Change default variable mode?

I also didn’t see a way to move those columns, but this would be a solid feature to add.

I built a plugin to save & reuse variables between your Figma files and it could help you to reorder the modes too.

Waiting for Figma to build it natively, it might already help you
The plugin is freemium and here is the small tutorial I did and the youtube link

(Not needed but It also helps you to copy prototypes interactions to new files link)

If you need a free alternative, you could try to use https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/1256972111705530093/export-import-variables

1. You can export your variables in JSON
2. Update them manually
3. Reimport them

However it does not handle the links if variables are not in the same collections

Btw this discussion is linked to this one:

Just realized there’s a “non-official” (hack) way to accomplish this:

1. Duplicate the left-most mode column (new duplicate shows up on far right).
2. Delete the original left-most mode column.
3. Repeat this process until the mode you want to be default is the left-most column.

Only issue is if you aren’t on an Enterprise plan and you have four modes (max) created already…

Your solution is simply genius and it’s so sad Figma doesn’t just have an option to pick that. The problem is that I just tested this solution and Figma doesn’t allow me to change to any of the modes for the entire 🤔 Any idea why this may be happening?

Hi Boris
If your files contain linked objects or libraries making use of the Variables, you have to update and publish the main components first. Then it should work.

We need this! Is there any feature request open for votes?

Hi there! I came across a new plugin that’s specifically for reordering modes, its called Reorder Variable Modes. You can drag’n drop them in the order you want, specially useful for setting a default mode (first column) after you’ve created several others.

This plugin is not working correctly. Figma needs to make this feature available to everyone and not through a plugin. It should allow changing the default themes and the ability to rearrange them overall.

Here’s a Native Solution for Enterprise licences that I found, and it works fine (a bit buggy at first, takes a while to deploy).

You can set Default Modes based on the Workspace you’re enabling the Library to.

Ask your Enterprise Admin to set it up for you

• Admin > Resources >
• Choose the Library with variable modesl
• Now Enable that Library manually to the Workspaces you need them to be enabled.
• Under “Manage Default Modes”, choose the default mode for each of the Collections.

Wait for a bit until it publishes through, but now any file you create under that Workspace should be defaulted to showing the Default Mode your admin set under the Enterprise settings.

• You can still choose to manually change modes as per before.
• With this, you don’t need to change the Column Sequence from the original library.

It would be incredibly helpful to have a way to set default modes at the file or account level. 🙏🙏🙏 I hear this from all my Figma friends.

I get that there’s a way to set a default at the workspace level, but since it applies to everyone, it doesn’t really solve the individual needs.

Here’s a story I’m facing

Figma promotes variables and modes as the new best practice, so I consolidated my mobile and web typography libraries into one using “modes.”

However, this creates a challenge: web designers must manually switch to the “web” mode every time they add a new page to their design files. 🥲🥲🥲 Half of the people don’t even remember to switch so gets really inconsistent. 😭😭😭

For Figma to really show the value of variables and modes, having a way to set a default mode at the file level would be a game changer. It’d make it so much easier to get teams on board and keep things consistent, especially for design system owners.

I look forward to seeing this added to the upcoming updates!🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏