A Guide to Inkscape/Importing

Bitmap images Inkscape icons document import.svg
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To link or insert a bitmap image they must be in PNG or JPEG file format. The original/source image can be pasted from the clipboard or by dragging and dropping an image file from the desktop onto the Inkscape canvas. These two methods link image rendering to the original file and are not embedded (inserted) into Inkscape's .svg file. If the original (linked) file is moved to another folder or deleted the linked image file will not be rendered (shown) onto the Inkscape canvas.

To turn selected or all of the linked image files into embedded images, use the Menu bar ‣Extensio n s ‣‣Images ‣‣‣Embed images... .