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Icon flips unexpectedly when using Preferred Values on sizing variants

  • August 27, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 12 views
beliextr

I am experiencing a bug with an icon placeholder component that uses 5 different size variants.
The issue starts in the Assets panel, where the component thumbnail already appears flipped/inverted. When I drag the component onto the canvas and use the Instance Swap property to select a designated Preferred Value, the nested icon automatically flips or rotates incorrectly.
It seems like Figma is not preserving the true orientation during the instance swap across variant sizes.

Best answer by Gayani_S

Hey ​@beliextr, thanks for reaching out! 

Since the flipped look is already showing up in your Assets panel thumbnail, before you've touched the Instance Swap property at all, the most likely place to start is the main component itself rather than the swap. A flip baked into one size variant from an earlier edit is a common cause, and it'll carry through anywhere that variant gets used.
A few things to check:

  1. Open each of your 5 size variants directly on the main component (not an instance) and compare them side-by-side. Flips don't always show up as a rotation value in the Design panel, so a visual comparison (or checking the Inspect panel for an unexpected transform) is more reliable than looking for a rotation number.
  2. Drag a completely fresh instance straight from the Assets panel, without touching the Instance Swap property at all. If it's already flipped, that confirms it's coming from the component itself rather than the swap.
  3. On an instance that's flipped, use Reset > Reset all changes (available from the instance's right-click menu, or the More actions menu next to the component name in the right panel). If that fixes it, it's an override that isn't carrying over correctly; if it doesn't, the flip is set directly on the component.

Instance Swap only guarantees text stays intact when swapping, other properties aren't always carried over the same way, so if step 3 doesn't resolve it, that's the next thing to flag. More on that here: Swap components and instances.

Does the flip show up on all 5 size variants, or just one or two of them?

1 reply

Gayani_S
Figmate
  • Gayani_S
  • Community Support
  • Answer
  • August 27, 2026

Hey ​@beliextr, thanks for reaching out! 

Since the flipped look is already showing up in your Assets panel thumbnail, before you've touched the Instance Swap property at all, the most likely place to start is the main component itself rather than the swap. A flip baked into one size variant from an earlier edit is a common cause, and it'll carry through anywhere that variant gets used.
A few things to check:

  1. Open each of your 5 size variants directly on the main component (not an instance) and compare them side-by-side. Flips don't always show up as a rotation value in the Design panel, so a visual comparison (or checking the Inspect panel for an unexpected transform) is more reliable than looking for a rotation number.
  2. Drag a completely fresh instance straight from the Assets panel, without touching the Instance Swap property at all. If it's already flipped, that confirms it's coming from the component itself rather than the swap.
  3. On an instance that's flipped, use Reset > Reset all changes (available from the instance's right-click menu, or the More actions menu next to the component name in the right panel). If that fixes it, it's an override that isn't carrying over correctly; if it doesn't, the flip is set directly on the component.

Instance Swap only guarantees text stays intact when swapping, other properties aren't always carried over the same way, so if step 3 doesn't resolve it, that's the next thing to flag. More on that here: Swap components and instances.

Does the flip show up on all 5 size variants, or just one or two of them?

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