I cannot seem to escape the AI view to the normal editing view with sidebars and actions

Hey MarcusdeG, welcome to Figma!

Regarding your AI credits, if you're using Figma Make on the Starter plan with a View seat, you have a daily limit of AI credits (150 credits). If you've reached that limit, you'll be able to use AI features again the following day when your credits reset, up to a total of 500 credits per month. More information in this article.

It's also worth noting that Figma Make has a few limitations on Starter plans. For example, Starter plans can't use team libraries to bring style context into Figma Make, and publishing to the public web requires publishing to the Figma Community as well.

That said, running out of AI credits shouldn't prevent you from accessing Figma's standard editing experience.

Just to better understand what's happening:

• Are you still seeing the Make/AI interface rather than the regular Design editor with the Layers, Assets, and Properties panels? 
• What exactly do you see when you open the file? Are you getting an error message, or is the file opening in view-only mode?
• Are you unable to select and edit layers on the canvas at all?

If so, could you share a screenshot of what you're seeing? That will help us determine whether you're still in the Make workflow or if something else is preventing the Design editor from loading.

You may also find our Figma Make FAQ helpful here, hope this helps!

Celine,

Thank you for your response. At the moment I am just seeing the Make / AI interface. It did a decent job of mimicking my website initially and the AI tools worked well. But I think for the project I need to do now most of what I want can be done in the basic editor. I just cannot work out how I access it.

I started the desgin project in Figma Make so not sure if that is the problem. I have tried repeatedly the suggestions to go to the Figma log, top left, go back to files and try to open the file. But the icon in the bottom left corner is the AI icon not the end of the fountain pen icon. So I don’t know if there is a ‘normal’ version I can open. Can I transform the AI version to a ‘normal’ version or is there another fix somewhere. 

Many thanks,

Marcus

Follow UP - this is the screenshot of when I go back to files with the file as an AI version (icon bottom left). Marcus

Hey again, thanks for the screenshots, really helpful! 

I can confirm that your file was created in Figma Make, which is why you're only seeing the Figma Make interface. Figma Make and Figma Design are separate products. Unfortunately, it's not currently possible to directly convert a Figma Make file into a Figma Design file. More information on this article.

It may also help to clarify the difference:

• Figma Make is used to generate and iterate on functional prototypes and web apps using AI prompts.
• Figma Design is the traditional design editor, where you can manually edit layers, frames, text, images, and layouts.

That said, if you'd like to continue working in the Figma Design file, the recommended approach is to use the Copy design feature that allows you to copy the current state of your Make preview as editable layers and paste them into a Figma Design file. (In the preview of your app, navigate to the view you'd like to copy, then follow the instructions in Copy a Figma Make preview as design layers.)
Please note this feature requires a paid plan with a Full seat, you can find more details on upgrading here.

Since you're on the Starter (free) plan, the best option to continue for free would be to create a new Design file directly from your Drafts and rebuild your mockup there using the standard design tools (you'll have full access to those without needing any credits or a paid plan.)

You can find more details here:

• Beyond the basics: Using Figma Make
• Figma Make FAQ
• Figma plans

Hope this clarifies! 🙏