How to download SVG files on an iPad or iPhone
How to download SVG files on an iPad or iPhone, unzip them in the Files app and upload them to Cricut Design Space, including files bought on Etsy.
Published
Yes, an iPad or iPhone can download SVG files, and no computer is needed. Tap the download link in Safari, find the file in the Downloads folder of the Files app, tap it once if it is a .zip so that it unpacks into a folder, then open Cricut Design Space and upload the .svg with Browse files. The steps are the same for a file bought on Etsy, as long as you start from Safari.
The short version
- In Safari, tap the download link or button.
- Open the Files app and go to Downloads.
- If the download ends in .zip, tap it once. A folder appears beside it.
- In Design Space, tap Upload, then Browse files, and choose the file ending in .svg.
Each step is set out below, with what to do when it goes wrong.
1. Download the file in Safari
Tap the link or the download button on the page. If Safari asks whether you want to download the file, tap Download. Once a download starts, Safari shows a downloads button, an arrow pointing down, in or beside the address bar. Tap it to see the progress and to open the file when it has finished.
Use Safari for this, not a browser built into another app. When a link is opened inside an email, social media or shopping app, the page is shown in that app’s own small browser, which may not save files at all. Look for an option to open the page in Safari, or copy the link and paste it into Safari.
If tapping the link shows the picture on screen in place of downloading it, go back, touch and hold the link, and choose Download Linked File.
Do not save the picture to Photos. An SVG is a file, not a photo, and the Photos app is not where Design Space looks for it.
2. Find the download in the Files app
Apple’s guide for the iPad gives the route: open the Files app, tap Browse, then tap Downloads. The Files app is on every iPad and iPhone. If its icon is not on the Home Screen, swipe down and search for Files.
Downloads may be kept in iCloud Drive or on the device itself. The folder Safari uses is chosen in the Settings app, in Safari’s settings, under Downloads. If the file is not in one Downloads folder, look under both iCloud Drive and On My iPad (or On My iPhone) in Browse, or type part of its name in the search box at the top of Files.
3. Unzip it
Cut files are usually sold and shared as a .zip, one file that holds several. Design Space cannot open a zip, so it has to be unpacked first. No extra app is needed. In Files, tap the .zip once. A folder is made next to it, and the files are inside. The zip itself stays where it was and can be deleted.
Open the folder. A download often holds the same design in several formats, sometimes sorted into folders by type:
| Ending | What it is | Use it on an iPad? |
|---|---|---|
| .svg | The cut file, with separate shapes and colours | Yes. This is the one to upload |
| .png | A picture with a transparent background | For Print Then Cut, or as a preview |
| .dxf | Outlines for other cutting and CAD programs | No. Design Space on phones and tablets takes SVG but not DXF |
| .eps | A format for Illustrator and print shops | No |
| .pdf, .txt | Instructions or the licence | Read them |
If the names are too long to see the endings, touch and hold a file and choose Get Info, which shows its kind.
4. Upload it to Cricut Design Space
- Open the Design Space app and start or open a project to reach the canvas.
- Tap Upload in the toolbar along the bottom.
- Tap Browse files. The same list of places as in the Files app appears.
- Go to Downloads, open the unzipped folder and tap the .svg file.
- Type a name and tap Upload.
The design is added to the canvas and kept in your uploaded images. How to upload an SVG to Cricut Design Space covers what to do next: ungrouping, sizing, and why some files are reported as having unsupported items.
Files bought on Etsy
A digital purchase on Etsy is delivered as files to download from your account, on the page that lists your purchases, and usually by a link in an email as well. The files are ready once the payment has gone through.
On an iPad or iPhone, sign in to Etsy in Safari and open your purchases there, then tap the download button beside the order. If you tap the link in the email and it opens the Etsy app, or the app shows the order without a way to download it, switch to Safari and sign in on the website. From that point the steps are the ones above: Files, Downloads, tap the zip, Browse files in Design Space.
A listing with many designs may give several zip files. Download and unzip each one.
Files from email, cloud storage or a computer
- An email attachment: touch and hold the attachment, or tap it and then the share button, and choose Save to Files. Pick a folder you will remember.
- Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive: once the storage app is installed and switched on as a location in Files, its folders appear in Browse, and so in Design Space’s Browse files. A zip may need to be copied to On My iPad before it will unpack.
- From a Mac: AirDrop the file to the iPad and choose to save it in Files.
Common problems
| What you see | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Tapping the link shows the picture and nothing downloads | The link leads to the image itself | Touch and hold the link and choose Download Linked File |
| Nothing happens when a download button is tapped | The page is open inside another app’s browser | Open the page in Safari |
| The download cannot be found | It went to the other Downloads folder | Check both iCloud Drive and On My iPad in Files, or search by name |
| Design Space shows the file greyed out | It is still a .zip, or a type Design Space does not take on an iPad, such as .dxf or .eps | Unzip it. Choose the file ending in .svg |
| Design Space asks you to clean up or remove a background | A PNG or JPG was chosen | Go back and choose the .svg |
| The zip will not open | The download was cut short | Delete it and download again on a steady connection |
| There is no .svg in the folder | The seller supplied other formats only | Check the listing, and ask the seller |
Questions
Can an iPad open an SVG without Design Space? Safari can show one. To see what is inside a file, its size and whether it holds text or pictures, open it in the SVG viewer, which runs in the browser.
Can SVG files be made on an iPad? Yes, with a vector drawing app, or by tracing a picture. Image to SVG traces a PNG or JPG in the browser, and how to make an SVG file lists what a cut file needs.
Does this work on an iPhone? Yes. The Files app, Safari and Design Space work the same way, with On My iPhone in place of On My iPad.