10 Common SVG Path Mistakes and How to Fix Them

You've exported an SVG from Figma, pasted it into your code, and... nothing renders. Or it renders, but looks wrong. Or it works in Chrome but breaks in Firefox.

Sound familiar?

SVG paths are powerful, but they're also easy to mess up. One missing space, one wrong coordinate, and your entire graphic disappears or renders incorrectly.

The 10 Most Common Mistakes

1. Incorrect Path Syntax — Missing spaces or wrong cases break paths completely
2. Overly Complex Paths — Excessive precision bloat file sizes unnecessarily
3. Missing/Incorrect viewBox — Causes scaling and rendering issues
4. Unclosed Paths — Can cause unexpected visual artifacts
5. Missing Accessibility Attributes — Often forgotten but crucial for screen readers
6. Browser-Specific Issues — Different rendering across platforms
7. Relative vs Absolute Commands — Mixing them incorrectly
8. Path Optimization — Not removing unnecessary points
9. Coordinate System Confusion — Understanding the SVG coordinate space
10. Missing Error Handling — Not validating paths before use

Each Mistake Includes:

• ❌ The problem (with broken code examples)
• ✅ The solution (with fixed code)
• 🔍 Why it happens
• 🛠️ How to prevent it

I've written a comprehensive troubleshooting guide with before/after examples and practical solutions:

🔗 Read the full guide: https://www.frontendtools.tech/blog/10-common-svg-path-mistakes-how-to-fix-them

🔧 Debug your SVG paths: https://www.frontendtools.tech/tools/svg-path-editor

Have you encountered any of these mistakes? What other SVG path issues have you faced? Share your experiences in the comments!