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• Follow collaborators in a file

  Before you Start

  Who can use this feature

  Supported on any team or plan.

  Anyone with can view or can edit access to a file or prototype can follow.

  Whenever you view a file or prototype, we will also add your avatar to the toolbar. This allows everyone to see who is currently accessing the file.

  If you click on a person's avatar, you will begin to follow their view of the canvas of FigJam board.

  Like screen-sharing, following shows you what's happening on their screen in a Figma design or FigJam file. You can also request everyone in a file follow you using spotlight →

  This allows you to follow along with their actions and track each movement they make in the canvas. This includes actions like zooming in on the canvas, or switching between pages.

  You won't be able to see actions with the toolbar, sidebars, or anything outside of the canvas.

  Note: We won't tell someone if you follow them. We do still show your cursor's location when you're following a presenter or someone else in a file. If they have Multiplayer Cursors enabled, they will be able to see your cursor in their viewport.

  Follow someone in a file

  You can follow when you're viewing a Figma design or FigJam file. This allows you to track another user's actions as they move around the file.

  You can use this to:

  • Walk-through designs with remote collaborators
  • Present designs during a design crit
  • Demonstrate tasks and specific actions
  • Reference a particular part of the file when talking with collaborators
  • Remove the need for screen-sharing when you have a slow internet connection
  • Follow students as they complete exercises

  Whenever you access a file, we will add your avatar to the toolbar. This allows everyone to see who is currently accessing the file.

  We will give each collaborator's avatar a color, which we use when you are following them.

  1. In the toolbar, click on a person's avatar to follow them.
  2. We will show a border around your canvas, in the color of the person's avatar. You will see a confirmation at the top of the screen that you are following them:
  3. You can now see their actions as they move through the prototype.
     • We will mirror what they can see in their viewport. This includes their location, zoom level and page.
     • We'll include their cursor so you can see exactly where they are.
     • We don't show any interactions they have with the Figma UI (Tool bar and sidebars). You can still see their cursor's location as they interact with the Figma UI.

  Want to be in the spotlight? Gather everyone and facilitate meetings, workshops, design crits, and more using spotlight →

  Follow in a prototype

  You can follow others while you are in Presentation View. This allows you to follow along with a user while they interact with your prototype.

  You can use this to:

  • Walk-through prototype Interactions with remote collaborators
  • Track what actions a user is performing during a usability test
  • Switch between presenter views during a presentation
  • Remotely control a presentation from your phone

  1. Open the prototype in Presentation View.
  2. Hover over the top of the screen to show the menu bar.
  3. Click on the user's Avatar in the menu bar to follow them:
  4. You can then see their actions as they move through the prototype. We'll include their cursor so you can see exactly where they are.

  Tip! If someone has logged in to Figma, we will show their profile picture and display name. If they aren't logged in, we will show a question mark icon and an "Anonymous" name.

  Stop following

  To stop following, you can interact with your screen in the following ways:

  • Selecting an object in the Canvas
  • Zooming in or out
  • Navigating out of the current viewport e.g. pan around the canvas

  In a prototype, you can stop following by interacting with the prototype. This won't affect what the person you were following sees at their end. Although, they could choose to now follow along with your actions!

• Optimize design files for developer handoff

  Before you Start

  Who can use this feature

  Users on any team or plan

  Users with can edit access to a file can set up files for developer handoff

  Users with can view access to a file can only access the Inspect panel and the layers list

  While handing off designs to developers frequently happens after a major project milestone, here are some things you can do earlier in the design process to set up your files to improve handoff.

  Want to learn how other companies are approaching Developer Handoff? Check out our blog post: A Guide to Developer Handoff.

  Set up files for Collaboration

  There are lots of different ways to collaborate in Figma. We've rounded up a few tips that we've used ourselves, or seen in action.

  Files

  • Right-click any frame and set a custom thumbnail so you can identify files at a glance. The thumbnail can also include information such as the project's current status.
  • Link to Figma design files in your project specification documents or project plans.
  • Create "sticky note" components and add them to the canvas to explain or draw attention to design decisions.
  • Apply Export Settings to frames, Components and Assets your Developers may need to export for the final production build.

  Pages

  • Name pages descriptively to let others know what's ready for development.
  • Create a single page with Instances of all your components. Collaborators only have to check this page, as you make changes to your components.
    • Right-click on a component and choose Move to Page or check out the Component Page plugin.

  Styles and components

  • Give Styles relevant and descriptive names.
  • Add component documentation to your design system. Collaborators can use Go to Main Component to learn more about how to use it.
  • Name layers and components based on their IDs
  • Add meaningful descriptions to components:
    • When and how collaborators can use them
    • Any variants or states
    • Accessibility and contrast guidance

  Want to a bit more detail? Check out our Tips for a better developer workflow post.

  Invite collaborators to files and prototypes

  You can invite collaborators to a prototype, or to the file itself.

  • Share a prototype
  • Invite a collaborator to a file

  When inviting someone to a file, you can choose to give them access as a Viewer or Editor. In most situations, inviting a collaborator as a Viewer will be enough.

  Viewers can:

  ✅  Select layers from the Layers panel or canvas
  ✅  View properties of selected layers in the Inspect panel
  ✅  Copy text content from Text objects
  ✅  Measure distances between objects in the canvas
  ✅  Add or reply to comments in files and prototypes
  ✅  View Prototypes in Presentation View
  ✅  Access components via the Go to Main Component link

  Note: You have the option to allow Viewers to copy and share the contents of a file. If you enable this, Viewers will not be able to explore or export assets from a file.

  Learn how to view code for your designs with the Inspect panel →