Why Confluence Cloud turns your SVG into a flat image

SVG files in Confluence Cloud are converted to flat images before display to prevent potential security risks. This is because SVGs can contain links, scripts, and references to external resources, which could allow an attacker to execute malicious code on a site if rendered inline. Confluence Cloud stores the original SVG attachment, so it remains unchanged and downloadable, but the rendered version is a rasterized image without any interactive elements.

This means hyperlinks, hover states, tooltips, scripts, animations, and selectable text are all removed from the displayed image. The image itself remains intact, but its clarity may be slightly reduced when zoomed in due to its fixed resolution. While some users might recommend using the HTML macro or custom user macros in older versions of Confluence Server, this approach does not apply to Confluence Cloud, which does not support native HTML macros.

Instead, alternatives include using diagramming apps like draw.io, which preserve links and interactive elements, or breaking down large diagrams into smaller pages. For a more secure solution, using a third-party app that parses the SVG, removes unsafe elements, and renders only the safe content is recommended. These apps ensure that dangerous content never reaches the page and can store links as references to pages, maintaining correct functionality even when pages are renamed or moved.