Select layers in a slide deck
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Before you Start
Who can use this feature
Available on any plan
Anyone with at least can view
access to a slide deck can select layers
Anyone with can edit
access to a slide deck can select matching layers
You must select a layer before you can move it, duplicate it, or update any properties associated with it.
Select individual layers
The Move tool lets you select and move layers on a slide. Select the Move tool in the toolbar or press V to enable it. Click on an layer on the canvas to select it.
Select nested layers
Slides with complex designs may have layers nested within groups or frames. We refer to nested layers as children, and the frames or groups that they nest within as parents. Learn more about parent, child, and sibling relationships.
When you select an object that is part of a group or frame, Figma Slides selects the parent layer by default. Double-click on the layer, or press Enter, to select one level of nesting down. Repeat this process until you select the correct child elements.
Deep select
You can also use deep select to select a nested child layer. Hold down the modifier key and select the object by clicking it:
- Mac: ⌘ Command
- Windows: Control
From the Layers section
If you have access to design mode, you can view and select layers from the Layers section in the left sidebar. Every layer on a slide has a corresponding layer in the Layers section.
Note: Layers must be inside a slide to view them in the Layers section.
When you hover over a layer in the Layers section, a blue box will highlight that layer’s location on the slide. Click on the layer name to select it. If the layer contains nested layers, click on the arrow to view the child layers.
Select multiple layers
You can also select more than one layer at a time. This is great for when you want to:
- Update a property across more than one layer
- Resize layers in bulk
- Move several layers
- Create a group or frame from the selection
From the canvas
- With the Move tool enabled, select an layer on the canvas.
- Hold down Shift and click on another object. Repeat to select as many objects as you like.
- To remove a layer from the selection, hold down the Shift key and click on the layer again.
Selection marquee
The marquee tool allows you to select all objects in a specific area of the canvas.
- With the Move tool enabled, click and drag the cursor across any objects you’d like to select.A blue box will appear around each object are in the selection.
- To select nested layers, hold down the modifier key and drag the marquee across the objects:
- Mac: ⌘ Command
- Windows: Control
- To remove a layer from the selection, hold down Shift and click on the layer.
From the Layers section
To select a range of layers:
- Select the first layer.
- Hold down Shift.
- Select the last layer.
Figma will select every layer between those two layers in the Layers section.
To select multiple individual layers:
- Select the first layer.
- Hold down the modifier key:
- Mac: ⌘ Command
- Windows: Control
- Select any other additional layers.
Select matching layers
Matching layers are identical layers that exist across more than one slide. You can select all matching layers at once to save time when editing your presentation.
Matching layers are also used for:
- Smart animate: Create advanced transitions between slides
- Multi-edit text: Edit text layers in bulk
Matching layer requirements
Matching layer names
For most layer types, the layers must have the same name in order to match. The exception is text layers. Text layers don’t always require identical names. When you create a text layer, the name of the layer will reflect the content of the text itself. You can rename text layers by double-clicking on the layer name in the Layers section.
- If the text layers were explicitly renamed, the layer names must match.
- If the text layers weren’t explicitly renamed, their text styles must match. If there are multiple matching text objects, the best match will be selected based on the location of the text layer in the slide.
Matching parent frame names
If the layer is nested inside a parent frame, the parent frames must have matching names.
Matching layer hierarchy
If the layer is nested inside a parent frame, it must have the same position in the layer hierarchy across the frames.
Select matching layers
- Select a layer inside a slide.
- Click Select matching layers in the right sidebar or se the keyboard shortcut:
- Mac: ⌥ Option ⌘ Command A
- Windows: Alt Control A
All selected layers are wrapped in a blue bounding box. You can then make edits to them in bulk.
Select all layers
The Edit menu lets you select multiple layers based on their properties.
- Select a layer.
- Open the Main menu, hover over Edit, and then hover over Select all with.
- Choose to select all other layers that have the same:
- Properties
- Fill
- Stroke
- Effect
- Text properties
- Font
- Instance
- Variant
Deselect layers
To clear your selection entirely, click on a blank area of the canvas or press Escape on your keyboard.
To remove an object from a selection, hold down Shift and click on the object.
Note: If you click on a parent object, this will deselect the parent and any child objects within it.
To select the inverse of your current selection, use the keyboard shortcut:
- Mac: ⌘ Command Shift A
- Windows: Control Shift A
This removes your current selection and selects all the other slides in your deck.