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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

  •  
• Publish styles and components

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Publish styles on any team or plan. Publish components on Professional (Education included) and Organization plans.

  Anyone with Can edit access to the file can publish styles and components to a library.

  New to components and libraries? Learn more about components → Learn more about libraries →

  When you first create styles and components, you can only access them in the current file. You can publish styles and components to a library to use them in other files or projects, or share them with others.

  Browse published styles and components in the library modal and enable libraries to access them in drafts and team or organization files.

  Caution: Component libraries are a paid feature. You can still create and use components on the free Starter plan, but you can't publish them to access them in other files.

  Publish styles from your drafts, or on any team plan. Publish components in Professional (and Education) teams or in Organizations.

  Publish styles and components

  You can choose exactly which styles and components you want to publish using the checkboxes. You can also create private components in your file throughout the publishing process.

  View, manage, and publish libraries from the Library modal. The publishing process is the same for new libraries, as well as changes to existing libraries.

  There are a few ways to access the library modal from within a file:

  • A

    Editor toolbar

    1. Click on an empty spot in the canvas to deselect.
    2. Click the next to the file name in the toolbar.
    3. Select Publish styles and components from the options.

    

  • B

    Assets panel

    1. Click on the Assets panel in the left sidebar.
    2. Click the to open the library modal.

    

  • C

    Use the keyboard shortcut

    • Mac: ⌥ Option 3
    • Windows: Alt 3

  Publish to library

  Every time you publish to your library, you'll be prompted to add a description. This allows you to communicate decisions and changes to the people who use your library.

  Figma shows descriptions when accepting updates from a library, as well as in the file's version history.

  Publish styles and components from the file where they live.

  1. Open the library modal from the file ↑
  2. In the Current file section, click the Publish button.
  3. Add a description of the library's purpose, or a summary of any decisions or changes.
  4. View a list of changes to the library. This details any styles and components added, modified, or removed.
  5. Choose which changes you want to publish:
     • Check individual components you do want to publish
     • Uncheck individual components you don't want to publish
     • Uncheck Changes to deselect all styles and components
  6. When you've finalized your styles and components, click the Publish button. Figma will show a notification to confirm your file has been successfully published.

  

  Publish updates to a library

  If you make changes to a published style or component, this will only apply those changes to instances in the current file. If you want those changes to be reflected in your library, you will also need to publish those changes to the library.

  Figma will display a blue dot on the icon in the Assets panel of the left sidebar to let you know if there are any updates that need to be published:

  1. Click either the Assets panel at the top of the left sidebar to open the library modal.
  2. Add a description of any decisions or changes. This will show in the file's version history, and the Updates tab of the Libraries modal.
  3. View a list of changes to the library. This details any styles and components added, modified, or removed.
  4. Choose which changes you want to publish:
     • Check individual components you do want to publish
     • Uncheck individual components you don't want to publish
     • Uncheck Changes to deselect all styles and components
  5. When you've finalized your styles and components, click the Publish button. Figma will show a notification to confirm your file has been successfully published.

  

  Note: If you are a member of an Organization, you can also choose to share the library with your organization. This will allow other members of the organization to find and use styles and components from this file.

  Check the box next to Allow any member of organization to access this file before you click Publish. Learn how add and remove libraries in an organization →

  Create private styles and components

  If you have styles and components that you don't want to share, or are still a work in progress, you can make them private. When you're ready to share you can publish private styles and components to make them available.

  There are a few ways to create private styles and components:

  • A

    Add a prefix to the style or component name

    To prevent Figma from publishing your styles and components, you can add a prefix or modifier to the component's name in the layers panel.

    Figma will skip over these styles and components during the publishing process and list them in the Private to this file sections of the Assets panel and library modal.

    • Add a period . in front of the component layer's name.
    • Add an underscore _ to the beginning of the component layer's name.

    

    Note: If you add a period or underscore after a style or component is published, Figma will remove it from your library the next time you publish changes to the library.

    If you want to publish these styles and components at a later date, you will need to remove the prefix and then publish the components individually.

  • B

    Remove via the assets panel

    Remove a component from a library in the Assets panel. It's not possible to remove a style from a library via the style picker.

    1. Click on the Assets tab in the left sidebar.
    2. Right-click on the component in the list.
    3. Select Remove from library from the options.
  • C

    Remove during the publishing process

    Remove styles and components from the library modal from the publish modal.

    1. Open the library modal using any of the entry points above.
    2. Right-click on the component or style and select Remove from library.

  Publish individual styles and components

  If you are missing styles and components from a published file, or want to add more styles and components, you can publish these individually.

  The fastest way to do this is via the Assets panel in the left sidebar.

  1. Click on the Assets tab in the left sidebar or use the keyboard shortcut:
     • MacOS: ⌥ Option 2
     • Windows: Alt 2
  2. Scroll down to the Private to this file section, which will list any components that exist in the file, but haven't been published.
  3. Right-click on the component and select Add to Library. If you have made the component private using the . or _ prefix, you will need to remove this.
  4. Figma will notify you that your updates are successfully published.

  

• 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 →
• Track library and component usage

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Supported on the Figma Organization plan.

  Any member of an Organization can view Design System Analytics. Members can only see data for libraries they have at least can view access to.

  Share libraries in a team or across your entire Organization. Track how members of your Organization are using libraries and components with design system analytics.

  • Find out which components in a library are popular
  • Identify components that are detached often
  • See how collaborators are using variants
  • See which components in a library members aren't using
  • Compare adoption between two libraries
  • See which teams are using each library
  • Find examples of components so you can see how they're used and supplement documentation

  Note: Figma only includes libraries a member has at least can view access to in these results. You will not be able to track component usage within another member's Drafts.

  View library analytics

  Any member of an Organization can view library analytics.

  1. Open Figma in the file browser.
  2. Click on the Organization name in the sidebar.
  3. Select the Libraries tab to view an overview of all libraries in the Organization:
  4. View a summary of analytics across all libraries:
     • Total Teams: The total number of Teams in the Organization. This includes Open, Closed, and Secret Teams.
     • Teams with Libraries: How many teams in the Organization are using shared libraries.
     • Total Libraries: Total number of libraries in an Organization. This includes libraries shared across the entire Organization, or within a specific tTeam.
     • Total components: The total number of main components in an Organization's libraries.
     • Total Styles: The total number of styles in an Organization's libraries.
  5. Use the search bar to find a specific library.
  6. View a list of all libraries shared within teams or across the Organization. For each library you can view:
     • # of components: The total number of main components in that library.
     • # of Styles: The total number of styles in that library.
     • Used by: The number of teams using this library.
     • Inserts Last Week: The number of times a component from this library was inserted into a file. This is limited to the last week.
  7. Click on a library in the list to view its analytics.

  

  Tip! Figma updates Design System Analytics every hour.

  View detailed analytics for a library

  Click on a library to view more detailed analytics. Use the tabs at the top to switch between Overview and Library Analytics views.

  Before we jump in, let's cover a few terms you'll see in the analytics:

  • Component Insertions / Inserts: Any time someone adds an Instance of a component to a file. Figma records any of the following actions as insertions:
    • Copy an instance and paste it into the file
    • Duplicate a component instance within a file
    • Drag a component from the Assets panel into a file
      Nested components aren't included as insertions. Figma also ignores any components you create by duplicating an entire file.
  • Component Detaches / Detaches: Any time someone uses Detach Instance to break the connection between the instance and the main component. Learn more about detaching components →
  • Last Modified: The last time a collaborator modified the file. This includes any interaction with objects on the canvas, or leaving a comment.
  • [Last] Week: Refers to the a calendar week, not the "last 7 days". The end of the week will depend on your geographical location. e.g. North America considers Saturday the last day of the week vs Europe where Sunday is the last day of the week.

  If you're an Organization Admin, you can use the switch to toggle the library off and on for all files in the Organization. Learn more about shared libraries in an Organization →

  Overview

  1. View an overview of analytics for this library.
     • Teams using this library: The number of teams that have used Styles and components from this library.
     • Total Components: The total number of main components in that library
     • Total Styles: The total number of Styles in that library
     • Activity this week: The total number of times people have inserted components from this library in to files
  2. View all the Styles included in the library. This includes color, text, effect, and layout grid styles. Hover over the style to the view it's name.
  3. View All components in the library. Figma groups components by name, then file, page, and frame. Learn more about naming and organizing components → 

  

  Library Analytics

  Click on Library Analytics to view detailed analytics on how members are using components. Styles are not included in library analytics.

  Figma started tracking Library Analytics September 28th, 2019. Data before this date is not available. 

  1. Select the Duration you would like to view these analytics for. Choose from:
     • Last 30 Days
     • Last 60 Days
     • Last 90 Days
     • Last Year
       
  2. View a graph of Component Insertions. This shows the total insertions for this library, for the selected duration. Figma plots the graph to the end of the current week.
     • Current data is blue
     • Unavailable data is grey
     • Dashed line shows this week's current usage (incomplete)
     • Hover over the dot to view the date and total number of component insertions

     Tip! You can also compare performance between libraries. Learn how to compare analytics between libraries ↓

  3. View the teams that are using this library:
     • The top teams by # of insertions.
     • What percentage of total component insertions each team contributes
     • How many other teams are using this library
  4. Click the Download CSV link to download analytics for every team using this library.
  5. View Components Statistics for each component in the library. Both inserts and detaches are for the duration you set above.
     
     • Thumbnail of the component
     • Variants in the component set
     • Component name
     • Inserts
     • Detaches
  6. Click on the component in the list to see metrics for individual variants within that component set.

  

  Download a CSV of component usage to see which teams are using a particular library. The CSV download includes the following analytics:

  • Team ID: The unique ID Figma uses to identify the team.
  • Team Name: The name of the team as it appears in your Organization.
  • Insertions: The total number of component Insertions made in each team.
  • Insertion %: A team's percentage of total component insertions. Use this to see how teams contribute to component insertions.

  View variant and component usage

  Click on a component in the Components Analytics section to see how specific components are being used with component analytics.

  1. View information about the component set:
     • Description: The description for this component set.
     • Total: The total number of instances of any variants in this component set.
     • Used by: The number of teams that used any variants in this component set.
     • Used in: The number of files that have instances of this component set in them.
  2. View a list of variants included in that component set. You'll see some analytics for:
     • Instances (Total): How many instances of that variant exist.
     • Detaches (Last 30 Days): How many times someone has detached that variant from the component set in the last 30 days.
  3.  Click on a variant in the list to view analytics for that specific variant.

  

  Figma will show those same statistics, for that specific variant. You can also view a list of files that variant was used in for that reporting period. You'll only see files you have access to. 

  

  Note: Figma will only show files you have at least can view access to. This includes files from your Drafts, teams that you are a member of, and open teams.

  Compare libraries

  You can compare analytics between two libraries, which allows you to:

  • Track adoption of a new library (e.g. legacy vs new design system)
  • Compare how libraries are used across different operating systems
  • Measure work between products or brands

  From the Library tab of the Organization.

  1. Select one of the libraries you want to compare.
  2. Open the Library Analytics tab.
  3. Click the field next to Compare insertions to and select the second library from the list.
  4. Figma will plot the graph for both lLibraries
     • Data for the original library is in blue
     • Data for the second library is in black
     • Unavailable data is grey
     • Dashed line shows this week's current usage (incomplete)
  5. Hover over a dot to view the date and total number of component insertions.

  

• 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.

• Unpublish a library

  Before you start

  Who can use this feature

  Supported on Education, Professional, and Figma Organization plans.

  Team admins or anyone with can edit access to the file can unpublish a published library.

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

  If you maintain a library of styles and components, you may need to unpublish a library. This means anyone using this library will no longer be able to access the library or receive updates to styles and components.

  1. Open the file you want to remove.
  2. Go to the Assets tab and click on the  Library icon or use the Keyboard Shortcuts:
     • Mac: ⌥ Option - 3
     • Windows: Ctrl + 3
  3. Click on the Current file to view the styles and components in the library.
  4. Click the Unpublish button at the bottom of the modal.
  5. Click Remove File from Library to confirm. Figma will remove that file and any styles and components from the library modal.

  Note: Team members can still use instances from an unpublished library. They will no longer receive any updates made to those Instances.