How to convert PNG to SVG online
- 1
Drop your PNG file
Drag and drop your Portable Network Graphics file onto the converter, or click to browse your files. You can select up to 5 at once. Nothing leaves your device — conversion happens right here in the browser.
- 2
Hit Convert — it happens locally
Click Convert and watch it go. There's no upload, no server queue, no waiting. The converter runs Portable Network Graphics → Scalable Vector Graphics entirely in your browser tab using WebAssembly. Most files finish in 1–3 seconds.
- 3
Download your SVG
Your Scalable Vector Graphics file is ready. Click Download, or grab a ZIP if you converted a batch. Close the tab and everything disappears — no copies kept anywhere.
PNG vs SVG: format overview
Portable Network Graphics
PNG Development Group (Thomas Boutell) · 1996
- Compression
- lossless
- Color depth
- 16-bit
- Transparency
- Yes
- ✓ Lossless compression — pixel-perfect quality
- ✓ Full alpha transparency (8-bit alpha channel)
- ✗ Large file sizes for photos
Scalable Vector Graphics
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) · 1999
- Compression
- none
- Color depth
- unlimited (vector)
- Transparency
- Yes
- ✓ Resolution-independent — scales to any size without quality loss
- ✓ Text-based XML — searchable and editable
PNG magic bytes: 89 50 4E 47 0D 0A 1A 0A
Why convert PNG to SVG?
If you've ever tried to open a PNG file and hit a wall — the app won't accept it, the website rejects it, or the preview just shows a broken icon — you already know why this conversion matters.
Portable Network Graphics is great for what it was designed for, but it has real-world limitations: large file sizes for photos and no exif gps data by spec. The moment you step outside that original context, it gets frustrating fast.
Scalable Vector Graphics is the safer choice for Logos and icons, Data visualizations, Responsive web graphics. Its main advantages — resolution-independent — scales to any size without quality loss and text-based xml — searchable and editable — mean it just works wherever you need it.
A few common reasons people end up here: - Their target app, site, or device doesn't accept PNG - They need a smaller file for email or upload (SVG often compresses better) - They need Scalable Vector Graphics's specific capability: resolution-independent — scales to any size without quality loss - Compatibility with older software that pre-dates Portable Network Graphics
The conversion is one-way: you get a SVG that works everywhere Scalable Vector Graphics is expected. The original PNG file is not touched.
Quality & file size: PNG to SVG
Typical file sizes: PNG 8–25 MB → SVG 5–50 KB.
Both PNG and SVG use lossy compression. We transcode at high quality settings (equivalent to SVG's recommended web quality) to minimize generational loss.
Color depth: PNG supports 16-bit, SVG supports unlimited (vector).
Transparency: PNG supports transparency. SVG preserves transparency.
Frequently asked questions
Privacy: how FormatDrop handles your files
Your PNGfiles are converted 100% inside your browser using WebAssembly. They are never uploaded to our servers, never stored, and never seen by anyone other than you. This isn't a privacy policy claim — it's an architectural guarantee: our server has no endpoint that receives file bytes.