CUR vs SVG Format Comparison
CUR
Windows Cursor
image/x-win-cursor
VS
Scalable Vector Graphics
image/svg+xml
SVG
A complete technical comparison of Windows Cursor and Scalable Vector Graphics — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
SVG wins on browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | CUR | SVG |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | Yes | Yes |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | Yes |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | ✕ No | Yes |
| EXIF Metadata | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| ICC Color Profile | ✕ No | ✕ No |
Windows Cursor
image/x-win-cursor
Extension
.cur
Container
ICO/CUR Container File
Compression
Uncompressed (BMP) / PNG (Supported in newer versions)
Algorithm
None (DIB / BMP)Deflate (If PNG embedded)
Color Depth
1-bit (Monochrome), 4-bit (16 colors), 8-bit (256 colors), 24-bit (True Color), 32-bit (True Color with Alpha)
Developed by
Microsoft Corporation
Released
1985
Magic Bytes
00 00 02 00
Scalable Vector Graphics
image/svg+xml
Extension
.svg.svgz
Container
XML Document
Compression
Uncompressed (Plain Text XML) / Lossless (GZIP via .svgz)
Algorithm
None (for .svg)GZIP (for .svgz)
Color Depth
Vector (Independent of bit-depth), CSS Colors (HEX, RGB, HSL, Display-P3)
Developed by
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Released
2001
Magic Bytes
3C 73 76 67 (for <svg) / 3C 3F 78 6D 6C (for <?xml)
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | CUR | SVG |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✓ 1
|
✓ All
|
Firefox
|
✓ 1
|
✓ All
|
Safari
|
✓ 1.2
|
✓ All
|
Edge
|
✓ 12
|
✓ All
|
IE (Legacy)
|
✓
|
✓
|
CUR
CUR Strengths
- Natively supported by Windows for desktop cursor customization
- Widely supported by modern web browsers for custom CSS cursors
- Supports an exact hotspot coordinate, which standard image formats like PNG and JPEG lack
Limitations
- Legacy format that is being gradually replaced by SVG and PNG for web implementations
- Does not support animation (animated cursors use the distinct .ani format)
- The MIME type is highly fragmented across systems (e.g., image/cursor, image/x-win-cursor, application/x-cursor)
SVG
SVG Strengths
- Provides infinite resolution scalability, looking perfectly crisp on high-DPI (Retina) displays without increasing file size
- Extremely lightweight compared to raster formats for flat graphics, logos, and UI elements
- Can be manipulated dynamically via the browser's CSS and JavaScript engines (DOM integration)
Limitations
- Unsuitable for complex photographic images or photorealistic textures
- Poses critical security vulnerabilities (XSS and XML External Entity attacks) if user-uploaded SVGs are not heavily sanitized
- Rendering performance degrades significantly if the SVG contains tens of thousands of complex nodes or deeply nested paths
When to choose which format
CUR
Use CUR when…
- Operating System Custom Cursors
- Custom Web Browser Mouse Pointers (via CSS)
- Desktop Application UI
SVG
Use SVG when…
- Web Logos & UI Icons
- Responsive Web Design Elements
- Interactive Data Visualizations (D3.js)
- CSS and SMIL Web Animations
Convert & Edit Online
Free online web tools for CUR and SVG files.
Free Image Resizer
Editor
Resize, scale, crop, and modify dimensions for any photo or graphic.
Use Tool
Image Metadata Remover
Privacy
Clean EXIF, camera, lens, and location tags from your photos.
Use Tool
WebP to JPG Converter
Universal
Convert modern web images to universal high-compatibility JPG.
Use Tool
Compress WebP Images
Optimizer
Reduce image file sizes for faster web performance.
Use Tool
SVG to WebP Converter
Rasterize
Rasterize vector SVG files into crisp, modern WebP images.
Use Tool
WebP to SVG Converter
Vectorize
Trace and convert WebP images into vector SVG paths.
Use Tool