Copy and paste objects in the canvas

Before you start

Who can use this feature

Supported on any team or plan.

Anyone with can view access can copy objects in a file

Anyone with can edit access can paste objects in a file

Hands-on learner? Check out our Copy and paste playground file.

When you copy and paste an object in your canvas, Figma considers your intended placement of the object while keeping you aware of your location and view of the canvas.

Paste placement

Pasted objects try to maintain the same x and y positions within the destination frame relative to its position in the group or frame it was copied from. If the destination group or frame can't accommodate either of the object's x or y position in its previous container, Figma will paste the object in the center of the new frame.

In the example below, Frame 1 contains a purple ellipse, red star, and green square located at the top left, bottom left, and bottom right corners respectively.

When we copy the objects from Frame 1 to Frame 2:

• the purple ellipse keeps its original position because both its x and y coordinates can be matched in Frame 2
• the red star can only be matched with its original x coordinate and is centered on the y axis
• the green square is centered on both axes because neither its original coordinates can be accommodated in Frame 2.

When we copy the objects from Frame 1 to Frame 3 below:

• the purple ellipse keeps its original position because both its x and y coordinates can be matched in Frame 3
• the red star keeps its original position because both its x and y coordinates can be matched in Frame 3
• the green square is centered along the x axis because it can only be matched to its y coordinate in Frame 1.

Canvas view

If you have a frame selected while pasting a copied object, Figma considers your current view of the canvas to determine where to paste the object and whether to adjust your viewing area.

• If your current view of the canvas is far from the selected frame, Figma will paste the object in the center of your current view to avoid moving you too far from your intended paste area or disorienting you within the canvas.
• If the selected frame is just outside your current view, Figma will paste the object into the selected frame and adjust your viewing area slightly to bring the pasted object into view.
• If the object being pasted is larger than your current view of the canvas, Figma will adjust your view's zoom level so you can see the full pasted object.
• If the object is being pasted into a selected frame larger than your view of the canvas, Figma will place it inside the frame in a centered position to keep you within your viewing area.

Paste to replace

Use the Paste to replace function to remove a selected object from your canvas or frame and replace it with the object copied to your clipboard. This is useful when you want to replace placeholder items in a frame or populate low fidelity wireframes with assets.

1. Select and copy an object using the keyboard shortcut:
   • Mac: ⌘ CommandC
   • Windows: Control+C
2. Select the objects you'd like to replace with the copied object.
3. Right-click your selection and click Paste to replace from the menu. You can also use the keyboard shortcut:
   • Mac: ⇧ Shift ⌘ Command R
   • Windows: Control+Shift+R

Paste over selection

The Paste over selection option will place a copied object on top of a selected frame, not inside it. The pasted object will match the x, y position of the selected object.

1. Select and copy an object using the keyboard shortcut:
   • Mac: ⌘ CommandC
   • Windows: Control+C
2. Select the frame you want to paste the copied object on top of.
3. Click to open the file menu > Edit > Paste over selection. You can also use the keyboard shortcut:
   • Mac: ⌘ Command⇧ ShiftV
   • Windows: Control+Shift+V

Multi-paste

Multi-paste is useful when you want to add an object to multiple frames at the same time. For example, adding a navigation bar to multiple mobile wireframes or a footer to slides in a presentation deck.

1. Select and copy an object using the keyboard shortcut:
   • Mac: ⌘ CommandC
   • Windows: Control+C
2. Select the frames you want to paste your copied object to.
3. Paste the object using the keyboard shortcut:
   • Mac: ⌘ CommandV
   • Windows: Control+V

Paste here

The Paste here option lets you choose the exact placement for a pasted object. The object is placed in the location of your cursor on the canvas or in a frame.

1. Select and copy an object using the keyboard shortcut:
   • Mac: ⌘ CommandC
   • Windows: Control+C
2. Position your cursor where you want the top left of your copied object to be placed.
3. Right-click and select Paste here.

Paste to clipped frames

Copy pasting objects that are inside a frame, but visually outside the frame bounds will honor the outside position whether the destination frame is clipped or not.

This is handy for placing objects outside of the frame that will be animated into or out of a frame in a prototype with smart animate.

Copy as PNG

You can copy a selected object as a PNG image to your clipboard to paste inside Figma or other applications. Images created using Copy as PNG will default to a 2× size image output.

• Select an object.
• Right-click the object and select Copy as PNG. You can also use the keyboard shortcut:
  • Mac: ⌘ Command⇧ShiftC
  • Windows: Control+Shift+C
• Paste the image using the keyboard shortcut:
  • Mac: ⌘ Command⇧ShiftV
  • Windows: Control+Shift+V

Copy as code

You can copy a selected object as code to use in other applications during the development process. 

• Select an object.
• Right-click the object and hover over Copy as code. You can also use the keyboard shortcut:
  • Mac: ⌘ Command⇧ShiftC
  • Windows: Control+Shift+C
• Select CSS, iOS or Android from the list of options. 

Copy and paste image fills

Images in Figma behave as fills that can be layered and applied to shapes objects. You can select an image fill on a shape and copy paste it onto another shape.

1. In the Fill section of the right sidebar, select the area just to the left of the image preview.
2. Copy the fill using the keyboard shortcut:
   • Mac: ⌘ CommandC
   • Windows: Control+C
3. Select the shape you want to add the copied fill to.
4. Paste the copied image using the keyboard shortcut:
   • Mac: ⌘ CommandV
   • Windows: Control+V

Learn more about how copy and paste works in our playground file →