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New Member
August 27, 2026
Question

Icon flips unexpectedly when using Preferred Values on sizing variants

  • August 27, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 69 views

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.

3 replies

Gayani_S
Figmate
Community Support
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?

beliextrAuthor
New Member
September 8, 2026

Hi ​@Gayani_S Thank you very much for your reply. I followed your suggestions and there are the results: if I go to main component and directly drag an instance - the icon is not flipped. If I seect the main component from the Assets tab, select a variant, then the icon is flipped. I have checked the rotation value. It is equal zero everywhere. Could you please suggest me what the problem it might be? Thank you. Best.

adamsmasher
Figmate
Figmate
September 9, 2026

Hi, ​@beliextr - stepping in for ​@Gayani_S. Thank you for confirming that the rotation is set to zero for all variants, and for comparing the difference between directly dragging a variant versus selecting from the Assets tab.

 

Have you tried the third recommendation (Reset > Reset all changes)? It’ll be helpful to know if it’s an override not carrying over correctly. Oh, one additional question: is the component coming from an external library file or from the same file where you’re seeing this?