Figma is gaining traction in the design space. Sketch software mostly dominates the UI/UX design industry. But the latest offerings from Adobe (Adobe XD) and Figma, which include flexible pricing, seamless sharing, and cross-platform availability, are changing the equation for the UI/UX designers out there.
Figma’s availability on the Web, Windows and macOS combined with its excellent Starter plan (3 Projects and 2 Editors) makes it an ideal choice for mastering design, prototyping and UI design skills. The company recently introduced the much anticipated Add-on support for it. If you’re new to UI/UX design and starting your journey with Figma, you may want to memorize a set of essential Figma keyboard shortcuts for Windows and Mac.
In this article, we will cover ten best Figma keyboard shortcuts that you can use on Windows PC and Mac. Lets start.
1. Master Zoom Capabilities
You cannot use Figma or any UI/UX design software without mastering the Zoom keyboard shortcuts. These will be the most used keyboard shortcuts during your workflow.
For Windows and Mac, you can use Shift + 1 to fit layers to the screen. Shift + 2 (my most used keyboard shortcut as it allows me to quickly view the details of the selected component) and Shift + Zoom 0 to 100% to Zoom the selected frame.
2. Show/Hide Rulers and Show/Hide Layout Grids
I don’t usually use Rulers in Figma, but if you plan to use them during UI design, you can use the keyboard shortcut Shift + R on PC or Mac to show/hide the rulers.
I use Layout Grids all the time. It allows you to arrange components, icons at the same distance, edit text and other elements. Use the keyboard shortcut Control + G on Mac to show/hide layout grids.
3. Pen, Move and Text Tool
Figma offers a powerful and customizable Pen tool. You’ll know what I mean after a few minutes of playing. You will use these three tools a lot during your design workflow.
You can always select them from the top menu or use the keystroke P for Pen, V for Move, and T for Text on Windows and Mac.
4. Move Between Layers and Components
These two keyboard shortcuts are very useful when working on a design project with a lot of layers and components. You may need to constantly move between them. You can use Option+1 for Mac or Alt+1 for Windows to switch to the Layers panel. Then use Option + 2 for Mac or Alt + 2 for Windows to go to the Components menu.
5. Open Color Picker
This function is useful when you want to extract color from an image, icon or any other component. You can use the ‘I’ keyboard shortcut on Mac or Windows to open the color picker. Hover the color picker over an image or icon and copy the color code from the color picker menu.
6. Copy/Paste Current Style
This is a real time saver. Want to quickly copy the current color/design of a component to another text or icon? You can select the current item and use Option + Command + C for Mac or Ctrl + Shift + C for Windows to copy its style. Now select the other item and use Option + Command + V for Mac or Ctrl + Shift + V for Windows to paste the style.
7. Group/Ungroup Selection
Grouping and ungrouping is one of the most important parts of any design software. After adding shapes, icons, text, you may want to group them for easy moving or changing. You can select items and use Command + G for Mac or Ctrl + G for Windows to create a group.
Use Command + Shift + G for Mac or Ctrl + Shift + G for Windows to ungroup.
8. Toggle between Lock and Unlock
The Figma canvas can be pretty busy for you when creating a design with so many layers and components. You will not want to accidentally move any icon, text or component in these scenarios. In such cases, you can select the item and use Command + Shift + L for Mac or Ctrl + Shift + L for Windows to lock them.
It is represented by a small lock icon in the layers menu. Use the same keyboard shortcut to unlock.
9. Build Components
Components are the heart and soul of the Figma experience. You may want to reuse the same elements in the design UI. Some examples are a hamburger menu, bottom bar menu, buttons, etc. that you want to reuse for other screens as well. it could be.
You can group icons and text using the Group tool and then use Option + Command + K for Mac or Ctrl + Alt + K for Windows to create a component. Now access them from the Components menu (Control #4).
10. Show Tool Library
Do you know that Figma is also called Google Docs of the design industry? The software comes with seamless sharing options that allow you to add editors to the team.
For large projects, each team member is given a separate task for the design. When creating the design in a group, you may want to visit the Teams library of common components and icons among members. You can open the team library menu using Command + Option + O on Mac or Ctrl + Alt + O on Windows.
11. Export Design
After you have finished the design, you may want to use the export option to extract icons and images from the design so that you can send them to the developers for implementation. You can select the layer and use Command + Shift + E for Mac or Control + Shift + E for Windows to export details.
Use Figma Like a Pro
Figma is an excellent tool for UI/UX designers. It’s free for starters, allows sharing, and comes with tons of keyboard shortcuts to ensure a smooth workflow. Apply these keyboard shortcuts to your workflow and create beautiful UI designs like a pro.
Next: Canva and Crello are two of the best design tools for creating posters and flyers. Read the comparison below to find the one that works better for you.
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