To access and control the Figma version history, find the arrow next to the design file name at the top of the screen. Click on it and choose “Show version history” in the dropdown window. You can find the version history in the new window on the right side of the screen.
Hi! My name is Yana, and I have been making graphic content for the past few years. Figma is one of my favorite design tools and it has many great features, including the capacity to save design versions and manage them as necessary.
In this article, I will go over how to save, restore, and duplicate a design version in Figma. I will also share some tips for controlling the version’s history in Figma.
Let’s get started.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- Use descriptive names when saving a new version. It makes it easier to find particular versions in the future.
- Users of the Figma Starter plan are only able to preview the last 30 days of a file’s version history.
- You can not delete or turn off the autosave version history feature in Figma.
Save a Version in Figma
Figma saves the design file by default if it wasn’t changed for 30 minutes. When you want to save your current version, you need to access the Version History.
Step 1. Make sure no elements are selected, so you can see the design file name at the top of the screen. Click on the dropdown arrow and select Show version history. You will see a new window open on the right side of the screen with all the design versions available.
Step 2. To save your current version, click on the plus icon at the top of the window with the version list.
Step 3. Next, rename it and add a description if needed for your design file and then click the Save button. You will see the new version at the top of the version history list.
Remember that your history is saved for 30 days on a free Figma account. To save all the changes from the start of a project, you need to switch to Figma’s Professional subscription plan. If you don’t know which plan to choose, you can check Figma’s plans and costs overview.
Restore a Version
At any point, you can go back to an earlier iteration of your design. It can be helpful when you need to copy some of the design elements or compare the previous version with the new one.
Step 1. Access the Version history from the menu at the top of the screen and open the list of previous versions. Here you can see all the automatically saved versions and the versions that you manually created listed.
Step 2. Select any version that you want to restore. Once selected, find the More icon next to the version information and click on it to open the settings. Choose Restore this version from the dropdown menu to access the file from the archive.
Step 3. Figma will reload the window and display the previous design version in preview mode. Click the Done button in the top left corner to restore this version.
Even after you restore one of the previous file versions, you can still come back to the most recent one. Just access the Version history as we discussed above and select the latest version you have saved.
Duplicate a Version
When you want to share your design process with a team or display a part of the work you’ve done, duplicating an earlier version can be useful.
Step 1. Open the Version history from the dropdown menu at the top of the screen and select a design version that you want to duplicate from the list on the right side of the screen.
Step 2. Click on the More icon next to the name of the version and choose Duplicate from the dropdown menu.
Step 3. A copy of the version will be opened as a new tab in Figma.
When you share the link to your design file, anyone with preview access can see all the previous versions of your design.
But if you want to share a specific version of the file, I suggest creating a copy. Here is how you can do it.
Step 1. To create a copy of the design version you want to share, open the Version history and click on the More icon next to the name of the version. Next, press the Duplicate button to create a copy.
Step 2. Open the copy of the design version and give access to the file by clicking on the Share button at the top of the screen.
To share the link, select Can View and click the Copy link button. You can also invite specific people by their email addresses to keep your file more secure. Just enter the email address and press the Invite button to send the file.
Sharing a copy of the version can also be a solution when you want to share a file with someone who has Editor access but you don’t want this person to be able to make changes to the entire file.
FAQs
Here are some other questions about version history in Figma.
Can You Turn Off Version History in Figma?
By default, Figma saves the version history for 30 days. Unfortunately, you cannot turn this feature off.
How Do I Delete the Autosave Version of Figma?
You cannot delete an autosave version in Figma. What you can do is remove the information from the versions that you’ve named or saved manually. To do this, select a version from the history in Figma and click the more icon to access the version settings. Then, press Delete version information to erase any additional data.
Final Thoughts
Version history in Figma is a great feature that allows you to save and control design versions. You can restore some design elements from the previous versions or use this feature when you need to share your previous iterations with others.
Remember that anyone you share your design file with will be able to see your version’s history, so consider sharing a copy of the version instead of the entire file.
Do you have any other questions about accessing and controlling version history in Figma? Feel free to leave your comments below.
