How can I convert or insert an Inkscape SVG file to a Microsoft Word document?

Note: It has to be editable. The resulting exported PDF has selectable text.

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5 Answers

To embed an Inkscape drawing into a Word document:

1. Open the file in Inkscape.

2. Save the file as an Enhanced Metafile (.emf).

3. Be sure to untick Convert text to paths

4. Insert the .emf file as a picture in a Word document.

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To edit the drawing and text:

5. Right-click the picture and select Edit Picture.

6. Click Yes to convert to a drawing object.

7. Tada!

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2016 Update

Note: This feature is only available if you have an Office 365 subscription. If you are an Office 365 subscriber, make sure you have the latest version of Office.

Microsoft Word 2016 can now directly import SVG:

1. Place your cursor where you'd like the image to be inserted.
2. Go to the Insert tab of the Ribbon.

3. Click Pictures

4. Navigate to where the SVG file you wish to insert is located and select it. Click Insert.

Source: Insert SVG images in Microsoft Office

What's particularly cool is that looking under the covers reveals that SVG is being stored natively within the OOXML. This is much better for image quality preservation than importing to a raster format would be, and is more interoperable than EMF/WMF.

Platforms: SVG import unfortunately does not appear to be supported on the Mac platform or on Word Online as of this writing (August 2017).

2019 Update

SVG import is now supported on Mac, confirmed with an Office 365 subscription at least.

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I am using word 2013 and thus I cannot import svg directly. However, LibreOffice is capable of doing that. I am using LibreOffice 5 and I could import the svg file with

insert -> image -> choose your file

After that I just copied the imported svg from LibreOffice to Office. It seems like quality changed a bit, but for purposes that was fine.

How to copy and paste a diagram from Inkscape into Microsoft Word

There is another simpler method which works all the time with all software, whatever age, including Mac OS.

1. Select the diagram in Inkscape. Click on/select Black Arrow at top left of the page. Click on corner of the diagram you wish to move, then pull the cursor around the diagram so a black box surrounds the diagram.

2. Select "Edit" → "Make a Bitmap copy". (This is halfway down the list with something like a camera next to it.) Click on it. A lot of dotted lines appear around your Inkscape diagram.

Now this is the trick.

3. Select "Edit" → "Copy". (Not "Make Bitmap copy". Doing this twice confuses some people.) Click.

4. Then open your Word document.

5. Click your cursor where you want to put the diagram.

6. In the Word document go to "Edit" → "Paste". Click.

7. Voila! Your diagram appears in the Word document with a box and handles around it.

8. Resize if necessary by selecting and dragging the bottom right corner, and move by selecting box and dragging.

9. Click. Box disappears. All done. Save.

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Another solution is to use Gimp, it can read SVG files and export them in PNG format.

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