Skip to main content

SVG Optimization Guide

SVGs can contain a lot of unnecessary code. Learn how to optimize them for smaller files, faster loading, and better web performance.

Create Optimized SVGLearn More

Why Optimize SVG Files?

Faster Page Load
Smaller files mean faster downloads. Critical for mobile users and SEO.
Reduced Bandwidth
Save hosting costs and improve user experience, especially on slow connections.
Cleaner Code
Easier to work with, debug, and maintain. Better for inline SVG in HTML.

Real impact: An unoptimized SVG from Illustrator might be 50KB. After optimization, it could be 5KB - a 90% reduction. Multiply that across dozens of SVGs on a site, and optimization becomes essential.

What Makes SVGs Bloated?

Editor Metadata

Design software adds extra data you don't need:

  • • Adobe Illustrator tags and comments
  • • Sketch/Figma layer names
  • • Generator information
  • • Empty groups and definitions
Unnecessary Precision

Coordinates with too many decimal places:

Before: x="12.847293847"

After: x="12.85"

The difference is invisible but saves bytes.

Redundant Attributes

Default values that browsers apply anyway:

  • • fill="black" (default)
  • • stroke-width="1" (default)
  • • opacity="1" (default)
Unoptimized Paths

Path data can often be simplified:

  • • Convert absolute to relative commands
  • • Remove unnecessary whitespace
  • • Merge consecutive commands
  • • Remove hidden or zero-size elements

SVG Optimization Tools

From quick online tools to developer-focused options

SVGO (SVG Optimizer)
The gold standard - used by most tools

SVGO is a Node.js tool that most other optimizers are built on. It's highly configurable and produces excellent results.

Install (for developers):

npm install -g svgo

# Optimize a single file
svgo input.svg -o output.svg

# Optimize entire folder
svgo -f ./svg-folder

Online version (no install):

Visit jakearchibald.github.io/svgomg/ - it's SVGO with a visual interface. Drag and drop your SVG, adjust settings, and download the optimized version.

SVGOMG (Online)
Visual interface for SVGO - no install needed
  1. Go to jakearchibald.github.io/svgomg/
  2. Paste SVG code or drag-and-drop file
  3. Adjust optimization settings (defaults are usually good)
  4. Download or copy the optimized SVG

Shows file size reduction in real-time. Great for one-off optimizations.

Design Software Export
Optimize during export from your design tool

Adobe Illustrator

File → Export → Export As → SVG → Use "SVG Code" with "Minify" and "Remove IDs" checked

Figma

Select element → Export → SVG → Check "Simplify Stroke" and "Outline Text" if needed

Inkscape

File → Save As → Optimized SVG → Configure options in dialog

Sketch

Use SVGO Compressor plugin or export and run through SVGOMG

Build Tool Integration
Automate optimization in your workflow
// vite.config.js
import svgr from 'vite-plugin-svgr'

// webpack - use svgo-loader
{
  test: /\.svg$/,
  use: ['svgo-loader']
}

// Next.js - @svgr/webpack with svgo: true

For production sites, integrate SVGO into your build process to automatically optimize all SVGs.

Manual Optimization Tips

Remove Unnecessary Elements

Open your SVG in a text editor and look for things to remove:

<!-- Remove these -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!-- Generator: Adobe Illustrator -->
<metadata>...</metadata>
<sodipodi:namedview>...</sodipodi:namedview>
<defs></defs> <!-- if empty -->
Use viewBox, Remove width/height

Make SVGs responsive by using viewBox instead of fixed dimensions:

<!-- Before -->
<svg width="200" height="100">

<!-- After - responsive -->
<svg viewBox="0 0 200 100">

<!-- CSS controls the size -->
.icon { width: 24px; height: 24px; }
Simplify Paths in Design Software

Before exporting, reduce path complexity:

  • • Illustrator: Object → Path → Simplify
  • • Inkscape: Path → Simplify (Ctrl+L)
  • • Combine overlapping shapes where possible
  • • Use basic shapes (rect, circle) instead of paths when possible
Use Symbols for Repeated Elements

If the same shape appears multiple times, define it once and reuse:

<svg>
  <defs>
    <circle id="dot" r="5" fill="red"/>
  </defs>
  <use href="#dot" x="10" y="10"/>
  <use href="#dot" x="30" y="10"/>
  <use href="#dot" x="50" y="10"/>
</svg>

Recommended SVGO Settings

SVGO has many plugins. Here are the safe defaults that work for most SVGs:

Safe to Enable

  • removeDoctype
  • removeComments
  • removeMetadata
  • removeEditorsNSData
  • cleanupAttrs
  • removeEmptyAttrs
  • removeEmptyContainers
  • convertColors

Use with Caution

  • removeViewBox (breaks responsiveness)
  • cleanupIDs (breaks CSS/JS references)
  • removeHiddenElems (may remove needed defs)
  • convertPathData (test visually)
  • mergePaths (test visually)

Always test visually! Some optimizations can break SVGs, especially those with complex filters, masks, or animations. Compare before and after.

SVG Best Practices Checklist

Before Exporting

  • Simplify paths in design software
  • Expand strokes if needed
  • Convert text to outlines (if no editing needed)
  • Remove hidden layers and unused assets

After Exporting

  • Run through SVGO/SVGOMG
  • Test visual appearance
  • Check file size reduction
  • Test at different sizes

Frequently Asked Questions

How much can I reduce SVG file size?

Typically 30-80% reduction is possible. SVGs exported from Illustrator with default settings often see 50-70% reduction. Simple icons might only improve 20-30%, while complex files with lots of metadata can shrink by 80%+.

Will optimization break my SVG?

It can if aggressive settings are used. Safe optimizations (removing metadata, comments, unnecessary attributes) won't affect appearance. Path optimizations and ID removal can cause issues. Always test visually after optimization.

What's the ideal SVG file size?

For icons: under 2KB is great, under 5KB is good. For illustrations: under 20KB is ideal, under 50KB is acceptable. Complex illustrations might be 50-100KB. If an SVG is over 100KB, consider if it should be a PNG/WebP instead.

Should I gzip SVG files on my server?

Yes! SVG compresses extremely well with gzip (typically 60-80% additional reduction). Configure your server to gzip SVG files. This is separate from SVGO optimization - do both for best results.

Start with Clean SVGs

Create Optimized SVGs from the Start

Our converter produces clean, optimized SVG output. No bloated metadata, no unnecessary precision - ready for production use.

Create Optimized SVGHow to Use SVG

1 free credit • Clean output • Professional quality