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• Guide to libraries in Figma

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Publish styes is supported on any team or plan.

  Publish components is supported on Education, Professional and Organization teams and plans.

  Anyone with can edit access to a file can publish the file as a library.

  Components are elements of your designs that you want to reuse - you can think of them like building blocks. Components help keep your designs consistent and allow you to quickly apply changes across multiple files and projects. They can be basic elements made up of a few layers, like buttons or icons. Or more elaborate combinations of other elements, like toolbars and menus.

  Styles are sets of properties that can be applied to objects across your team's designs. You can use Styles to define attributes for color, text, stroke, fill, effects and layout grids.

  Styles and components live in the files they are originally created in. To find and access styles and components across your files and projects, you can publish them as a library.This allows you to enable that library in your teams, drafts, or files.

  Access components from the Assets panel in the left sidebar, and styles using the Style icon next to any relevant property.

  Build libraries

  Create the styles and main components that define your brand. Publish these styles and components as a library.

  • Styles in Figma
  • Manage and share styles
  • Apply Styles to layers and objects
  • Create styles for colors, text, effects and, layout grids
  • Create and use variants
  • Create components to reuse in designs

  Manage and share

  Continue to develop, iterate and refine your styles and components, and publish your changes to the library. Figma will keep a detailed record of your changes in the file's version history.

  • Name and organize components
  • Publish styles and components to a library
  • Make changes to main components
  • Unpublish a library to remove it for all collaborators

  It's not possible to move components to a new file without breaking the connection between the main component and any existing instances.

  You can move styles between files without breaking the connection. To move a style from its original location to your current file:

  1. Open the style picker from a relevant property.
  2. Right-click on the style and select Move style definition into this file.

  Use style and component libraries

  Enable libraries in team files to allow members to view and use them across their files. Designers and collaborators receive updates to styles and components, making sure they're always using the latest version.

  • Enable libraries in drafts, teams, and files
  • Create an instance of a component
  • Swap between instances in a file
  • Apply overrides to instances
  • Detach instances from their main component
  • Accept updates from a library
  • Remove a file from your libraries
  • Add and remove libraries in an organization
  • Track library and component usage

  •  
• Create branches and merge changes

  ⚠️ This feature is currently in beta

  Supported on the Organization plan.

  Only members of the branching beta can access these features.

  Only people with an editor role in the organization can access the branching feature.

  Anyone on the Organization plan can sign up for the branching beta sign up for the branching beta →

  Welcome to the branching and merging beta, the Figma team are excited to have you here! In this article, we'll explore some of the key aspects of the features included in the beta.

  • Branches are controlled environments—like sandboxes— where you can make changes to styles, components, and other aspects of a file or library.
  • Create a branch from any file you want to workshop or iterate on. The file you create a branch from is referred to as the main file.
  • Check for updates from main file and apply any changes to your branch to make sure you're using the latest version.
  • When you're satisfied with your changes, you can review and merge your branch with the main file. You'll have the option to resolve any conflicts before applying changes from your branch to the main file.
  • At the moment, there's isn't a way to cherry-pick or choose which changes to apply. Figma will apply all changes you make in the branch to the main file.

  Want to join the beta? Anyone on the Organization plan can request to join the beta. If you’re looking to better manage and enable your team to collaborate at scale, contact our Sales team to learn how you can upgrade your plan. Joining the beta is a manual process and new requests will be added in groups. There will be a delay between requesting and getting access. Sign up for the branching beta →

  View and navigate branches

  Who can view branches?

  Only people with an editor role in the organization can access the branching feature.

  Anyone with can view access to the main file can view branches.

  Anyone with can edit access to the main file can view branches.

  Identify files with branches and view them from the file browser or Figma Editor.

  Editor

  1. Click the next to the file/branch name in the toolbar.
     • Select View main file to open the main file (from branch only)
     • Select View branch to expand the menu and view a list of branches associated with the file.
       • Select branch to open the branch in the Editor.
       • Select See all branches to open the branches modal.
  2. If you have can edit access to the main file, you can take further action on branches from the file name menu:
     • Select Duplicate as a file to create a new file from the branch. This will create a separate file, so you won't be able to apply any changes from that file back to the main file.
     • Select Rename to change the name of the branch (from branch only)
     • Select Archive to archive the current branch without merging (from branch only)

  The Branches modal lets you see all Active and Archived branches, as well as any branches that you created (Yours).

  If you have can edit access to the main file, you can do the following from the Branches modal:

  • Click the Merge button to merge the branch
  • Click the to open the actions menu:
    • Archive branch
    • Copy link to the branch
    • Rename branch

  

  File browser

  If a file has branches, you'll see an icon on the top-left of the file tile, and the total number of branches underneath the file name.

  • Click to view the main file
  • Use the dropdown to select one of the branches

  

  Create branch

  Who can create branches

  Only people with an editor role in the organization can access the branching feature.

  Anyone with can view access to the main file can create branches.

  Anyone with can edit access to the main file can create and edit branches.

  1. In the toolbar, click the next to the file name and select Create branch from the options.
  2. Give the branch a name. Figma will use this to identify the branch in the editor, including in the main file's version history.
  3. Figma will create a new branch which is an exact replica of the main file in its current state. In the toolbar, you will see the File name Branch name
  4. You can now make any changes to your branch without immediately affecting the main file.

  Tip! You can also access branches via their unique URL. Branch URLs will follow this format: https://www.figma.com/file/[fileid]/branch/[branchid]/[mainfilename]

  Receive updates from the main file

  Note: It's not currently possible to choose which changes from main that you want to apply, so you'll need to receive all updates.

  1. Expand the menu next to the file/branch name in the toolbar.
  2. Select Update from main file to preview any updates.
  3. View a list of items that have been , , or . You can see a preview of the latest versions, but it's not a before and after of what's changed.
  4. Select Apply changes to apply all updates to your branch.

  Share branch

  Who can create branches

  Only people with an editor role in the organization can access the branching feature.

  Anyone with can view access to the main file can create branches.

  Anyone with can edit access to the main file can create and edit branches.

  Anyone with can edit access to the main file can merge branches.

  If you're working on revisions or iterations on a branch, you may want to share your progress with other designers and collaborators.

  Share branches with others to allow them to view or edit them. There are a few ways to share branches:

  • A

    Access via main file

    Anyone with can view access to the main file can view any branches on that file.

    1. Click the next to the file/branch name in the toolbar.
    2. Select View branch to expand the menu and view a list of branches associated with the file.
    3. Select the branch to open it in the Editor.
  • B

    Share link

    Share a branch link and control access to the branch using link sharing.

    1. Open the branch.
    2. Click the Share button in the toolbar.
    3. Click the link sharing setting.
    4. Select Anyone with a link to allow anyone to access the file using the file link.
    5. Click Copy link to add the branch link to your clipboard.
  • C

    Invite to branch

    Invite a collaborator to the branch with specific permissions.

    1. Click the Share button in the top-right corner.
    2. Enter the collaborator's email in the email field.
    3. Click to adjust their permissions.
       • Select Can view to give them view-only access to files in that project.
       • Select can edit to give them edit access to any files in that project.
    4. Click Send invite to send an email invitation to their address. If they're already using Figma, they'll get an in app notification as well.

  Tip! You can tell if a file link is for a main file or a branch as all branches will include a /branch/ variable and a unique string for that branch.

  Merge branch

  Who can merge branches

  Only people with an editor role in the organization can access the branching feature.

  Anyone with can edit access to the main file can merge branches.

  Anyone with can edit access to the main file can merge branches

  When you want to apply your changes to the main file, you can merge the branch. As part of this process, you can see if there are updates available from the main file.

  Figma will alert you of any conflicting changes and allow you to choose which changes to merge.

  Note: At the moment, it's not possible to request a review in Figma. You will need to do this outside of Figma for the time being.

  Review and merge changes

  1. Open the branch you want to merge.
  2. Expand the menu next to the file/branch name in the toolbar.
  3. Select Review and merge changes.
  4. The Review changes modal opens allowing you to preview the changes you've made in the current branch.
     • View a list of components, instances, or layers that have been , , or . Figma groups changes by page.
     • If the change is to a component or style, you'll see how many instances or other components in the file will be affected with the "Used in 26 items" label.
  5. If there are any updates from the main file, you'll have the option to Update from main file ↓ or Resolve conflicts ↓ if those changes conflict with items in your branch.
  6. Select a layer to view the changes side-by-side.
     • View the layer, frame, or component name at the top of the modal.
     • View the object before your changes (left) and how it would look after your latest changes (right)
     • Use the buttons to:
       • Zoom out
       • Zoom in
       • FIT Zoom to fit
     • Use the and arrows to move between changes.
     • Click the in the top left to go back to the summary.
  7. Select the Merge changes button to apply. Figma will apply all your changes from the branch to the main file and archive the branch.

  Resolve conflicts

  If other collaborators have been continuing to make changes to the main file, you may receive a conflicting changes alert when review your changes. This means one or more of the items you've made changes to has also been updated in the main file.

  Figma will also let you know if there are any conflicting changes from the Review changes modal.

  1. Click the Resolve conflicts button to view any conflicts.
  2. View a list of conflicts in the left sidebar.
  3. Select an option from the list to review the conflicting changes side-by-side. The version from the main file (source) is on the left and the branch on the right.
  4. Select which version you would like to use. Figma will add a badge next to the conflict to show whether you selected the source or branch.
  5. Repeat the process for any other conflicting changes. You'll need to choose a version for every conflict.
  6. To quickly select the same option for every conflict: use the Resolve all menu to apply your selection in bulk:
     • Pick main file to use the latest changes from the main file
     • Pick branch to use the changes from the branch for any conflicts
  7. When you have a selection for every conflict, click the Next button to move to the next step of the process.
  8. If there are other updates from the main file, you will preview those next. Click Apply changes to apply those updates.
  9. Figma will apply updates from the main file return you to the branch. You can then return to the Review and merge process ↑

  

  Update from main file

  1. Click the Update from main file button.
  2. View a list of items that have been , , or . You can see a preview of the latest versions, but it's not a before and after of what's changed.

  Undo or reverse merge

  If you have merged changes from a branch and want to undo these changes, you can restore a previous version of the file.

  1. Open version history in the right sidebar.
  2. Select a version before the merged branch. Identify a merged branch with the Branch merged icon.
  3. In the right sidebar, click next to the version and select Restore this version.
  4. Figma will add two autosave checkpoints to the file's version history.
     • A checkpoint that saves the current version up until you clicked Restore this version. This as an autosaved version with a timestamp that matches the current time.
     • A checkpoint at the same timestamp for the version you just restored.
  5. Click the Edit current version to exit version history.

  View a file's version history →

  Other things to note

  Version history

  View activity related to branching and merging in the file's version history. Figma will create checkpoints when you create a branch and merge a branch.

  Figma will create an extra checkpoint in the file's version history before merging the file, this preserves a record of any other changes made to the main file before it was merged.

  Everything that happened in the branch will be contained in that single checkpoint. You can view the detailed version history of a branch when viewing the branch itself.

  • Branch created
  • Updated from main
  • Branch merged

  

  Comments

  • Comments from main file don't appear in any branches
  • Comments do not count towards changes when checking for updates from the main file
  • Comments from the branch don't end up in the main file when you merge

  Publish

  Libraries

  You can only publish to a library from the main file. If you've made changes in a branch that you want to share, you'll need to merge the branch before publishing.

  Community

  You can only publish to the Community from the main file. If you want to publish the branch, you can duplicate it to create a new file that's separate from the main file.

  1. In the toolbar, click the next to the file name.
  2. Select Duplicate as new file from the options.
  3. Figma will duplicate the branch and add it as a file to the existing location. The name of the file be Main file name : branch name (Copy).
• Review and accept updates from libraries

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Supported on Education, Professional, and Figma Organziation plans.

  Anyone with can edit access to a file can accept updates from a library to apply changes to styles and components in that file.

  New to components and libraries? Learn more in our guide to libraries →

  When using styles and components from a shared library, Figma will notify you of any changes made to the main components or styles. This gives you control over what updates to apply and makes sure your designs stay up-to-date.

  When updates are made and published a library, Figma will send you a notification in any files that use those styles and components. This includes changes to existing styles and components, as well as any new additions.

  You'll see the notification in the bottom-right corner of your screen and a blue dot on the Library icon in the Assets panel. Choose to Review and accept updates or Dismiss the notification.

  Note: Figma won't notify you when components or styles are removed from a library. You can continue using removed styles and instances, but you won't receive any further updates.

  Review updates

  Review any updates to choose which changes you want to apply. You can choose to accept all changes or only specific changes.

  1. Click Review from the notification or select the Library icon in the Assets panel.
  2. In the Library modal, select the Updates tab .
  3. Figma displays a list of updated styles and components with any changes with a description of any changes (if included),
  4. Click Update next to an individual item to accept that specific change.
  5. Click the Update all button in the bottom-right corner of the modal to accept all the changes. Figma will apply them to all styles and components in your current file.

  Dismiss notification

  If you're in flow state when you get the notification, you can dismiss the notification and continue to use instances in their current state. Your instances will be out of date but will still be connected to the main component

  When you're ready, you can review and accept any changes in the library modal. The notification badge will remain there until you have reviewed or accepted the changes. Figma will also prompt you to update your styles and component each time you open an affected file.

• Manage libraries in design files

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Supported on any team or plan.

  Applies to Figma design files only. Manage libraries in FigJam files →

  Anyone with can edit access to a file can enable libraries for that file.

  If you have can edit access to a file, you can manage libraries that are available that file. This enables the library for everyone with can edit access to the file.

  People will still need to have view access to the library to be able to use styles and components from that library.

  Note: If you're in a Starter team, you can only access styles from shared libraries. You can copy and paste components between files to reuse them or upgrade to a Professional team.

  Manage libraries in a design file:

  1. Open the Assets panel in the left sidebar.
  2. Click the Library icon.
  3. View a list of available libraries in the library modal. Every library corresponds to a file with published styles and components.
  4. Click the library name to view the styles and components in that library.
  5. Use the toggles to enable or disable that library in the current file:
     • Library on:
     • Library off:
  6. Click to return to the canvas.

  

  Access styles and components

  When you make a library available in a design file, you can access assets from that library in the sidebars.

  • Drag components into the canvas from the Assets panel in the left sidebar. Click to select variants of a component. Add components to your designs →
  • Find and apply styles using the style pickers in the right sidebar. Apply styles in Figma design →

  

• Manage libraries for your drafts

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Supported on any team or plan.

  You can only publish Styles in your drafts.

  Anyone can enable libraries for files in their drafts.

  Choose which libraries you want to access from files in your drafts.

  • On the Starter plan: you can only create and publish styles from your drafts. It's not possible to publish components from drafts.
  • On the Professional (inc. Education) or Organization plan: Access style and component libraries from any teams of which you're a member.

  Tip! If you're in an organization, you'll get access to any organization-wide libraries in your drafts. You can also choose which other organization libraries you want to access in your drafts.

  Manage libraries

  Manage which libraries are available in your drafts from your account settings. You can choose to make libraries available in Design files, FigJam files, or All files.

  1. Open your workspace in the file browser.
  2. Click your name in the top-right corner to open the account menu.
  3. Select Settings to open the account settings modal.
  4. Under the Library heading, select Enable Libraries for all files in your Drafts.
  5. View a list of available libraries in the library modal. In your drafts, you can view and enable:
     • Styles from published libraries in your drafts or Starter teams.
     • Styles and components from published libraries in any Professional and Education teams.
     • Access styles and components from organization-wide libraries.
  6. Click the library name to view the styles and components in that library.
  7. Click Off next to the library.
  8. Choose which files to make the library available in:
     • Design files
     • FigJam files
     • All files
  9. To remove a library from your files, click next to the current setting and select Off.

  

  Access libraries in files

  Design files

  When you make a library available in a design file, you can:

  • Find and apply styles using the style pickers in the right sidebar. Apply styles to layers in Figma design →
  • Drag components into the canvas from the Assets panel in the left sidebar. Add components to your designs →

  FigJam files

  Access components, along with stickers curated by Figma, from the library tool. Use stickers and components from libraries →

• Manage libraries in teams

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Supported on any team or plan. Publish styles and components in Professional, Education, or Organization teams. Publish styles only in free Starter teams.

  Only team admins can manage default libraries for that team.

  Team admins can choose which libraries are available in team files. This allows you to quickly share styles and components across team files. This applies to both Figma design and FigJam files.

  Note: You need to publish styles and components to your library, before you can enable them as a default library.

  Manage team libraries

  Manage team libraries in the team's Settings. Make libraries available in Design files, FigJam files, or All files.

  1. Click on the team name in the sidebar to access the team workspace.
  2. Click Settings at the top of the page.
  3. In the Team libraries section, click the Enable libraries option.
  4. View a list of available libraries in the library modal. Every library corresponds to a file with published styles and components.
  5. Click the library name to view the styles and components in that library.
  6. Click Off next to the library to adjust.
  7. Choose which files to make the library available in:
     • Design files
     • FigJam files
     • All files
       
  8. To remove a library from your files, click next to the current setting and select Off.

  Access team libraries

  Design files

  When you make a library available in a design file, you can:

  • Find and apply styles using the style pickers in the right sidebar. Apply styles to layers in Figma design →
  • Drag components into the canvas from the Assets panel in the left sidebar. Click to select variants of a component. Add components to your designs →

  FigJam files

  Access components, along with stickers curated by Figma, from the library tool. Use stickers and components from libraries →
• Add and remove libraries in an organization

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Supported on the Figma Organization plan

  Any member of an organization can publish styles and components to a team or the organization. Members will need can edit access to files to publish them.

  Only organization admins can choose default libraries

  New to components and libraries? Guide to libraries in Figma →

  Styles and components live in the files you created them in. To access and reuse these in other files, you can publish them to a library. This allows you to maintain a consistent brand and style, at scale.

  Publish styles and components in organization files to a team in the organization, or share them with the entire organization.

  At Figma we call these collections of styles and components libraries. Libraries allow you to improve access and adoption of your organization's design system.

  We’re passionate about design systems at Figma! Learn more about Building your design system in Figma. Find more design system resources at DesignSystems.com

  Publish a library

  Build collections of styles and components to reuse in your designs. Publish your styles and components to a team, or share them with your entire organization.

  Determine who can view and edit libraries using the file's link sharing settings. You can set a file's link sharing settings when you first publish the library, or update after you publish the file as a library.

  1. Open the file in the editor.
  2. Open the Assets panel in the left sidebar.
  3. Click the to open the Library modal.
  4. Click Publish next to the Current file.
  5. Enter a summary of your changes in the field provided. This description will appear in the file's version history.
  6. Check the box next to Allow any member of organization name to access the file. Leave unchecked to publish to the team only.
  7. Click the Publish button to confirm.

  Every time you publish a library, Figma will add a checkpoint to the file's version history. You can identify these events with the icon.

  Choose default libraries

  Encourage adoption of your design system by enabling default component and style libraries. 

  When you enable a library in an organization, Figma will make styles and components from that library available to members in any organization files within the organization workspace. To allow guests to use these styles and components, you will need to invite them to the associated file.

  • Select styles in the style picker for any relevant properties.
  • Select colors from any styles in the palette of the color picker.
  • Access components in the Assets panel of the left sidebar.

  Only organization admins can choose default libraries for the organization, but members can enable libraries for specific teams and files. Learn how to choose default libraries →

  Tip! Track how members of your organization are using components with design system analytics. Learn more about library analytics →

  Remove libraries

  Organization admins can also remove any libraries they don't want to share with the rest of the organization. To prevent members from using these styles and components you will need to do both unpublish the file and update the file's link sharing settings.

  Unpublish the file

  1. Open the file you want to remove.
  2. Open the Assets panel in the left sidebar and click the library icon.
  3. In the Library modal, click on the library in the Current file.
  4. Click the Unpublish button at the bottom of the modal:.
  5. Click Remove file from library to confirm.
  6. Figma will return you to the file. The status bar will indicate that Figma has removed the file from the library.

  Update link sharing

  Adjust the file's link sharing settings to prevent members of the organization from finding and using the file.

  1. Click the Share button in the menu bar.
  2. Click the next to the existing link access. This will be set to Anyone at organization name.
  3. Select Only people invited to this file from the options.
  4. Members of the organization won't be able to access the file. The file will still be available to any members of the team, or anyone with a role the file.

  Learn more about sharing files in an organization →

• Remove your access to a library

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Support on any team or plan

  Anyone can leave a file they have a role on.

  When you disable the library, Figma will remove those components from the Assets panel and any styles from the style picker. As you still have access to the library, styles and components and styles may still show up in your search results.

  If you don't want those styles and components to show up in search results, you'll need to leave the file where the main components and styles live.

  Looking to unpublish a file or remove styles and components from your library? Check out our Unpublish a library and Remove styles and components articles.

  Open the library file

  Open a main component in the file it lives in from any instance. You can do this from a few different places.

  • 1

    Canvas

    1. Select the Component in the Canvas.
    2. Find the Instance section of the Properties Panel.
    3. Click Go to Main Component link.
    4. Figma will open the file where the Component lives.
  • 2

    Assets panel

    1. Right-click on the component in the Assets Panel.
    2. Select Go to main component.
    3. Figma will open the file where the component lives.
  • 3

    Right sidebar

    1. Select the component
    2. In the right sidebar, click the icon next to the instance name.
    3. Figma will open the file where the component lives.

  Tip! If you haven't used the component in your file, you can temporarily add the component to your file, then use any of the Go to Main Component approaches above.

  Leave the file

  1. Open the file where the component lives.
  2. Click the Share button to open the file share modal.
  3. Find your name in the list of collaborators.
  4. Click on your current access level and select Leave from the options.
• Remove styles and components from a library

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Supported on Education, Professional and Figma Organization plans

  Anyone with can edit can remove styles and components from a library.

  New to components? Check out our Guide to components and Guide to libraries articles.

  There are a couple of ways to remove a style: remove it from a library, or delete it entirely.In this article, we'll cover removing style and components from a published library.

  Are you a member of an organization? Design System Analytics allow you to track component usage, including when components are detached.

  Remove styles

  To remove a style from your library, you will need to unpublish the style from library. You can only remove a style from the original file, where the style currently lives.

  You can access the original style from any object that is currently using it:

  1. Select an object in the canvas that uses that style.
  2. Click on the style in the right sidebar
  3. Click the icon to edit the style.
  4. Click Go to style definition to open the style in the library.

  You will also see an option to Move style definition into this file. This allows you to edit or delete that style without leaving the current file. Moving a style removes it from the original file. If you re-publish the original file, the style would no longer be included.

  Remove a style from a library

  You can remove a style from a library without deleting the style itself. You can only do this from the original style, the style definition.

  1. Open the file where the style lives.
  2. Press Esc to clear your selection in the canvas.
  3. Click the icon next to the file name to open the menu.
  4. Select Publish styles and components to open the library modal.
  5. Click on the styles and components header to expand.
  6. Right-click on the style and select Remove from library.
  7. Repeat for any other style you want to unpublish.
  8. Click Publish to apply your changes and remove the styles.

  Delete a style

  You can view Local styles in the right sidebar, when you select nothing in the canvas. Click an empty spot in the canvas or press Esc to deselect.

  To delete a style entirely:

  1. Select one or more styles. Use Shift + click to select a range styles, or ⌘ Command / Control + click to select multiple non-adjacent styles.
  2. Select Delete style or Delete all from the options.
  3. Figma will remove the style and you will no longer be able to use it. Any objects using that style will keep their properties, but are detached from the style.
  4. Publish the changes to your Team library.

  Remove components

  You can remove components when you publish changes to your Team library. Or, from a library you have already published. You can only remove components from the file they originate from.

  1. Open the file where your component lives.
  2. Open the Assets panel in the left sidebar.
  3. Right-click on the component and select Remove from library.
  4. Figma will move the component(s) to the Private to this file section.
  5. Publish the changes to your Team library.

  Tip! You can also quickly remove a component from your Team library via the Layers Panel. Add a period . to the beginning of the component's name. Learn more in our Create Private components article.

  Note: You can open the file for any component from any file with access to those components. Right-click on an instance of that component in the canvas and select Go to Main component.