Delete and restore files – Figma Learn - Help Center

Who can use this feature

Anyone with can edit access to a file's parent project can move it to Trash, restore, or permanently delete the file

Anyone with can edit or can view access to a file in Trash can duplicate it to their drafts

If you no longer need a file, and want to remove it for all collaborators and team members, you can move it file to the Trash. This will remove it from its current location to a dedicated Trash section.

You can access the Trash section from the sidebar of the file browser. From here, you can choose to permanently delete the file, or restore the file if you have changed your mind.

Figma will keep files in the trash until you, or another team member with access to those files, restores or permanently deletes them.

You must be using the Figma desktop app or in the browser to move to trash, restore, or permanently delete files. It’s not possible to do this from the Figma mobile app, or FigJam iPad app.

Move a file to the trash

Who can move files to the trash

Anyone with can edit access to the file, and the project where the file currently lives, can move a file to the trash. This means other team members or collaborators can move a file to the trash, even if they are not the original owner.

Note: Moving a file to the trash will remove the file for all collaborators, not just yourself. To remove a file from your file browser for just yourself, we recommend you leave the file instead

You can move a file to the trash from the file browser or from the open file.

From the file browser

From the file browser, right-click on the file and select Move to trash.
Select Move file to trash to confirm.

From the open file

Click the arrow next to the file name and select Trash.
Select Move file to trash to confirm.

View and manage files in the trash

The trash is an archive of removed files and projects that you have access to.

You can access the Trash from the sidebar of the file browser. If you are a member of multiple teams or organizations, you’ll have a trash section for each team or organization.

Within the trash are two tabs:

Files: Contains individual files to which you have access that were moved to trash.
Projects: Contains projects to which you have access—including any files within the project—that were moved to trash, even if it was moved there by someone else. Learn about projects in the trash.

You can filter results by file type and who created the resource, and sort based on date.

Note: Search results do not include files have been permanently deleted.

It's not possible to open files in the trash, but there are a few actions you can take when you right-click on a file:

Restore: You can restore a file to its original location if the original project still exists. This will keep any permissions, comments, version history, and library connections from the original file.
Duplicate to drafts: If you want to restore the file but the original project doesn't exist, or you want to review the contents of the file, you can make a copy of the original file and add it to your Drafts. This won’t include any permissions, comments, version history, and library connections from the original file.
Permanently delete: This will delete the file forever and prevent anyone from accessing it again. Make sure this is what you want, as this action can’t be reversed.

Restore files from the trash

Who can restore files from trash

There are a few requirements you must meet to be able to restore a file:

You must have can edit access to the original file, and the project the file lives in. You don’t need to be the file owner.
The original project and team must still exist. This must be the exact same project, not a project with the same name.
If you are on the free Starter plan, you must have at least one file remaining. If you have reached the three file limit and try to restore a file to that project, your team will be locked. You’ll need to upgrade the team, or move files to the drafts, to access your files again.

If the file still exists in trash, you may be able to restore it. Restoring a file moves the file from trash back to its original project, and restores access for anyone who had permissions on the file, at the time it moved to trash.

The file will retain any permissions, comments, version history, and library connections of the original file.

To restore a file:

From the file browser, click Trash and locate the file you want to restore.
Right-click on the file and select Restore.

Note: The restore option does not display if you had can view access to a file or if its parent project gets deleted. Instead, you can duplicate the file your Drafts.

Duplicate a file to your drafts

Who can duplicate a file to their drafts

You must have can view or can edit access to the original file, and the project the file lives in. You don’t need to be the file owner.

You can duplicate a file in the trash to your drafts. Duplicating the file won't include any of the permissions, comments, version history, or library connections from the original file.

To duplicate a file to your drafts:

From the file browser, click Trash and locate the file you want to restore.
Right-click on the file and select Duplicate to drafts.

Permanently delete files

Who can permanently delete files

You must have can edit access to the original file, and the project the file lives in. You don’t need to be the file owner.

Warning: Permanently deleting a file will get rid of the file forever for everyone who has access to it. This action cannot be reversed.

To permanently delete a file:

Head to Trash and locate the file you want to delete.
Right-click on the file and select Permanently delete.
Click Permanently delete file to confirm the action.

Note: Figma may temporarily retain data after a file has been deleted forever in connection with Figma's standard processes for data deletion and as required by law.

Questions

How do I see who deleted the file?

You can see which project the file was deleted from in the trash section. You can then review the project team, owner, and permissions.

Click the project name to open that project in the file browser.
Click Share to see who has access to that project. You can see the owner, anyone who’s been invited to that project, and the team access.
Click Anyone in team name to see what permissions each team member has on that project.

How do I restore missing images, designs, or other content?

If your file still exists, but there is content missing from it, there may be other actions you can take to recover that content.

You can review the file’s version history to view previous versions of the file. You can then restore an earlier version of the file or copy content from that version and bring it into a later version.

If the content was added to the file while your file was offline, you may have unsaved changes. Figma saves any offline changes to your file when your connection is restored. Learn more about Figma autosave →

How do I delete a library?

If you don’t manage the library, but no longer want access to it, you can remove your access to the library.

If you manage a library and want to remove it, you can unpublish the library first. When you unpublish a library, anyone using this library can no longer receive updates to any styles, components, or variables in that library.

How do I check my access to the file or parent project?

You can see which project the file was deleted from in the trash section. You can then review the project team, owner, and permissions.

Click the project name to open that project in the file browser.
Click Share to see who has access to that project. You can see the owner, anyone who’s been invited to that project, and the team access.
Click Anyone in team name to see what permissions each team member has on that project.

Troubleshooting

I can’t find a file in my trash

There are a few reasons why a deleted file may not be visible in trash:

- The file was in another team: If you are a member of multiple teams or organizations, you’ll have a trash section for each team or organization. If you move files from one team to the trash, they will not be available in the trash of any other teams.
- The entire team was deleted: If you delete an entire team, the files from that team will not appear in Trash. If the team was deleted within the last 28 days, you can restore the deleted team to get access to your files and projects again.
- The project was deleted: If you deleted a project, all the files in that project will be moved to the trash. There isn’t a way to restore an entire project, but you can get copies of the original files. Choose Duplicate to drafts to make a copy of the affected files, create a new project, then move the files into that project.
- The file is permanently deleted: You won’t be able to see the file in trash if you, or another team member or collaborator with access to the file, has permanently deleted that file.

I don’t have the option to restore the file

There are a couple of reasons why you don't see the option to restore a file:

If the parent project, or team, no longer exists, you won’t have the option to restore the file. You will need to use the Duplicate to drafts to create a copy of the file in your drafts. You can then move the file to another team/project.
You don’t have can edit access to the file or the parent project. You need to have edit access to the original file and the parent project to restore the file. You ask someone with edit access to the project to restore the file, or give you edit access to the parent project.

I don’t have the option to permanently delete the file

If you don’t see the option to permanently delete the file, it means you don’t have can edit access to the file or the parent project. You will need to ask someone with edit access to delete the file.

I need to restore a permanently deleted file

There is no way to restore a permanently deleted file in your account. If you are on a paid plan (Professional, Organization, or Enterprize), you can provide Figma’s support team with a link to the file. They can confirm if the file has been permanently deleted and if it can be restored.

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