How to Add SVG Hover Animation
Create interactive SVG hover effects with pure CSS — color changes, scale transforms, stroke draws, and path morphs that respond to mouse interaction.
Drop your image here
Supports PNG, JPG, BMP, WEBP up to 5MB
Basic SVG Hover CSS Patterns
CSS :hover on SVG elements works just like HTML — all CSS properties and transitions apply.
- Color change: svg path:hover { fill: #e74c3c; transition: fill 0.3s; }
- Scale up: svg:hover { transform: scale(1.1); transition: transform 0.2s; }
- Stroke draw: animate stroke-dashoffset on hover to draw the path outline
- Glow effect: svg path:hover { filter: drop-shadow(0 0 6px currentColor); }
- Rotate: svg:hover { transform: rotate(15deg); transition: transform 0.3s; }
Stroke Draw Hover Effect
The most impressive SVG hover animation — the icon outline draws itself on hover.
- Set stroke-dasharray: 100 on the SVG path
- Set stroke-dashoffset: 100 (hides the stroke)
- On hover: stroke-dashoffset: 0 (reveals the stroke drawing it from start to end)
- Add transition: stroke-dashoffset 0.5s ease to the base style
- Combine fill: none on base and fill-opacity: 1 on hover for draw-then-fill effect
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't my SVG hover animation work?
SVG must be inline in HTML (not an <img src> tag). CSS :hover doesn't work on SVG loaded as image. Ensure the SVG is in the DOM as inline XML.
How do I animate only part of an SVG icon on hover?
Target specific child elements by ID or class: #icon-arrow:hover { transform: translateX(5px); }. SVG elements can be individually targeted in CSS just like HTML elements.
Can I use CSS transitions on SVG fill and stroke attributes?
Yes — fill, stroke, stroke-width, stroke-dashoffset, opacity, and transform all support CSS transitions and animations on SVG elements in modern browsers.
How do I create a color-fill reveal on SVG icon hover?
Use stroke-dashoffset animation for the draw effect, combined with fill animating from transparent to the icon color after the draw completes. Use animation-delay on the fill transition to sequence after the stroke.
Related guides
Ready to Convert Your Image to SVG?
Free online converter — no sign-up, no watermarks, results in under 3 seconds.
Try It Free — Convert Image to SVG