This still doesn’t work 😦

Same issue here. I hope to see it fixed when variables are out of beta

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Everything appears to be working fine on my end, but if you’re still experiencing issues, could you please submit a bug report following the steps outlined here: https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041468234-Submit-a-bug-report?

Thanks!

Toku

Hey all, i managed to delete mine via the quick command “toggle variables”:

@ksn Any word on an update for this fix?

How do I access this quick comand?

@ksn An update would be very nice. I am setting up multiple design systems for multiple applications but I am considering not using variables at all at this point because of this issue. A pity because it is so powerful.

I did some testing but this will make a big mess and slow things down.

Hey @William_Goff,

You can access Quick Commands using:

• Mac: ⌘ Command / or ⌘ Command P.


• Windows: Control + / or Control + P.

Still not fixed. Don’t know, if I should start again a file for a client, with work that already took 4 weeks.

I detached the deleted variables from every layer of my file and the collection still appears in the Local variables menu under “Used variables”

Still not fixed, when can we expect a fix?

Same issue here, still no fix.

This has been going on for so long. I usually think that the Figma support is spot on here but there are too many responses here that feel automated asking us to submit another bug report for the same thing that it seems many people are struggling with.

Figma team, we all work on things with bugs and we’ve probably all experienced hard-to-fix bugs. Can you please let us know if you think a bug fix may be coming soon or not? Either way is good. I can’t keep telling my team that there’s a bug and we don’t have a solution. It’s a massive pain point for our Design <> Dev relationship.

when this happens to us, we go layer by layer to check where the old one is… it takes us so much time! and it can be in a hidden layer so imagine… but once you find the culprit and you delete it, they disappear

Same issue. Still waiting for someone from the Figma team to contact me

Hey All, sorry to hear you’re still having trouble!

As stated above, please try using the quick command: Detach deleted variables to quickly get rid of any existing ghost variables as the 1st step:

Last November 2023, we rolled out a fix that should have addressed any other lingering issues, but if you’re still having issues after using the quick command, please submit a bug report to our support team directly via the form here.

Figma closed the subject even if it’s totaly not fixed, and no, using “detach deleted variables” with the command bar doesn’t fix this issue. So I open the subject again:

Here the original message:

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?

This bug is very annoying, and is here since almost a year. Could be great to fix it ! 🙂

From the knowledge I have, I don’t feel confident enough to give you info that may be relevant, or confirm if this is a bug.

With specific instances like this, it’s best to have a review from our tech quality team – it could be a bug (Figma-wide or limited to your file), but it also could be something within your file that can be quickly adjusted.

Can you please do the following?

1. Fill out this form – make sure to use the email associated with the Figma account your file is under: https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360001744374

2. Please share edit access to the file you’re mentioning in this topic with support-share@figma.com (you won’t be charged for this). If you can’t share this, they can still help you as best as they can.

Let me know if you complete the above.

Hello, thank you for your answer !

Sadly, I’m not the only one suffering of this problem. People shared this on the initial subject and it doesn’t seems to be isolated : How to clear “Used variables” that don’t exist in the file anymore?

I will fill the form, thank you

This is legit insane, I just went through all of the history on this bug and have seen its been going on for a year, with zero fix from Figma. When do you plan on actually pushing a fix for a legitimate bug that probably over 150+ people have complained about in forums alone?

OMG please fix this 🙏

I’ve tried deleting everything from the file. All layers, styles, pages and variables. And the “ghosts” are still there.

Hi, the fix by Miggi doesn’t work for variables from libraries. I created a file with variables and published it as a library. The library is saved in a project space. I also created another file, saved it to another project space and added the library with the variable collection. I applied some color variables to some rectangles and created an auto layout frame. Spacing variables are also applied on the frame. Then I went back to the library file, deleted all variables, published it. But there are no updates in the other file. I selected the elements and tried to detach the deleted variables. It didn’t work. My assumption: Detaching works with local variables. It doesn’t work with added libraries.

I think it’s not a problem of a corrupted file or related to a specific user flow. It’s simply a bug that needs to be resolved. Unless it worked as expected in your file with connected libraries.

The video starts after the variable collection has been deleted: