Styles allow you to define a set of properties or attributes and reuse them across your designs. View styles available to you in this file from the style picker, or view styles that live in the file from the right sidebar when nothing is selected. To view styles from other published files, you can view them in the style picker for a selected property if the style's library is enabled.
Click the styles icon next to the relevant property in the right sidebar. To make changes to a style, you will need to edit the style definition in its original file. To make finding and selecting styles easier, you can organize your styles into groups. You can group styles by creating folders from the Design tab of the right sidebar. Once created, the styles in the folder will be renamed according to their new hierarchy within the styles list. To delete a folder and the styles in it, right-click the folder name and select Delete.
Tip: Styles appear in the styles panel in the order they appear in the Local styles list. By default, Figma will show styles in the order they were added. Moving a style from one folder to another changes the name for the style to reflect its place in the hierarchy.
Tip: Access the original style when you view the style in the right sidebar.
Warning: Before attempting to move styles between files, keep in mind that the only way to reverse the action is to repeat the entire process. Open the library file where the styles currently live. Open the file you want to move the styles to. Right-click on the canvas > Paste here to paste the styles into the file. You must publish these changes to complete the move process. Add a description of your changes. Figma pushes updates to any file that uses those styles. You'll see the usual bell notification and a prompt to receive updates from the library. To reverse a style move, we recommend repeating the method outlined in the previous sections to move the style back to its original file. Figma will remove the style and you will no longer be able to use it.
To access your styles in other files and folders, you can publish them to a team library. Open the Assets panel in the left sidebar and click the Library icon. Add a description of the changes you've made to the file. When you publish changes to a library, Figma will prompt anyone using this library to receive updates. Use any styles that are shared with you.
When copying text styles between files, you typically rely on publishing a shared library and using the Paste here option to transfer styles. This ensures consistency across projects while keeping the original definitions intact for easy updates.
Figma Team Library Tutorial: A Comprehensive Guide to Setting Up, Connecting, and Updating Libraries
In practice, you can:
- Organize styles into logical folders for easier navigation.
- Publish changes to team libraries to share across files and projects.
- Edit a style in its original file to apply updates globally.
- Use the right sidebar to view and apply styles to text and components.
- Reverse a move by repeating the transfer process to restore the original file.
For quick reference, ensure you understand the hierarchy: styles live in a Local styles list, and folders determine their position in the overall structure. Access the original style when needed, and publish changes to propagate updates to users relying on your library.
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Publish changes to a library | Updates are pushed to all files using the styles |
| Paste here to move styles | Styles copied into the target file; must be published to complete transfer |
| Delete a folder | Removes the folder and its contained styles |
To copy and reuse a text style effectively, identify the style you want, publish the library if needed, and use the Paste here action when transferring between files. This workflow supports consistency and efficiency across design systems in Figma.