An SVG file can contain editable shapes, an ordinary picture, or both. If you can only move the whole picture, first check whether you selected a group of shapes. If it is an image layer instead, it may need to be converted.

First check in your drawing app

  1. Open a copy of the SVG in Figma, Inkscape or Illustrator.
  2. Look in the layers or objects panel. If the drawing is a group, expand it and select one part inside.
  3. Try changing that part's color. To test its outline, use the app's point-editing tool, move a point and undo the change.
  4. Check another part of the drawing. Some SVGs mix editable shapes with images.

A single selection box does not prove the file is an image: a group of many shapes also has one. The useful test is whether you can get inside that group and edit the parts you need.

Why can’t I change the words?

Letters can be stored as shapes too. You can move their edges, but cannot change the word by typing. Recreate the wording as text in your editor if you need to change it later.

Optional: check the SVG code

Open a copy in a text editor and search for <image. This element places an image inside the SVG. Its href may point to an image file or include the image data itself. That is different from converting the picture into shapes.

These shortened examples explain the difference. They are not output from the converter.

<!-- A PNG stored inside the SVG; data shortened -->
<image width="100" height="100" href="data:image/png;base64,…" />

<!-- An editable triangle -->
<path d="M 10 90 L 50 10 L 90 90 Z" fill="#23583e" />

Other shape names include circle, rect and polygon. Finding one path does not mean the whole picture is made of paths; there may still be an image elsewhere in the file.

If the SVG only contains a picture

Ask for the original vector file, or convert the original image into shapes. ImageSVG does that conversion without placing a bitmap inside the SVG. It still needs a clear source, and it will not turn pictured letters into editable text.

Try checking this SVG

Open the converted courier dog in your drawing app. Expand the group of shapes and select a red part of the envelope. Change its color, then undo. The envelope may contain several shapes: check the fold lines as well. Next, select a blue marking and inspect its editable points. Being able to edit these parts is a more useful check than just zooming in.

Original image
Original image
Converted SVG
Converted SVG
Original detail
Original detail
Converted detail
Converted detail
Original image · Converted SVG · How this example was made

Try a file with both shapes and a picture

Download this teaching SVG and open it in your editor. Expand its group: the left triangle has editable points; the right triangle is a PNG image. Change the left triangle’s color, then try the right one. Both look sharp here, but only one is a vector shape. This is a constructed example, not ImageSVG output.

Download this teaching SVG and open it in your editor. Expand its group: the left triangle has editable points; the right triangle is a PNG image. Change the left triangle’s color, then try the right one. Both look sharp here, but only one is a vector shape. This is a constructed example, not ImageSVG output.

SVG ↓