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What Are Instances in Figma?

Last updated on September 28, 2022 @ 8:39 pm

When you’re working on a design in Figma, there are often elements that you want to reuse across multiple frames or even projects. That’s where instances come in.

An instance is a copy of an object that is linked to the original object. This means that when you make changes to the original object, those changes will be reflected in all of its instances.

You can create an instance by selecting an object and then choosing Create Instance from the toolbar. Alternatively, you can right-click on an object and choose Create Instance from the context menu.

Once you’ve created an instance, you can change its properties independently from the original object. For example, you could change the fill color of an instance without affecting the fill color of the original object.

PRO TIP: There are instances in Figma which are basically a copy of an object. However, these instances can only be created from other objects, not from scratch. So, if you’re trying to create an instance from scratch, it won’t work and you’ll just end up with a copy of the object.

However, there are some properties that you can’t change independently. These include stroke weight, corner radius, and position within a frame.

If you need to make a change to one of these properties, you can either edit the original object or break the link between the instance and the original object. To break the link, simply select the instance and choose Break Instance from the toolbar or right-click on the instance and choose Break Instance from the context menu.

What Are Instances in Figma?

Instances in Figma are copies of objects that are linked to the original object.

You can create an instance by selecting an object and then choosing Create Instance from the toolbar.

Drew Clemente

Drew Clemente

Devops & Sysadmin engineer. I basically build infrastructure online.