SVG Logo Uses an Unsupported Character Encoding

What Does “SVG Logo Uses an Unsupported Character Encoding” Mean?

The character encoding tells a reader how the bytes of the file become text. The validator could not turn the bytes of the logo into text, so it stopped before it checked the SVG content.

UTF-8 is the safe choice for a BIMI logo. Every validator and mailbox provider can read it.

Why Does “SVG Logo Uses an Unsupported Character Encoding” Appear?

The error has three causes:

• The file is saved in UTF-16. Some Windows editors can save in UTF-16.
• The XML declaration names an encoding the validator does not support.
• The file has bytes that are not valid in its encoding, for example a Latin-1 character in a file that is read as UTF-8.

How Do You Fix “SVG Logo Uses an Unsupported Character Encoding”?

Open the logo in a text editor and save it again with UTF-8 encoding. If the file has an XML declaration, set its encoding to UTF-8 or remove the encoding.

If a character in a title or description does not convert correctly, type it again after you change the encoding.

What Should You Verify After Fixing “SVG Logo Uses an Unsupported Character Encoding”?

Validate the logo again from its published l= URL. The encoding check runs first, so other errors in the logo can appear only after this one is fixed.

Key Takeaways

• Save BIMI SVG logos in UTF-8.
• UTF-16 files and undeclared non-UTF-8 bytes both cause this error.
• The validator checks nothing else until it can read the file.