Copy/Move variable groups into other collections

Yes! This would be really helpful.
In my case, I realized that I needed to better organize my variables (using different collections) because the project has grown and the old variables were not related to the newer ones. So, I created a new collection and then found that I couldn’t move variables to the new collection.

Should be a native feature in FIGMA.
But there is already a plugin for this:
https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/1256972111705530093/Export%2FImport-Variables

If variables are meant to replace Styles for the majority of design systems, then we should at least have parity with the Styles functionality. Drag and drop across collections, multiselect, cut and paste will all make organization and management much easier.

A little but very annoying issue with this one. You would not want break a link between your components and variables bound to their properties. Unfortunately if you did it wrong at first it is very hard to re-organize later. Ideally we need an ability to freely reorganize vars via UI and plug-in API.

Same issue. Would really appreciate it if this feature is created.

Yes, please!
I need to separate my core token from my semantic ones

Greetings Everyone,

I trust you’re all experiencing blessings.

Much like everyone here, I encountered a challenge. However, given that Figma currently lacks support for this particular feature, I devised a clever workaround. Please note that this approach is applicable in specific scenarios where the following steps have been set up:

Additional steps may be required, approximately 2-3 in total:

1. Ensure that your styles are associated with variables. Additionally, confirm that you have effectively organized most of the primitive and semantic colors within a nested structure.
2. Run the “Import/Export By Honza Toman” plugin.

• Export your existing variable collection to a JSON file.
• Modify the collection name within the JSON file.
• Import the modified JSON file using the same plugin, and voilà, your existing collection is now duplicated! ❤️

Enjoy the enhanced functionality!

Hi Saurabh,

I think that duplicating collection is not an issue. You can do the same with running plugins such as “Styles to Variables” or similar. You just need to run it, rename the collection and then run it again.

The issue that I am experiencing is that I want to separate Primitives and Semantic in different collections in the same Figma file. All my color styles live in the single Foundations file. With a help of plugins such as “Styles to Variables” I can easily create variables in a batch and automatically connect them with Color Styles. But, once you do any duplication (either with your approach or the one I described) you lose half of the connections, Primitives or Semantic, depending on which are going to be overwritten.

If anyone found a solution to this, please share 🙂

Please consider adding the ability to move a single variable or a group of variables from one collection to another. I’m working through how I want to try to organize these and not having the ability to move them makes it a lot harder as I’m figuring this out as I’m doing it.

Thanks for the feedback, @Kirk_Wheeler!

With variables still in beta, we’ll pass this onto our team for consideration as variables continue to evolve and grow.

Oh my god YES! This is a major thing that is missing…

This is a great workaround! Thanks for the suggestion.

Still out of votes, sadly, but +1 from me xD

I guess these are duplicates? @dvaliao

+1 from me

I’m surprised this wasn’t a feature at launch. This needs to be a feature!

I’ve already encountered quite a few instances across my team where variables needed to be moved and it’s not possible without exporting and re-importing. The issue is that it breaks the nested variables when using this workaround.

Has anyone come across a workaround/plugin that doesn’t break the nested variables or relinks the nested variables when collections are imported?

2 months after launch and still no moving variables between collection.

has already been mentioned, but here as a bullet list

Work around:

• Export your variabels
• Open the JSON Files and merge it manually
• Import your new JSON File

Yeah, none of the workarounds mentioned here really work as references need to move with the variables. Writing a plugin to do this would be very painful as you would have to scan all the nodes for variable references and repoint them

Please please please, this feature is so needed. it is unthinkable to have perfectly clear ideas about how to set variables from the first moment you start working on them. this constraint makes any change in structure extremely tedious and inconvenient. please release an update on it asap 💜

No brainer, this feature is a must have! Be sure to upvote reordering as well! p&ty

+1 vote here.

I’m surprised this is still an issue; this is definitely something that we need as we’re all learning how to use variables and will inevitably need to reorganize.

+1 - Please!! 😀

I can’t assess how fundamental this feature is.

Bump, please.