Vector conversion
Convert AI to SVG
AI is a design app's native vector format for artwork, and SVG is the vector format web browsers can display directly. To convert AI to SVG, open the file in a converter and export it as SVG. Doing this on your own computer means the artwork never has to travel anywhere to become something a website can use.
All 2,748 conversions verified on macOS, Windows, and Linux against the shipping release, this one included. Every conversion runs entirely on your own computer.
- Extension
- .ai
- Type
- Vector
- Typically
- Illustrator files
- Transparency
- None
- Extension
- .svg
- Type
- Vector
- Typically
- Web icons, logos
- Transparency
- Supported
Convert AI to SVG on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
One-time purchase, no subscription. 14 days to change your mind.
How to convert AI to SVG
- Open Morphjet and drag in the AI file, or a whole folder of them, to convert several at once.
- Choose SVG as the output format.
- Convert. The SVG is written next to your original, and nothing leaves your machine.
AI vs SVG: what actually changes
| AI | SVG | |
|---|---|---|
| Opens without the original app | No, needs the design app that made it or a compatible one | Yes, any browser or image viewer can open it |
| File size | Can be large, especially with embedded images or effects | Usually smaller, just the vector paths and styling |
| Quality | Full fidelity, native format | Very close, though some effects specific to the original app may not carry over |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Works directly on the web | No, needs desktop software | Yes, renders in HTML/CSS without a plugin |
| Multiple artboards | Yes, one file can hold several | No, one canvas per file |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert AI to SVG when you need the artwork on a website, in an icon set, or in a logo that has to render directly in a browser without special software.
Keep the AI file if you still need to edit it in the design app that made it, with its layers, live effects, or multiple artboards intact, since SVG won't preserve all of those editing features.
Why not just use an online converter?
AI files, being a proprietary vector format, often hold client logos, unreleased branding, or work you're not ready to share. Uploading one to an online converter puts that artwork on a server you don't control, even if only for a few seconds. Converting on your own computer keeps the file, and whatever it contains, on your machine the whole time.
Questions
Does converting AI to SVG lose any quality?
The vector paths themselves convert without loss, since both formats describe shapes the same mathematical way. What can change is effects specific to the original app, like certain blend modes or live effects, which may not have an SVG equivalent and get flattened into the artwork.
Will the SVG keep my layers?
SVG can preserve layers as groups, but the original app's layer panel features, like locking or blend options, don't transfer. If you need to keep editing with the app's full set of tools, keep the AI file around too.
Can I open an SVG without the app that made the AI file?
Yes. Any modern web browser opens SVG files directly, and most image viewers, design tools, and code editors can too. That's the main reason people convert AI to SVG in the first place.
What happens to text in the AI file?
Text is usually converted to outlines, meaning vector shapes, so it displays correctly everywhere even if the viewer doesn't have the font installed. After that, the text is no longer editable as text.
Can I convert AI to SVG without uploading the file?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts the file locally, so the artwork never gets sent anywhere. That matters if the file contains unreleased branding or client work.
Morphjet runs this conversion and 2,747 others, all on your machine. Available now.
One-time purchase, no subscription. 14 days to change your mind.