Free arrow SVG files

Long, thin and easy to tangle

Most arrows are long and narrow, so the shaft is the part to watch. The decorated arrows here (tribal, boho, feather and the one with a heart) have shafts about 3 mm thick at the full 100 mm length, with details down to 2 mm. That is fine for vinyl and card, but in 3 mm plywood a shaft that thin snaps easily: cut those at 150 mm or longer, or choose the block, chunky or double-sided arrow, which have no thin parts.

When you weed a thin arrow from vinyl, start at the tail and pull along the shaft towards the head, not across it, so the shaft does not stretch or curl. On transfer tape, lay the arrow down from the middle outwards to keep it straight.

Turning and flipping

A straight arrow points right in its file because that is how most signs read. To point it another way, rotate it in your cutting software: the shape is the same at any angle. The up and down arrows are drawn upright with the shaft on the centre line, so they mirror cleanly. The circle frame and the circular arrow leave the middle open for a monogram or a short word.

How to open the files

• Cricut Design Space: choose Upload, pick the SVG, and add it to the canvas. Set the width you want; the shape is already welded.
• Silhouette Studio: Designer Edition and above open the SVG. The free Basic Edition does not, so open the DXF instead.
• LightBurn, xTool Creative Space and Glowforge: import the SVG, then set the layer to cut, score or engrave.
• Inkscape, Illustrator and Affinity: open the SVG. It is a plain filled path, so you can recolour it, add a stroke or combine it with your own work.
• Printing or sublimation: use the PNG, which has a transparent background.

Each design page lists the file’s narrowest part at seven sizes, so you can tell whether it will survive at the size you plan to cut.

Questions