If you’re diving into Figma for the first time, you’re probably thinking, “How can I speed up my design workflow?” Well, worry no more! These 15 beginner tips will help you supercharge your Figma experience, making you work faster and smarter—like 15 times faster. And hey, whether it’s exactly 15 times faster or just a snazzy number for the title, who’s counting, right?
Let’s jump right in, because I know your design schedule is as packed as mine!
Ever found yourself stuck because you forgot a shortcut or can’t remember how to launch a plugin? Figma has a magical trick called Command Palette. Just hit Command + P (Mac) or Control + P (Windows), and voila—you can search for any command or plugin. One of my go-tos is the Iconify plugin. It lets you drag and drop icons like a pro. Boom, radio button ready! And you can do even more with this trick, like adding comments or tweaking nudges for pixel-perfect designs.
Pro tip: Nudge your elements by 8 pixels for that grid-perfect alignment every time!
Can’t remember the shortcut for the color picker? It’s okay! Simply type “color” in the command palette and pick your shade without breaking a sweat. But if you want to skip the search, remember: the shortcut for the color picker is just I. Easy, right?
If you’re serious about scalable designs, turn your elements into components. But how do you check which parts of your design are already components? Just hit Command + Y to switch to Outline View. Anything outlined in purple is a component. Convert as many reusable elements as you can into components to create a super-clean design system.
Duplicating elements is an essential trick to save time. Hold down Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while dragging an object, and you’ll create a duplicate in a jiffy. Alternatively, you can hit Command + D to duplicate as many times as you need. And if you make a mistake, no worries—just undo with Command + Z. Boom, you’re back on track.
Zooming in and out to fit an artboard to your screen is a time-saving must. Tap 1 to zoom out and fit the entire artboard. If you want to zoom in on a specific selection, tap 2. This makes navigating large files with multiple artboards a breeze!
Design isn’t all about colors and fonts—it’s about numbers too! Let’s say you need to ensure perfect spacing in your design. Instead of eyeballing it, use basic math right in Figma’s input fields. For example, you can divide the width of a container by the number of boxes you want and instantly get precise spacing. You can also calculate progress bars with ease. Just divide and conquer your pixels!
Need to export multiple icons for your developer? Instead of manually exporting each one (yawn), select all the icons, tap on Command + Shift + E, and batch export them in various sizes like SVG and PNG. That’s right—one swift move, and your icons are ready to ship.
Consistency is key in design. When you need to copy a text style or a photo filter, use Command + Option + C to copy the style and Command + Option + V to paste it. This works for fonts, images, and other elements—ensuring that your design remains uniform and professional.
Working on a smaller screen? Maximize your design space by hiding Figma’s UI. Press Command + . (yep, just a full stop) to toggle the UI on or off. It’s a neat trick when you need more room to work but still want easy access to the interface when needed.
Ever noticed that when you resize an icon, its stroke thickness changes? To keep strokes consistent, select the icon, duplicate it, and then use Command + Shift + O to outline the stroke. This way, whether you shrink or enlarge the icon, the stroke remains uniform. No more funky icon thickness!
Figma’s Auto Layout is a lifesaver for making designs responsive and flexible. Want to arrange items in a neat grid or row? Select your elements, hit Shift + A, and Auto Layout will do the rest. You can toggle between vertical and horizontal arrangements, and even adjust padding with ease.
If you’ve ever had a file with hundreds of unnamed layers (been there, done that), you’ll love this one. Select the layers you want to rename, hit Command + R, and rename them in batches. This not only saves you from endless scrolling but keeps your files organized for both you and your teammates.
When moving elements around, you want them to stay neatly within their frames, right? Just hold the space bar while dragging your object, and it will stay inside the frame. No more frustration of objects jumping out of bounds. It’s like giving your designs a snug little home!
Presenting your designs to stakeholders or clients? Use Z to zoom in and out of your prototype without messing up the view. And if the toolbar is distracting, hide it by hitting Command + .. This makes your presentation cleaner, and you’ll look like a pro.
This one’s a game changer! Instead of using groups for buttons or complex elements, use frames. Frames allow you to clip content, manage text overflow, and make prototypes behave as they should. Groups? Not so much. So the next time you’re tempted to group something, think: frame it!
And there you have it—15 tips that will help you design like a pro in Figma, faster than you ever thought possible. Whether you’re batch exporting, zooming in and out, or doing quick layout math, these tips will shave hours off your design process. The more you use them, the more they become second nature.
Remember, Figma is a powerful tool, and like any tool, mastering its shortcuts and tricks will make all the difference. Try these out, save some time, and maybe even leave the office a bit earlier. Because let’s face it, we all want that extra hour of Netflix, right?
Now, go forth and design faster, smarter, and more efficiently!
