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Jarek
August 25, 2023
Solved

How to clear “Used variables” that don’t exist in the file anymore?

Hi folks!

I used some components from other files in my project, and even though I removed them, I still see some Variables available in the “Page → Modes”. They are not available anywhere else. It doesn’t affect the project; when I select one, change the page, and then return to it, that mode is selected.

I checked my file, and nothing leads to the other file anymore – no styles, variables, components, etc.

It seems like a bug, and I see some variables pulled from another file, but can I remove it somehow?

image

djv
djvSolution
Community Support
October 8, 2024

Hey All, sorry for the continued trouble and frustration!

If the Detach deleted variables quick command does not work, the remaining ghost variables you’re seeing are still present because they’re still actively being used from collections within your design components and/or deleted color styles.

Be sure to review your file for variables that are being used across multiple pages. We understand how this can be confusing, especially when you have multiple collections with similar names and modes, making it difficult to differentiate between them.

Unfortunately, the team confirmed that we don’t have an automatic solution to fix this or a simple way to view which variables come from what collections. But in order to completely remove ghost variables, you’ll need to manually remove all instances of those variables from your file.

If you need help locating old variables that are still being referenced in nodes on the canvas and are able to share your file with us, please do so here: https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

Be sure to use your Figma account email, include a link to the file, share edit access with support-share@figma.com, and our Technical Quality team can help you locate and remove the old variables.

103 replies

robinvey
New Member
April 16, 2026



the people in the comments sections ran into these problems two years ago already as well

robinvey
New Member
April 16, 2026

​@Ryan_52 please set this to unresolved and maybe forward this to the appropriate team internally?!

ToddB
New Member
October 10, 2026

just ran into this issue too and struggling to resolve. Iny my style guide library I changed the name of one variable collection, and deleted another and now have ghost variables for these deleted versions in two of my separate files that contain alot of components, and section patterns. So, now when I go to appearance>apply variable mode I see 3 options similarly labeled - two of which dont exist. I have gone through frame by frame and cant find anything to undo because it seems like they are the default modes. There is nothing to undo. Super frustrating.