World Wide Web Consortium advances SVG 2 towards final recommendation

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has published the 6 October 2026 Candidate Recommendation Snapshot of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 2, marking a further stage in the development of the next version of the web graphics standard.

SVG is an XML-based language for creating two-dimensional vector graphics that can be scaled to different display resolutions. It can be used independently, embedded in HTML and combined with raster images. SVG also supports animation, scripting and interactive content.

SVG 2 builds on SVG 1.1 Second Edition with changes intended to improve usability and introduce features requested by authors. The specification covers areas including document structure, styling, geometry, text, embedded content, rendering, scripting, linking and accessibility.

The new version is being published as a Candidate Recommendation Snapshot. At this stage, the specification has received wide review and is intended to gather implementation experience. W3C members have also committed to royalty-free licensing for implementations.

Three features remain at risk during the Candidate Recommendation period: support for more than one title or desc element for localisation, nested links, and vector-effect options other than non-scaling-stroke. These features could be removed from the current specification if implementation support is considered insufficient.

The W3C expects SVG 2 to advance to Recommendation no earlier than 1 December 2026. An implementation report will be produced using the specification’s test suite before that stage.