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Travis2
Travis2
Active Member
March 24, 2023
Solved

"This document contains unsaved changes" - why?

  • March 24, 2023
  • 26 replies
  • 11263 views

Occasionally I’ll see this cloud icon at top right, warning me that my file isn’t saving. What’s interesting is that I always have several files open, and while sometimes more than one file will show this icon it’s never every file. It’s not the whole app, it’s just file to file. Some files are saving, some aren’t, and I can’t figure out what to do about it.

Obviously it’s disconcerting to work on something that I know isn’t saving - what can I do about it?

unsaved changes

-I’m marking this as solved because people need to see Mike’s post, but “solved” is very much in quotes because the fix is a hack - it’s a workaround for a problem Figma hasn’t fixed yet.

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Best answer by Mike_Petropanagos

    I had this happen to me as well - not sure when it started but noticed it today. Might be related to a bigger update I did in my design system or could be on the Figma side.

    How I got my file to save

    • Saved the .fig to my desktop (just as a fallback)
    • Opened the same project in my browser
    • Closed the tab in my desktop app

    When I opened the file in my desktop app, I saw a snackbar pop up saying “Your offline changes were synced”

    26 replies

    Travis2
    Travis2Author
    Active Member
    March 24, 2023

    “When you’re back online …”

    Needless to say I am very much online right now, and while I have the occasional VPN hiccup, I would think that would affect the entire app, not just individual files like this.

    unsaved changes

      Travis2
      Travis2Author
      Active Member
      March 24, 2023

      You might be thinking to yourself “Relax, just quit Figma and restart it,” but I can’t do that because when I try I get this terrifying warning. At least if I keep working it might eventually save my work - “discard changes” sounds like if I leave I’ll lose it all. Just to feel safe I’m saving the .fig file as I go, like it’s the 90s or something.

      Screenshot 2023-03-24 at 11.48.34 AM

        Mike_Petropanagos
        Mike_PetropanagosAnswer
        New Member
        March 29, 2023

        I had this happen to me as well - not sure when it started but noticed it today. Might be related to a bigger update I did in my design system or could be on the Figma side.

        How I got my file to save

        • Saved the .fig to my desktop (just as a fallback)
        • Opened the same project in my browser
        • Closed the tab in my desktop app

        When I opened the file in my desktop app, I saw a snackbar pop up saying “Your offline changes were synced”

          Travis2
          Travis2Author
          Active Member
          March 29, 2023

          That’s a really good idea that I never thought to do, I’ll try it next time in the hopes that what’s going on is just a glitch in the app.

          Kingery_Michael
          Kingery_Michael
          New Participant
          November 20, 2023

          this didn’t work for me - my problem is i have no idea how long i’ve been working on this file offline… it’s been at least a day but maybe longer and it’s incredibly complex.

          Travis2
          Travis2Author
          Active Member
          November 20, 2023

          Export it as a .fig, save that thing locally. I don’t know what else to tell you - this keeps happening to me intermittently and I can’t see a pattern to it. The other day half of my open files sat in “offline” state for hours while the other half were fine. It’s pretty frustrating because the natural fix - quitting Figma and restarting - is explicitly not an option unless I’m willing to risk losing work.

          Michael25
          Michael25
          January 4, 2024

          Is this still an issue? As I’ve had this occur today. Strange behaviour as I have another project open and it’s not having this issue.

            Nate_Langley
            Nate_Langley
            January 8, 2024

            Yep, I’m having this issue today. Frankly terrifying as I have no idea how long I’ve had the file open and how long I’ve been making changes whilst it’s like this. And it’s huge! I’m saving a local figgy and try and upload, I guess.

              Travis2
              Travis2Author
              Active Member
              January 8, 2024

              If you use the desktop app, login at the browser and open the file there (or vice versa, go browser to app). Sometimes just opening it somewhere else triggers it to unstick itself. It’s not a sure fix but it’s worked a few times for me. And you’re right, it’s a pretty spooky thing to happen, especially when you’re like “Wait, how long has it been like this?” 😅

                Aaron_Mitchell
                Aaron_Mitchell
                February 13, 2024

                Same problem for me. No idea how long my file has been stuck. I tried opening it in browser and its NOT showing my most recent changes. I dont know whats going on but that error message is not helpful or accurate at all. Help us out Figma, being able to save your files is a pretty mission critical issue here.

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