Rules / Build

LaTeX Error: Unknown graphics extension: .svg — Unsupported image format

\includegraphics was given a format such as SVG or GIF that the engine cannot embed.

Fix

Convert the image to PDF, PNG or JPEG.

Example

Reproduced on TeX Live 2026 by CI · pdflatex · corpus/unknown-graphics-extension

SVG figure included with \includegraphics

Fails: main.tex
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\begin{document}
\begin{figure}
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.5\linewidth]{figures/diagram.svg}
  \caption{System overview.}
\end{figure}
\end{document}
What TeX prints in main.log
! LaTeX Error: Unknown graphics extension: .svg.

See the LaTeX manual or LaTeX Companion for explanation.
Type  H <return>  for immediate help.
 ...                                              
                                                  
l.6 ...s[width=0.5\linewidth]{figures/diagram.svg}
                                                  
Try typing  <return>  to proceed.
If that doesn't work, type  X <return>  to quit.