Text to SVG Converter — Turn Any Text Into Scalable Vector Graphics

When you add text to a design, you're at the mercy of font availability. If the viewer doesn't have your font installed, the text renders in a fallback — and your carefully designed typography breaks.

Converting text to SVG solves this permanently. The text becomes vector paths that look identical everywhere: websites, apps, print, email signatures. No font dependencies. No rendering inconsistencies.

Why Convert Text to SVG?

Font Independence

Normal text requires the font file to render correctly. SVG text paths are self-contained — the shapes are embedded in the file itself.

This matters for:

Logos — Your logo text should look identical everywhere
Email signatures — Email clients have unpredictable font support
Embedded graphics — Social media previews, Open Graph images
Cross-platform apps — Consistent rendering without font licensing headaches

Infinite Scaling

Like all SVGs, text paths scale without quality loss. Your logo looks perfect on a favicon and a billboard.

Design Flexibility

Once text is converted to paths, you can:

Apply gradients that follow the text shape
Add clipping masks
Animate individual letters
Apply SVG filters (blur, glow, distortion)
Edit paths directly for custom lettering

How to Convert Text to SVG (3 Methods)

Method 1: Online Text to SVG Tool

The fastest approach for simple text:

Open the Text to SVG Converter
Type your text
Select a font from the dropdown
Adjust size and styling as needed
Download the SVG

The tool renders your text using the selected font, then converts it to vector paths. The output is a clean SVG with each letter as an editable shape.

Best for: Logo text, headings, single words or short phrases.

Method 2: In Design Software

If you're already in Figma, Illustrator, or Inkscape:

Figma:

Create a text layer
Right-click → "Flatten" (or Cmd/Ctrl + E)
Export as SVG

Illustrator:

Select your text
Type → Create Outlines (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + O)
File → Export → SVG

Inkscape:

Select your text
Path → Object to Path (Shift + Ctrl + C)
Save as SVG

Best for: When you're already working in design software and need fine control over the output.

Method 3: Browser DevTools (Advanced)

For developers who want text converted with specific web fonts:

Render text in an HTML page with your font loaded
Use a library like opentype.js to extract path data
Generate SVG path commands from the glyph outlines

Best for: Programmatic generation, custom tooling, web font conversion.

Understanding the Output

When text is converted to SVG, each character becomes a <path> element:

<svg viewBox="0 0 200 50" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
  <path d="M10 40 L10 10 L30 10 L30 25 L15 25 L15 40 Z" fill="#000"/>
  <!-- More paths for each letter... -->
</svg>

The d attribute contains the actual shape data — a series of commands that define lines, curves, and arcs.

Path Commands Explained

Command	Meaning
M x y	Move to point (x, y)
L x y	Line to point (x, y)
C x1 y1 x2 y2 x y	Cubic bezier curve
Q x1 y1 x y	Quadratic bezier curve
Z	Close path

Complex fonts generate complex paths. A single serif letter might have dozens of curve commands.

Text to SVG vs Live Text: When to Use Each

Aspect	Live SVG Text	Converted Paths
File size	Smaller	Larger
Editability	Easy to change text	Must recreate to edit
Font dependency	Requires font	Self-contained
Searchability	Text is readable by search engines	Appears as graphics
Accessibility	Screen readers can read	Needs aria-label
Styling flexibility	Limited	Full path manipulation

Use live text when:

Text changes frequently
SEO matters (body content)
Accessibility is critical
File size is a concern

Use converted paths when:

Visual consistency is critical (logos, branding)
You need path-level effects (gradients, animations)
Font licensing is complicated
The text is decorative, not informational

Optimizing Text SVG Output

Converted text can produce verbose SVG code. Here's how to clean it up:

1. Simplify Paths

Design tools sometimes generate more anchor points than necessary. Simplify in Illustrator (Object → Path → Simplify) or Inkscape (Path → Simplify).

2. Combine Overlapping Shapes

If letters overlap or connect, boolean operations can reduce complexity:

Illustrator: Pathfinder → Unite
Figma: Boolean → Union

3. Minify the SVG

After conversion, run through SVG Minify to:

Remove unnecessary metadata
Shorten decimal precision
Strip comments and whitespace

4. Use Symbols for Repeated Letters

If "LETTER" has two T's, define the T shape once as a <symbol> and <use> it twice. Most design tools don't do this automatically, but it can significantly reduce file size for text with repeated characters.

Common Use Cases

Logo Design

Convert your logo text to paths before exporting. This ensures:

Consistent appearance across all platforms
No font licensing issues when sharing with clients
The ability to apply effects impossible with live text

Custom Typography

Create unique letterforms by converting to paths and editing:

Convert text to SVG
Open in SVG Editor
Adjust individual paths for custom lettering
Export the modified version

Animated Text

SVG path text can be animated with CSS or JavaScript:

.letter-path {
  stroke-dasharray: 1000;
  stroke-dashoffset: 1000;
  animation: draw 2s forwards;
}

@keyframes draw {
  to { stroke-dashoffset: 0; }
}

This creates the "handwriting" effect where text appears to be drawn letter by letter.

Favicons and App Icons

Text-based logos converted to SVG scale perfectly for:

16x16 favicons
192x192 PWA icons
512x512 app store icons

One SVG, all sizes.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Text looks different after conversion

Cause: The original font wasn't properly loaded, so conversion used a fallback font.

Fix: Ensure the font is fully loaded before conversion. In web contexts, use the Font Loading API.

Paths have too many anchor points

Cause: High-precision conversion or complex fonts.

Fix: Use path simplification tools. Some detail loss is usually acceptable for display.

File size is huge

Cause: Complex decorative fonts with many curves.

Fix:

Simplify paths
Use a simpler font if possible
Minify the output
For web, consider loading the font directly instead

Individual letters aren't grouped

Cause: Each letter path is a separate element.

Fix: Group related paths in your design tool. Or wrap in <g> elements manually:

<g id="word-hello">
  <path id="h" d="..." />
  <path id="e" d="..." />
  <!-- etc -->
</g>

Convert Your Text Now

Ready to turn text into vectors? Use the Text to SVG Converter — paste your text, pick a font, and download a clean SVG in seconds.

Related Tools:

Text to SVG — Convert text to vector paths
SVG Editor — Edit converted text paths
SVG Minify — Optimize file size
Font to SVG — Convert entire fonts

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