MIME Type

image/svg+xml

Image

MIME type for SVG vector graphics written in XML.

MIME type reference, HTTP example, browser usage, common mistakes, and related content.

What is the image/svg+xml MIME type?

The MIME type image/svg+xml is used to tell browsers, APIs, and servers how a file or response body should be interpreted.

MIME stands for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, and MIME types are now a standard part of HTTP responses and web content delivery.

When a browser or client receives a response with image/svg+xml, it uses that information to decide how the content should be processed, rendered, downloaded, or executed.

Example

Content-Type: image/svg+xml

HTTP example

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: image/svg+xml
Content-Length: 1256

Common file extensions

.svg

Common use cases

Icons
Logos
Scalable web graphics

Common mistakes

Using the wrong MIME type for the file being served
Returning text/plain instead of image/svg+xml
Forgetting required parameters like charset when relevant
Using a deprecated MIME type in older server configurations
Serving assets with a mismatched Content-Type header, causing browser parsing issues

How browsers use it

Browsers use the Content-Type response header to decide how a response should be handled. For example, HTML is rendered as a page, CSS is parsed as styles, JavaScript is executed as script, and images are displayed visually. If the MIME type is incorrect, the browser may refuse to load the file correctly or may treat it as plain text or a download instead.

Browser support

Strong browser support for inline and external SVG, though scripting and embedding behavior can vary by context.

Developer note

A very important MIME type for frontend developers because SVG is everywhere in modern UI work.

Related MIME types

application/xml image/png text/html