diff --git a/pygmt/src/grdtrack.py b/pygmt/src/grdtrack.py
index eaa1f0e13cc..366506a5922 100644
--- a/pygmt/src/grdtrack.py
+++ b/pygmt/src/grdtrack.py
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
     GMTTempFile,
     build_arg_string,
     data_kind,
-    dummy_context,
     fmt_docstring,
     use_alias,
 )
@@ -51,8 +50,7 @@ def grdtrack(points, grid, newcolname=None, outfile=None, **kwargs):
         sampled values will be placed.
 
     outfile : str
-        Required if ``points`` is a file. The file name for the output ASCII
-        file.
+        The file name for the output ASCII file.
 
     {V}
     {f}
@@ -68,21 +66,13 @@ def grdtrack(points, grid, newcolname=None, outfile=None, **kwargs):
         - None if ``outfile`` is set (track output will be stored in file set
           by ``outfile``)
     """
+    if data_kind(points) == "matrix" and newcolname is None:
+        raise GMTInvalidInput("Please pass in a str to 'newcolname'")
 
     with GMTTempFile(suffix=".csv") as tmpfile:
         with Session() as lib:
-            # Store the pandas.DataFrame points table in virtualfile
-            if data_kind(points) == "matrix":
-                if newcolname is None:
-                    raise GMTInvalidInput("Please pass in a str to 'newcolname'")
-                table_context = lib.virtualfile_from_matrix(points.values)
-            elif data_kind(points) == "file":
-                if outfile is None:
-                    raise GMTInvalidInput("Please pass in a str to 'outfile'")
-                table_context = dummy_context(points)
-            else:
-                raise GMTInvalidInput(f"Unrecognized data type {type(points)}")
-
+            # Choose how data will be passed into the module
+            table_context = lib.virtualfile_from_data(check_kind="vector", data=points)
             # Store the xarray.DataArray grid in virtualfile
             grid_context = lib.virtualfile_from_data(check_kind="raster", data=grid)
 
@@ -100,8 +90,11 @@ def grdtrack(points, grid, newcolname=None, outfile=None, **kwargs):
 
         # Read temporary csv output to a pandas table
         if outfile == tmpfile.name:  # if user did not set outfile, return pd.DataFrame
-            column_names = points.columns.to_list() + [newcolname]
-            result = pd.read_csv(tmpfile.name, sep="\t", names=column_names)
+            try:
+                column_names = points.columns.to_list() + [newcolname]
+                result = pd.read_csv(tmpfile.name, sep="\t", names=column_names)
+            except AttributeError:  # 'str' object has no attribute 'columns'
+                result = pd.read_csv(tmpfile.name, sep="\t", header=None, comment=">")
         elif outfile != tmpfile.name:  # return None if outfile set, output in outfile
             result = None
 
diff --git a/pygmt/tests/test_grdtrack.py b/pygmt/tests/test_grdtrack.py
index 8ed74adcd47..60c728c53cd 100644
--- a/pygmt/tests/test_grdtrack.py
+++ b/pygmt/tests/test_grdtrack.py
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ def test_grdtrack_input_dataframe_and_dataarray(dataarray):
     output = grdtrack(points=dataframe, grid=dataarray, newcolname="bathymetry")
     assert isinstance(output, pd.DataFrame)
     assert output.columns.to_list() == ["longitude", "latitude", "bathymetry"]
-    npt.assert_allclose(output.iloc[0], [-110.9536, -42.2489, -2797.394987])
+    npt.assert_allclose(output.iloc[0], [-110.9536, -42.2489, -2974.656296])
 
     return output
 
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ def test_grdtrack_input_csvfile_and_dataarray(dataarray):
         assert os.path.exists(path=TEMP_TRACK)  # check that outfile exists at path
 
         track = pd.read_csv(TEMP_TRACK, sep="\t", header=None, comment=">")
-        npt.assert_allclose(track.iloc[0], [-110.9536, -42.2489, -2797.394987])
+        npt.assert_allclose(track.iloc[0], [-110.9536, -42.2489, -2974.656296])
     finally:
         os.remove(path=TEMP_TRACK)
 
@@ -132,11 +132,14 @@ def test_grdtrack_without_newcolname_setting(dataarray):
         grdtrack(points=dataframe, grid=dataarray)
 
 
-def test_grdtrack_without_outfile_setting(dataarray):
+def test_grdtrack_without_outfile_setting():
     """
     Run grdtrack by not passing in outfile parameter setting.
     """
     csvfile = which("@ridge.txt", download="c")
+    ncfile = which("@earth_relief_01d", download="a")
 
-    with pytest.raises(GMTInvalidInput):
-        grdtrack(points=csvfile, grid=dataarray)
+    output = grdtrack(points=csvfile, grid=ncfile)
+    npt.assert_allclose(output.iloc[0], [-32.2971, 37.4118, -1939.748245])
+
+    return output