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Question

Unable to Create Modes in Figma Education Plan

  • June 21, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 19 views
raneem Emran

I'm currently enrolled in a Design Tokens course, and the course coordinator has added my account ([redacted by moderator to remove personal information]) to a Figma Education plan that is supposed to remain active for 8 months.

However, I'm unable to create or manage Modes in Variables, even though I understand this feature should be available under the Education plan.

Could you please help me understand why this feature is unavailable on my account?

I've attached a screenshot showing the issue for reference.

Account Email: [redacted by moderator to remove personal information]

Thank you for your assistance, and I look forward to your response.

Best regards,
Raneem Yacoub

1 reply

Tom Reem
Figmate
  • Tom Reem
  • Figmate
  • June 21, 2026

Hey ​@raneem Emran, welcome to Figma Forum and thanks for bringing this up.

You're correct, Variables are available with a Figma for Education account. There are two things I'd like to check that may help explain what you're seeing:

  1. First, the entry point to the variables modal is moving. Currently, the variables modal is not discoverable if you have a layer selected. We're rolling out a new left navigation bar to users in Figma Design, which will include the entry point to the variables modal so you can access your variable collections anytime. For more details and an illustration of the changes, have a look here and let me know if this lets you move forward: Modes for variables.
  2. To cover all bases, there is a limit of 10 modes per collection on the Education and Professional plans. If your collection has already hit that limit, you may be seeing a prompt to upgrade. More details here: Figma plans and features → Design, development, and collaboration features.

Also, I removed some personal information from your original post to help protect your privacy and account security — appreciate your understanding.

Finally, I saw you mentioned a screenshot, but it doesn’t look like it came through with your post — feel free to reply here with that image. Happy to keep troubleshooting once you've had a chance to check those things. Let me know what you find!

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