How do I open a .svg file?

On Windows use Any web browser; on macOS use Any web browser; on Linux use Any web browser. An XML text format describing shapes rather than pixels, so it stays sharp at any size.

Can I convert a .svg file?

Yes. It is usually converted to .png, .pdf, .eps, .ai or .jpg, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.

.svg files

.svg file

Scalable Vector Graphics

An XML text format describing shapes rather than pixels, so it stays sharp at any size.

What opens a .svg file

Windows: Any web browser, Inkscape, Adobe Illustrator, Visual Studio Code (to edit the markup)
macOS: Any web browser, Preview (built in), Inkscape, Adobe Illustrator
Linux: Any web browser, Inkscape, GIMP (rasterises on import)
In a browser: Any web browser, Figma, SVGOMG

What a .svg file is

SVG is a W3C standard from 2001 that stores drawings as maths — paths, curves and fills — instead of a grid of pixels, so it scales to any size without blurring. Because it is XML text you can open one in a code editor and read it, and browsers render it directly. The catch is that an SVG can contain scripts, so treat files from strangers with the same care as any downloaded web page.

Converting it

A .svg file is commonly converted to .png, .pdf, .eps, .ai or .jpg. It is a plain text format, so any text editor can open and edit it directly.

Details

Extension: .svg
Full name: Scalable Vector Graphics
Category: Images
MIME type: image/svg+xml
Created by: W3C
Format: Plain text

Common questions

How do I open a .svg file?: On Windows use Any web browser; on macOS use Any web browser; on Linux use Any web browser. An XML text format describing shapes rather than pixels, so it stays sharp at any size.
What is a .svg file?: Scalable Vector Graphics. SVG is a W3C standard from 2001 that stores drawings as maths — paths, curves and fills — instead of a grid of pixels, so it scales to any size without blurring. Because it is XML text you can open one in a code editor and read it, and browsers render it directly.
Can I convert a .svg file?: Yes. It is usually converted to .png, .pdf, .eps, .ai or .jpg, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.

.jpg — JPEG Image The lossy photo format that every camera, phone and website has used since the 1
.png — Portable Network Graphics Lossless image format with transparency, made for screenshots, logos and web gra
.jpeg — JPEG Image (four-letter form) The same format as .jpg — the longer spelling, kept alive by Macs and Unix syste
.heic — High Efficiency Image Container The format an iPhone saves photos in — about half the size of a JPEG at the same
.webp — WebP Image Google's web image format — smaller than JPEG or PNG, and now supported everywhe
.gif — Graphics Interchange Format The 256-colour animation format from 1987 that refuses to die.
.psd — Adobe Photoshop Document Photoshop's working file, keeping layers, masks and text editable.
.ai — Adobe Illustrator Artwork Illustrator's vector working file, used for logos, icons and print artwork.
.avif — AV1 Image File Format A royalty-free image format built on the AV1 video codec, smaller than JPEG or W
.tiff — Tagged Image File Format The lossless, multi-page image format used in printing, scanning and archiving.
.raw — Camera Raw Image Unprocessed sensor data from a camera — and, confusingly, a literal extension us
.ico — Windows Icon A container holding one icon at several sizes, used by Windows and by website fa

Sources

Media Types Registry — IANA
Official vendor product documentation — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked