How to change the default settings for SVG files

Computer Stuff, Cricut, Cutting Files, Silhouette, YouTube Tutorials

Learn how to change the default settings for SVG files on your computer so that your browser doesn’t open when you double click SVG files.

If you have not changed the default setting, your SVG files will be shown as HTML files and your browser will open them.

SVG files are the most universal file type because they can be used with every cutting system, including Silhouette, Cricut, ScanNCut and all the others.

For many people, their SVG files show as HTML files and they are unable to open them. In Windows, this is very confusing because, as you can see in the image above, the browser icon (Edge, Windows Explorer, Chrome, etc.) is displayed beside the file name, the SVG extension is displayed and HTML is displayed as the document type, even though this clearly is an SVG file.

Some of you will only want to know how to open them. The quick explanation follows and I have posted a video to help with this.

Others will want to know more about why this happens and how to change this default behaviour in their systems. A more in-depth explanation follows later in this post, also with a video to show you how to make the simple change you need.

To open your SVG file with Silhouette Studio, start Silhouette Studio and use the File, Open command to find and open your file (at 7:22 in the video).

To open your SVG file in Cricut Design Space, start CDS, click Upload, browse to the location of your file, upload it and put it on your canvas (at 8:39 in the video).

In any other program, start your program and open the file as you would any other file. Some programs, like Sure Cuts a Lot (SCAL), require you to import the file. If you have to import, just use the File, Import commands.

SVG files are very versatile because they are the universal standard format used in cutting software programs and for electronic die-cutting machines. SVG files can be used to make all kinds of designs, such as stickers, layered characters, stencils, vinyl garment embellishments, signage, decals, laser cut files and so much more.

If you choose or make all of your designs in SVG format, you will be able to continue using these files if you add new equipment or upgrade to more professional systems.

I have seen all types of different explanations for the problems with displaying SVG file details correctly, but all the explanations I have seen are not quite right.

For one thing, this happens on Windows systems as well as on Macs. The difference is that Macs can display the contents of an SVG file, whereas Windows cannot unless you install a viewer for this. What this means is that on a Mac, the SVG file may be displayed correctly as an SVG file, but when you double click, your browser opens the file. This is the default behaviour unless you change the default program that opens your SVG files.

As you can see in the image above, everything looks good and you can see the contents of the FollowTheBunnyColor.svg file, but when you right click (image on right), you will see that Google Chrome is set as the default app to open this type of file. It’s very easy to change this.

To change the association, right click on the file name, choose Open With and then Other.

Instruction to choose an application to open the document.
Choose the application you want to open this file (document) type from now on. I have Adobe Illustrator 2023 highlighted. You can also choose Affinity Designer, Sure Cuts a Lot, Inkscape or any other program that lets you work with SVG files. Note that Silhouette Studio cannot be selected here. If you have it installed, it will be greyed out.
Check the Always Open With checkbox to make the change permanent.

You can do this any time you like if you want to change the association again. You might want to change it if you download a new program for working with SVG files.

Windows

You want to make sure that your system displays file extensions. SVG files have a .SVG extension and if you don’t have extensions displayed, you won’t know which file is an SVG file and which file is something else. My video explanation is done on Windows 10, but this should be consistent for any version of the OS (operating system).

In the image below, you see why the file extensions are so important.

This is fully explained in my video above.