How to open .SVG files (vector graphics) on Android, Windows and Linux

Logos, icons, diagrams and illustrations often come as .svg files. On a computer they usually open in a web browser, which is fine for a glance but clumsy for going through a folder of icons. On a phone, tapping one often gets you a “can’t open file” message or a screen full of code.

Folders opens SVG and SVGZ files in a vector viewer on Android, Windows and Linux, free. The drawing stays sharp when you zoom in, and you can switch the background to check a white or transparent logo.

What is an .SVG file?

SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics, an open standard from the W3C, the body behind web standards, first published in 2001. A JPG or PNG stores a grid of pixels; an SVG stores instructions for drawing: lines, curves, shapes, gradients and text, written as XML. Open one in a text editor and you’ll see lines like <circle cx="50" cy="50" r="40" fill="red"/>.

That gives SVG its strengths:

• Sharp at any size. The drawing is worked out again for every size, so the same logo looks crisp on a business card and on a billboard.
• Small files for simple graphics, and editable as text.
• Made for the web. Browsers display it directly, and it can be styled with CSS.

And its limits: it’s no good for photos, and because an SVG is a web document as much as a picture, it can also include scripts, links, animation and references to outside images or fonts, which not every viewer supports.

Extension	What it is
.svg	A vector drawing written as XML text
.svgz	The same drawing compressed with gzip, often much smaller

SVGs are made in Inkscape (free), Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer, Figma and similar tools, or exported from charting and diagram software.

How to open an .SVG file with Folders

Android

1. Install Folders from the download page and allow access to your files.
2. Go to the SVG, often in Download or an unpacked icon set. Icon sets can hold hundreds of files, so type a word from the icon’s name in the search box.
3. Tap the file to open it in the vector viewer. From another app, choose Open with → Folders.

Windows and Linux

1. Browse to the file in Folders and double-click it.
2. On Windows, the installer adds Folders to File Explorer’s Open with menu for SVG and SVGZ, so you can right-click → Open with → Folders.

What you can do with an SVG in Folders

• Zoom in close. The vector viewer draws the shapes rather than enlarging pixels, so lines and text stay sharp instead of turning into blocks.
• Switch the background. A white logo on a transparent background disappears against white; flip the background to see it properly, or to check that the transparency is real.
• Open SVGZ the same way, without unpacking it first.
• Look without risk. The viewer only draws the shapes; it doesn’t run any scripts an SVG may contain.
• Share the file, rename or move it, or put a set of icons into a ZIP from the file browser.

What it can’t do: convert an SVG into PNG or another format, or edit the drawing. If you want to read the code, make a copy and rename it to end in .xml; Folders then opens it in its text editor with syntax highlighting.

Other ways to open .SVG files

• Any web browser: the most complete SVG support, scripts and animation included. Drag the file into a tab.
• Inkscape (free, Windows and Linux) to edit it and to export PNGs at any size.
• Adobe Illustrator or Affinity Designer for professional editing.
• A text editor to read or change the XML directly.

Problems opening an .SVG file?

Parts are missing, or it’s blank. An SVG can link to images or fonts stored elsewhere, which don’t come along when the file is copied on its own. Simpler viewers, Folders’ included, also don’t support every SVG feature, such as filters, scripts, animation or some CSS styling. A browser shows the full thing; if it’s blank there too, the linked files are missing.

The text is in the wrong font. SVG text names its fonts, and if a font isn’t on your device, another one stands in. Designers avoid this by converting text to outlines before exporting.

An .svg looks like gibberish in a text editor. It’s probably gzip-compressed, an SVGZ with the wrong ending. Rename it to .svgz.

It opens as code in another app. Some apps treat SVG as plain text. Open it in Folders’ vector viewer or a browser instead.

Questions people ask

How do I convert SVG to PNG? Folders can’t convert SVG. In Inkscape, use Export and pick a size; on Linux, rsvg-convert -w 1024 -o output.png input.svg (from librsvg) does it on the command line.

Can I open an .svg file on Android? Yes. Folders shows SVG and SVGZ drawings in its vector viewer, sharp when zoomed.

Is an SVG file safe? An SVG can contain scripts and links, and scammers sometimes send SVG attachments that behave like web pages when opened in a browser. Viewing an unknown SVG in a viewer that doesn’t run scripts, such as Folders, avoids that.

SVG vs PNG: which should I use? SVG for logos, icons and diagrams that need to scale; PNG for screenshots and anything with photographic detail, or where SVG isn’t accepted.

Illustrator files are a common source of SVGs: see the AI guide. For pixel graphics, read the PNG guide, or browse all 382 file types Folders opens.