The Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) is the geocoordinate standard used by NATO militaries for locating points on Earth. An MGRS coordinate such as 11S LV 8907 9522 combines a Grid Zone Designator (11S), a 100,000-meter square identifier (LV), and an easting/northing digit pair that can pinpoint a location down to 1 meter.

MGRS Converter & Interactive MGRS Map

mgrsconverter.com is a free MGRS converter and full-featured MGRS mapping tool. It goes beyond simple coordinate conversion: the entire Military Grid Reference System is drawn live on an interactive map — grid zones, 100 km squares, and progressively finer grid lines appear as you zoom, labeled along the map edges just like a printed military map. Convert MGRS to latitude/longitude (and back), measure distance and bearing, check ground elevation, drop pins, and share any location with a link.

What is MGRS?

The Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) is the geocoordinate standard used by NATO militaries for locating points on Earth. It is derived from the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection and expresses a position as a short alphanumeric string that is easy to read, write, and pass over a radio. An MGRS coordinate such as 11S LV 8907 9522 has three parts:

Grid Zone Designator (GZD) — e.g. 11S: a 6°-wide UTM zone number plus a latitude band letter.
100,000-meter square — e.g. LV: a two-letter identifier for a 100 km × 100 km square within the grid zone.
Easting and northing — e.g. 8907 9522: numeric offsets within the square. 4+4 digits locate a point to 10 meters; 5+5 digits to 1 meter.

Because grid references are compact and unambiguous, MGRS is the standard for military land navigation, search and rescue coordination, and emergency response — and this page lets you work with it directly on a live map.

Map & Conversion Features

Full MGRS grid overlay — the complete grid at every zoom level: bold Grid Zone Designator boundaries, orange 100 km square lines, and blue easting/northing lines that refine from 10 km down to 100 m and beyond as you zoom in. Grid values stay pinned to the map edges, so the view always reads like a proper gridded map sheet.
Live coordinate readout — the center crosshair and a cursor tooltip continuously display MGRS, latitude/longitude in degrees decimal minutes, and elevation. Hovering also highlights the grid cell under the cursor with its full grid reference.
MGRS ↔ lat/long converter — a dedicated Convert tab converts in either direction, shows results in degrees decimal minutes and decimal degrees, copies them to your clipboard, and flies the map to the point.
Fly to any coordinate — type an MGRS grid or a latitude/longitude and jump straight there.
Distance & bearing measurement — click a series of points to measure each leg and the total in meters/kilometers, with bearings in degrees true and NATO mils, plus per-point elevation. The whole report copies as text.
Ground elevation — elevation in meters and feet for the cursor, conversions, pins, and measurement points.
Map pins — double-click to drop a pin labeled with its MGRS grid; copy its coordinates any time.
Four basemaps — topographic, satellite imagery, terrain, and street maps.
Shareable links — the URL tracks your view, so copying it shares the exact location and zoom with anyone.

How to Convert MGRS to Lat/Long

Open the CONVERT tab in the panel at the top left.
Set the direction to MGRS → LAT / LONG.
Enter the Grid Zone Designator (e.g. 11S), the 100k square (e.g. LV), and the easting and northing digits.
Press Convert. The latitude/longitude appears in degrees decimal minutes and decimal degrees, is copied to your clipboard, and the map flies to the point.

To convert the other way, set the direction to LAT / LONG → MGRS and enter degrees and decimal minutes with the N/S and E/W hemispheres. You can also skip typing entirely: every readout on the map — crosshair, cursor tooltip, pins — already shows both coordinate systems side by side.

Tips & Shortcuts

Right-click anywhere on the map to copy that point's MGRS, lat/long, and elevation.
Double-click to drop a pin.
Click the 📏 ruler button (bottom right) to start measuring; right-click to finish, Esc to cancel.
Enter submits the active tab's coordinates.
Copy the URL at any time to share your exact view.

Who Uses This Tool

Soldiers and veterans practicing land navigation, search and rescue teams, amateur radio operators supporting ARES/RACES exercises, hunters and backcountry hikers, off-roaders, geocachers, and GIS professionals who need a fast military grid reference lookup without installing software. If you work with grid coordinates, this page is built to be the quickest way to convert them and see them on a real map.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MGRS?

The Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) is the coordinate standard used by NATO militaries for locating points on Earth. A coordinate like 11S LV 8907 9522 combines a Grid Zone Designator, a 100,000-meter square identifier, and easting/northing digits that can pinpoint a location down to 1 meter.

How do I convert MGRS to latitude and longitude?

Open the Convert tab, set the direction to MGRS → Lat/Long, enter the grid zone, 100k square, easting, and northing, and press Convert. The result is shown in degrees decimal minutes and decimal degrees, copied to your clipboard, and the map flies to the location.

How do I convert latitude and longitude to MGRS?

Set the direction to Lat/Long → MGRS, enter latitude and longitude in degrees and decimal minutes with N/S and E/W hemispheres, and press Convert. The tool returns the full MGRS grid coordinate and copies it to your clipboard.

Is this MGRS converter free?

Yes. The converter and the full MGRS map are completely free, with no account, sign-up, or install required. It runs in any modern browser.

How accurate is the MGRS conversion?

All conversions use the WGS84 datum and standard UTM/MGRS projection math, computed in your browser. Results are accurate to the 1-meter precision of a 10-digit grid coordinate.

Can I measure distance and bearing on the MGRS map?

Yes. The measure tool reports each leg's distance in meters or kilometers, bearings in degrees true and NATO mils, per-point elevation, and the total distance — all copyable as a text report.

Coordinate conversions run entirely in your browser (WGS84 datum, UTM/MGRS projection via proj4). Elevation lookups use the Open-Meteo Elevation API. Basemaps © OpenStreetMap contributors, OpenTopoMap, and Esri.