The demands on modern construction materials are increasing rapidly. They have to combine low costs, high strength and low weight and feature good processability. Magnesium shows a very high strength-to-density ratio, but suffers from poor formability. The electroplastic effect is the result of a variety of concurrently acting physical mechanisms Exploiting this effect could be a way to improve the formability of magnesium and magnesium-based alloys. The objective of this study was to gain insights into the relative contributions of the various individual effects on the overall mechanical behavior. This detailed understanding is a prerequisite for possible future technological applications of the effect. To analyze the electroplastic effect on selected magnesium alloys, compression tests were conducted under different electro-pulsing conditions. Scanning electron microscopy and digital image correlation were employed to identify mechanisms that are causing the increased formability due to the electroplastic effect.