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• Use the file browser

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Users on Starter, Education, and Professional plans.

  Part of an Organization? Your file browser will look at little different. Check out our Navigate your Organization with the file browser article.

  When you first open Figma, we'll take you to the file browser.

  The file browser enables you to navigate through your account. You can use it to access personal files in your Drafts, create and join teams, and connect with the wider Figma Community.

  On the left side of the page is the sidebar. This provides the main method of navigation for getting around Figma.

  We'll display everything else - your files, teams, and projects - in the main body of the file browser. Explore each aspect of the file browser below.

  

  Global settings

  Account

  In the top-left corner of the file browser, you'll see your name and profile picture.

  1. Click on your name to access your global settings.
  2. Click the next to your name to view any notifications for your account.

  In your account, switch between the following tabs:

  1. Teams: View your activity across your teams.
  2. Public: Preview or update your public Figma Community profile.
  3. Plugins: Manage installed plugins, or plugins you have in development.
  4. Settings: View your global settings or customize your Figma experience:
     • Email address or password or Name or profile picture
     • Enable two-factor authentication
     • Adjust notifications
     • Connect and remove third-party applications, or mange access tokens.
     • Enable Libraries for files in your Drafts

  Universal Search

  Use the search field to find resources in your Figma account.

  Figma separates search results based on the type of resource you're looking for. Click on the tabs to switch between results.

  In Starter, Education, and Professional teams you can search for:

  • Files: In your Drafts, teams, shared projects, and files shared in the Figma Community.
  • Projects: From teams you're in, or projects collaborators have shared with you.
  • Profiles: Search for collaborators and view their contributions to teams, or the Figma Community.
  • Plugins: Search for plugins in the Figma Community.

  View and sort results

  Figma separates search results based on the type of resource you're looking for.

  1. By default, Figma will search for internal resources within your Drafts and Teams. Click Community to view any search results in the Figma Community.
  2. Use the icons to switch between Grid and List views.
  3. Click the next to Relevance to change the sort criteria. Options will depend on which type of resource you are viewing.

  

  Learn more about viewing and sorting files →

  Recent files

  Open your Recent files to find Files you've recently viewed or edited.

  • Personal Files from your Drafts folder.
  • Files from any Teams you're a part of.
  • Files from other Teams or Projects.
  • Files from other people's Drafts.
  • Files you've accessed via Link sharing.

  Learn more about managing your recent files →

  Community

  The Figma Community is a public space where creators can publish design files and plugins. This allows anyone in the world to follow, share, and support fellow creators.

  Click Community to browse, discover, and duplicate files, or install plugins made by the Figma Community. Learn more in our guide to Figma Community →

  Drafts

  Click on Drafts to access both your Drafts and Deleted Files. Use the tabs to switch between Drafts and Deleted Files.

  Drafts

  Every Figma account comes with its own Drafts. You can think of your Drafts like a sketchbook or notebook. It's a place where you can jot down your ideas and experiment with different concepts.

  Drafts are separate from any teams or projects. Any files you create here are your own. There are no limits in the Drafts folder, so create as many files as you like!

  1. Click next to Drafts in the sidebar to create a new file in your Drafts.
  2. Or, click the New File button in the File Browser.

  

  Ready to collaborate? Figma encourages an open and collaborative design environment. It's never too early to share your ideas and collaborate with others.

  Invite collaborators to your files →

  Move Drafts to team projects →

  Deleted files

  The Deleted files tab is an archive of all files you have deleted.

  When you delete a file, Figma will remove the file for all collaborators and send it to Deleted files. If anyone else deletes a File or Project that you are the owner of, it will appear here. Files remain in the Deleted Files folder indefinitely.

  It's not possible to open a deleted file. But you can restore, delete, or duplicate deleted files.

  

  Tip! Use the Created by... setting to choose which Files to include in the results. Choose between Files created by Anyone, You, or Others.

  Shared files and projects

  Find any files or projects collaborators have shared with you in your Shared Files or Shared Projects. This includes:

  • Drafts that another collaborator has invited you to.
  • External projects that another collaborator has shared with you.

  Tip! Use the sort filter in the top-right corner to change the order that files appear. Learn more about viewing and sorting files →

  Teams

  Figma adds every team you are a member of to the file browser. This allows you to access those teams from the sidebar. Figma shows projects you've favorited under the team name.

  Click on the team name to open the workspace for that team, where you can manage projects, members, settings, and billing.

  Click the New team button in the bottom-left corner to create a new team.

  Tip! You can choose the order your teams appear! Click on the team name and drag it up or down. A black line will show where you can move the Team. Release to confirm the new location.

• See what collaborators are working on

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Supported on Professional, Education, Starter, or Figma Organization plans

  You can only see teams, files, and prototypes that you have access to.

  Figma will only show resources you have access to. Figma won't show files from a person's Drafts, or files in any closed or secret teams in an Organization, unless you have access to them.

  Every member of a Figma team or Organization has an internal profile. This profile allows other members of the team or Organization to see what they're working on.

  Looking for your public Community profile? Check out our Create a Community profile for an individual article.

  View your profile

  View your internal profile from your Figma account.

  1. Open Figma in the file browser.
  2. Click your name in the top-left corner to open your account.
  3. In an Organization: Click the Organization name to view your internal profile.
  4. Not in an Organization: Click the Teams tab to view your internal profile.

  

  An internal profile includes:

  • Name, profile picture, and description.
  • A list of teams of which they're a member.
  • Any files and plugins they have contributed to the Figma Community.
  • The name(s) of any recent projects they have worked on.
  • A list of files they have contributed to recently, including edits and comments. Figma will show the file name, thumbnail, project, and date of last activity for each file.

  

  Note: You'll be able to see all the files that you are working on here, including your draftss. Other collaborators can only see files they have access to.

  View a collaborator's activity

  View a collaborator's internal profile to see which files, projects, and teams they are working on.

  Figma will only show you resources you have access to. This won't include files in a person's drafts, or files in closed or secret teams in an Organization, unless you have access to those resources.

  Click on a collaborator's profile picture to view their profile. This applies to the profile picture in any of the following places:

  • Contributors section on any project page
  • Team member preview on any team page
  • Admin list when viewing an Organization
  • On the file card in the file browser when they're active in a file
  • In the toolbar when a member is active in a file

  

  Tip! You can also view their internal profile via URL. They will need to share this with you, by copying it from the browser address bar.

• Interact with files

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Supported on any team or Figma plan.

  Files are where most of the design and collaboration process takes place in Figma. Learn more about files in Figma →

  Search for files

  Files are just one of the things you can search for in Figma. Find the search bar in the top-left corner of the Figma file browser.

  

  Learn more about search in the file browser →

  View and sort files

  You can choose how you want to view files in the file browser. In the top-right corner of the file browser, use the Grid and List icons to switch between views.

  Grid view (default)

  In grid view, the file thumbnail takes center stage, which makes it easier for you to quickly identify a file by its contents. This is the default view in the file browser.

  You'll have access to more contextual information in grid view:

  

  1. Preview of the file Learn how to set a custom file thumbnail →
  2. Name of the file.
  3. Date and time you last viewed or edited the file.
  4. Avatars of any collaborators who are active in the file.
  5. Project the file is located in (Recents only).

  List view

  List view is a pared back view, which lets you see some basic information about each file. This allows you to quickly find files based on their name and the date they were Last modified.

  

  1. Thumbnail preview of the file
  2. Name of the file
  3. Date the file was Last modified
  4. Date the file was Created

  Sort files

  Choose how to order files in the file browser, including your Drafts, Recents, projects, or search results.

  1. Open your Drafts, Recents, or a project page in the file browser.
  2. Click the arrow next to the current sort.
  3. Select the desired sort order from the options. Choose from:
     • File Name
     • Date Created
     • Last Modified
     • Last Viewed (Recent files only)
     • Date Deleted (Deleted files only)
     • Search Relevance (when searching for files)
  4. Figma will sort your files in the order you selected.

  Note: If you are in List view, you can only sort files by Last Modified.

  Open files

  There are a few ways to open a file in Figma.

  • To open in the current tab: double-click on the file in the File Browser.
  • To open in a new tab: right-click on the file and choose Open in New Tab.
  • Click on a Figma URL

  You can choose to open all Figma links in the Desktop app, instead of the browser. Learn more about opening Figma links →

  Access the file menu

  Right-click on any file in the file browser to perform the following actions:

  • Open (in the current tab)
  • Open in New Tab
  • Pin to Project (Teams only)
  • Share the File
  • Duplicate the File
  • Rename the File
  • Delete the File

  Note: If you are viewing a file in your Recents you will have two extra options:

  • Show in Project to open the File in the current folder.
  • Remove from Recent to hide the file in your recent list. This won't remove your access to the file.

  

  Leave a file

  Leave a file to remove your access to the file and any styles or components within it. Leave a file via the file's share modal.

  1. Open the file's share modal:
     • In the editor: Click the Share button in the toolbar.
     • In the file browser: Right-click on the file and select Share.
  2. Find your name in the list of collaborators.
  3. Click on your current access level and select Leave from the option
• Move files between projects, teams and accounts

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Supported on any team or plan

  Anyone can move files from their drafts to a team of which they are a member. You must have can dit access to the project to move a file to another team or project.

  Change a file's location by moving it between your drafts, projects, and teams. You can move files from the Editor, or in the file browser.

  Note: If you're the current owner of the file and are moving it to a team you are planning on leaving, you'll need to transfer ownership of the file first. This makes sure the files aren't lost for other collaborators when you leave the team or delete the files.

  • Change the owner of a team
  • Transfer ownership of a file

  Move files in the Editor

  In the Editor, you can:

  • Move a file from your drafts to a team
  • Move a file to a different project 
  • Move a file to a project in a different team
  • Create a new project and move a file into it

  Warning

  • If you move a file outside of a team, team members may no longer be able to access it.
  • Only team members who are listed on the file sharing modal will still have access.
  • Anyone with a role on that file will still have access to the file in its new location. Any editors will be included in your billing.

  1. Click on an empty spot in the canvas. This will deselect any layers.
  2. Click the File name in the Toolbar and select Move to project:
  3. Choose which project to move it to. 
     1. Search for the team or project using the field provided.
     2. Choose an existing project within another team. Only favorited projects will appear in the window.
     3. Create a + New project in a team
  4. Click Move to confirm.

  Move files in the file browser

  In the file browser, you can move files between your drafts and any projects within a team. 

  Only favorited projects show in the file browser. It's not possible to move a file into just a team, or into a project that you haven't favorited.

  1. Choose which file(s) you want to move
     • Select a single file to move
     • Hold Shift to select more than one file
     • Click and drag to select multiple files
  2. Drag your selection over the new location in the file browser. Figma will highlight the project you are moving it to.
  3. Release to move the file.

  Note: It's not possible to move files between Personal Space and Organization Space. One way to move files into an Organization is to export them.

  Move files between accounts

  If you're deleting an old team or handing over files, you may want to move a File to another account.

  There are two different ways you can move a file between Figma accounts.

  Share the file

  • Invite the other account as an Editor to the file using the correct email address.
  • If the File(s) are in another team, you can move them to a new team and invite the other account to that team.

  Export the file

  You can also export your files as .fig files. This allows you to upload the file to another Figma account.

  We will treat this as a new file and won't copy across any permissions, comments or version history.

  When you import the file again, we will also treat Components as new main Components. Instances are no longer linked to the original file and won't receive any updates.

  1. Open the file you want to export.
  2. Go to the main menu
  3. Go to File > Save a local copy to download a copy of the file to your downloads folder.
  4. Open the Figma Account you want to move it to.
  5. Import the .fig file by dragging the file into Figma.

  Tip! Create a duplicate by adding an /duplicate to the end of the file URL. Then you can open the URL in your other Figma account. Figma treats this as a new file, so it doesn't include the existing permissions, comments or version history.