Hey everyone
I'm working with Untitled UI (which has 7,000+ components and uses Figma Variables extensively). I want to create a leaner design system file by copying over only the components I need.
The problem:
- When I copy-paste components to a new file, the variable connections break
- Variables either don't come over, or only a partial set copies (e.g., 68 out of 400+)
- Components end up with raw hex values instead of variable references
What I've tried:
- Copy/paste components → variables don't link
- "Copy variables into this file" prompt → only copies variables that specific component uses, not the full system
- Copying variables directly → Figma doesn't support copy/paste for variables
- Publishing as library → fails around 3,000-4,000 items (file has ~7,000)
"Just duplicate the file" doesn't solve it:
I know I could duplicate the whole file and delete what I don't need. But here's the issue:
Say I duplicate Untitled UI, then delete everything except Buttons, and now I have a small file with working variables. Great.
A month later, I need Tags. I go back to the original Untitled UI, copy the Tags component, paste it into my file, and now Tags has broken variable links. I have to manually re-link every color, spacing, and radius variable.
That's the core issue. Every time I add a new component from the source file, I'm back to re-linking everything manually.
What I want to achieve:
- Start with a lean file (maybe 20-30 components)
- Add more components over time as I need them
- Have them auto-connect to the variables already in my file (assuming variable names match)
The question:
Is there a way to copy a component from File A to File B and have it automatically link to existing variables in File B if the variable names match?
Or is the only option to manually re-link every variable reference whenever I bring in a new component?
Any plugins, workflows or workarounds welcome. Thanks!