Why don't Figma links open in the App? Why do they open in the browser?

the setting is removed in version 116.15.4.

Can confirm, this setting no longer exists in the current version when opening a Figma link. This issue seems to have been plaguing Figma users for quite some time. Any definitive solutions in near future?

Similar issue here - the option to enable opening in app appears under Preferences, but does nothing when checked. I’m logged in, but the option to open in desktop app doesn’t show, instead it has “Get desktop app”.

I am also having this issue, but with Figma not opening the mobile app on iPhone. Is there a workaround specifically for mobile?

@Carl_Antone the option can only be found when opening a design file on the browser. It’s not available on the desktop app.

This is a stupid solve. All of us have to share prototypes with people that don’t use Figma often – thus don’t have the native Figma app – AND people that do. The control should be at the Copy Link level.

The fact that you can only set this when a Design file is OPEN, does not help if anyone is having issues with WebGL or getting files to open in the desktop. Why is this not a setting in the desktop app itself? It’s infuriating.

This is exactly my situation.

Here isn’t a system-wide setting to prevent links from opening apps on iPhones, but there are a few effective workarounds:-

Long press the link:-

1. This is the simplest and most common method. Find the link you want to open in Safari or another browser.
2. Instead of tapping it, press and hold on the link for a second or two. This will bring up a context menu.
3. In the menu, tap “Open” or “Open in New Tab” to open the link directly in Safari, bypassing the app.

Use Guided Access:-

1. Guided Access is an accessibility feature that lets you lock your iPhone to a specific app. This can be useful to prevent Safari from opening links in other apps.
2. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access.
3. Turn on Guided Access.
4. Open Safari and navigate to the link you want to open.
5. Triple-click the side button (or home button on older iPhones) to activate Guided Access.
6. You can now browse Safari without it trying to open links in other apps. To exit Guided Access, triple-click the side/home button again and enter your passcode.

More effective solution below

Safari user here and facing the same issue. I see “Get the desktop app” on the Figma menu when I open a design file in Safari even though I already have Figma installed on my Mac. Any fix for this coming soon?

Hey there! As a first step, could you please try deleting the app and then re-installing it from here?

• Download Figma for macOS
• Download Figma for Windows

If after this workaround you are still running into issues, please submit a bug report, our technical specialist can investigate it further. Thank you!

Hi @Celine_Figma ,

I downloaded the app using the link you shared but the issue with links opening up in browser is still reproducible.

Hi there! Sorry to hear you are still having trouble to open in the App. As mentioned, if the issue still persists and the workarounds don’t help, please reach out out directly to the support team so they can investigate further your issue: here Thanks!

Please fix this Figma! This is rediculous - I’m burning waaaay to much time on this. I need the links to open in the app - why was the link to be able to do this removed?