Practical Figma techniques for faster design: auto layout shortcuts, component naming, attribute copying, and image workflows.
Key takeaways
- Use Shift+A to apply auto layout to any selection and start building responsive frames immediately.
- Slash-separated layer names like Button/Active automatically create component variants without extra clicks.
- Ctrl+Opt+C copies object attributes; Ctrl+Opt+V pastes them onto a different object.
- Ctrl+Shift+K populates multiple shapes with images in sequence, without manual dragging.
- Press K to activate the Scale tool, which resizes a component and all its internal properties proportionally.
Apply auto layout instantly with Shift+A
Auto layout is the foundation of scalable components in Figma. Without it, resizing a button or reordering a list means nudging every element by hand. With it, the frame adjusts itself.
The Shift+A shortcut applies auto layout to whatever you have selected. From there, use the panel on the right to set direction, gap, and padding. Nesting one auto layout inside another handles most responsive UI patterns.
- Select any frame or group of elements and press Shift+A to apply auto layout in one step.
- Auto layout frames resize automatically as content changes, removing the need to manually adjust spacing.
- Use Ctrl+Shift+A (Suggest Auto Layout) to let Figma automatically create nested frames for complex selections.
Copy visual attributes from one object to another
Regular copy and paste in Figma duplicates the whole object. Attribute copy-paste transfers only the visual properties — fills, borders, effects, and text styles — from one object to another that already exists in your design.