save the file to the Files app.
Option two: HealthFit
HealthFit costs A$9.99 once, with no subscription.
- Install HealthFit and allow it to read Apple Health when it asks.
- Your workouts are listed on the main screen. Open the one you want.
- Tap the share icon, choose GPX, and save the file to Files.
RunGap renews unless you cancel it. HealthFit is a single payment, so it works out cheaper if you expect to export again.
When the workout has no route
A workout only carries a route if it was recorded outdoors with location on. Indoor runs and pool swims have time and heart rate but no line to export. If an outdoor workout shows no map in the Fitness app, open Settings on your iPhone, then Privacy & Security, then Location Services. Tap Apple Watch Workout and choose While Using the App. That fixes the next workout, though not the one already recorded.
A shortcut for next time
If you record with the Strava app on your watch instead of Apple's Workout app, the workout lands on Strava with its route. You can then connect your Strava account on our activity page and skip files entirely. It is worth setting up before a race or a trip you know you will want to keep.
Turn the file into a poster
Open our activity poster page on your iPhone, choose Upload GPX, and pick the file from Files. We draw the exact track your watch recorded and never smooth or simplify it. The distance prints beneath the line, with your moving time and the date if you want them. You see the finished poster before you buy, and an A4 print starts at A$59, printed to order in Australia on 200 gsm art paper.
Using a different watch? Our GPX export guide covers Garmin, COROS and Suunto, and our Komoot and Garmin guide goes into the two most common catches.
Questions people ask
Can I export a workout from months ago?
Yes. Both apps read your whole Apple Health history, so an old run exports the same way as today's.
Do I need the watch nearby?
No. The workout lives in Apple Health on your iPhone once it has synced, so the watch can be anywhere.
Can I do this on a Mac or an iPad?
Apple Health lives on the iPhone, so export there, then send the file to whichever device you prefer with AirDrop.