How to Open an SVGA File (Online, Windows, Mac and Android)

To open an SVGA file, drag it into a free online SVGA player such as ours at svgagifts.com/svga-player. It plays in your browser, and the page says files aren't uploaded. Our player opens SVGA 2.x files only. For older 1.x files, use the official preview at svga.dev or an SVGAPlayer library inside an app.

An .svga file is an animation file used for app gifts. It is not a Super VGA display setting and not an SVG image.

How do you open an SVGA file online?

An online SVGA viewer is the fastest way to open an SVGA file, because nothing has to be installed. Our free SVGA Player needs no account. It states that files are previewed locally in your browser and never uploaded, and it plays SVGA 2.x files only.

1. Open the player. Go to svgagifts.com/svga-player in a desktop or mobile browser.
2. Add the file. Drag the .svga file onto the drop area, or click to browse and pick it from your device.
3. Watch it play. The animation starts in the live-preview window. Check its timing, size and quality.
4. Compare with a sample if something looks wrong. Download one of the free sample gifts on the same page, such as Glossy Pink Lips, and drop it in. If the sample plays and your file doesn't, the problem is the file, not your browser.

Because nothing is installed, the same steps work on any computer with a current browser. If your file doesn't play, read the next section before assuming it's damaged.

What if your SVGA file is version 1.x?

SVGA files come in two versions that share the same extension. A 1.x file is a ZIP archive of PNG images plus a JSON description (movie.spec). A 2.x file is a zlib-compressed Protobuf binary. Our online player supports SVGA 2.x files only, so a 1.x file won't play there. You have three options:

• Use the official SVGA preview. The SVGA team's website has a drag-and-drop preview page at svga.dev. The page loads JSZip, the library the SVGA web player needs for 1.x files. It also has a "Switch Version" button that converts a loaded 1.x file to 2.0 and downloads the result. The page notes that converting from a higher version to a lower one isn't supported. It is a third-party site, so check its terms before previewing confidential work.
• Look inside the archive. Because a 1.x file is a ZIP, you can copy it, rename the copy to .zip and extract it. You'll see the PNG images and movie.spec. These are the parts of the animation, not a playable video.
• Open it in an app. SVGAPlayer-Android and SVGAPlayer-iOS read both versions. Our guide How to Add SVGA Gifts to Android, iOS, Flutter and Web Apps shows the setup.

For the full background on the two versions, see What Is an SVGA File?.

How do you open an SVGA file on Windows or Mac?

Neither Windows nor macOS includes a viewer for SVGA files. Image viewers, video players, Photoshop and SVG editors can't read them either, because an SVGA file is neither an image nor a video. On a computer, use one of these:

• A browser. Open our SVGA Player (SVGA 2.x files only) or the official svga.dev preview and drop the file in.
• Visual Studio Code. The official SVGA docs list a VS Code extension called "svga perview" (Marketplace ID svga-perview.svga-perview, version 1.0.0). It registers a custom editor for *.svga files, so opening a file in VS Code shows the animation the way an image is shown. It needs VS Code 1.46 or later. It is built on the svga.lite web player, which doesn't play sound, and we haven't verified whether it opens 1.x files.

There is no need to change file associations. Double-clicking won't help, because the operating system has no app registered for .svga files.

How do you open an SVGA file on Android or iPhone?

Phones don't include an SVGA viewer either. Here's how to open an SVGA file on Android or an iPhone:

• Use the mobile browser. Open svgagifts.com/svga-player, tap the drop area to browse, and pick the file from your Files or Downloads folder. As on desktop, it plays SVGA 2.x files only.
• Third-party viewer apps. Google Play lists apps that say they open .svga files. We haven't tested them, so check the developer, permissions and reviews before you install one.
• Inside your own app. If you're a developer, play the file with SVGAPlayer-Android or SVGAPlayer-iOS. Live-streaming apps play SVGA gifts, entry (entrance) effects and avatar frames this way.

How do you check which version an SVGA file is?

The first two bytes tell you. A 1.x file starts with PK (hex 50 4B), the ZIP signature. A 2.x file starts with zlib-compressed data, usually hex 78 9C. All three free samples on our player page start with 78 9C.

On macOS or Linux, run this in Terminal:

head -c 2 gift.svga | od -An -tx1

The output 78 9c means 2.x, and 50 4b means 1.x.

On Windows, run this in PowerShell; the first pair of bytes on the line is the one to read:

Format-Hex -Path .\gift.svga | Select-Object -First 1

Why won't my SVGA file open or play?

Work through the causes in this order:

1. It's a 1.x file. Our player and some other web players read 2.x only. Check the first bytes as shown above, then try the svga.dev preview.
2. The download is incomplete or damaged. Download it again. If you bought it from us, each product page lists the file size, so you can compare it with your copy.
3. It isn't really an SVGA file. A GIF, MP4 or ZIP renamed to .svga won't play. Check the first bytes: anything other than 50 4B or 78 9C is suspicious.
4. It came from an unusual exporter. Try a second SVGA player. If one player opens it and another doesn't, the file uses something the second player doesn't support.
5. You expected sound. Browser players differ: SVGAPlayer-Web-Lite plays no sound, and our player doesn't claim sound playback.

If a file you bought from SVGa Marketplace still won't play, contact us with the product name.

Is it safe to open an SVGA file?

An SVGA file contains images, frame data and sometimes audio; it isn't a program. A player reads that data and draws it. The usual risks come from what you install to open it, not from the file itself:

• Prefer tools you can check. A browser-based player, or an extension listed in the official SVGA docs, needs no installer.
• Be careful with downloads that claim to open SVGA files. If a site offers an .exe or an .apk "SVGA viewer", check who publishes it first.
• Keep confidential work local. Our player states that files are previewed in your browser and not uploaded. For other sites, read their terms before you drop in unreleased artwork.

What can you do after you open an SVGA file?

Once the file plays, check its canvas, timing and how it looks over a dark and a light background. Then:

• Add it to an app. Follow How to Add SVGA Gifts to Android, iOS, Flutter and Web Apps.
• Convert it. We don't offer a converter, but How to Convert SVGA Files to GIF, MP4 or PNG lists the options.
• Compare formats. See Lottie vs GIF vs SVGA vs MP4 if you're still choosing a format.
• Find more files. Browse SVGA Gifts such as Golden Rose Gift, SVGA Entry Effects such as Fiery Red Sports Car, Avatar Frames, and discounted Packages. Every product has a free preview.