Total disregard for designer privacy. This feature encourages micromanagement and unhealthy power dynamics at work.

wouldnt in this case being able to share versions from the version history be the solution for this problem? While it cannot save you from colleagues “looking over your shoulder”, it can save you from clients and stakeholders doing the same thing.

This is definitely a needed feature. I want privacy while focusing on my work and being watched by people is a complete distraction. Designers should be able to turn on and off observe mode when it’s needed.

@Figma_Support, quando iremos ter acesso a dasabilitar essa função?

Hey all just add that figma to your drafts and open it privately. I guess there is no limit to private drafts

Don’t act like Adobe guys, stop ignoring us and finally add an option to disable the cursors in the share properties. Thanks.

Quite a difficult topic… but I also agree that the current version makes it easy to disrupt a designers privacy. Duplicating the file to the draft is not always an option, especially if you need to work together with other people. Also it can lead to problems regarding versioning and makes documents prone to errors.

Figma really needs to balance collaboration between everyone in files and giving folks more privacy and reduce disruptions of focus.

Customizable (viewer) roles with manageable access options could be a solution.

Or at least being able to hide sections or pages to work privately (alone and with others).

yes please have this feature! Feel stressed when somebody is observing me or even seeing others working on the sam efile.

I need this and fast. I am going nuts when ideating and others are assuming that its the final design. And as everyone mentioned its stressful. 😡 😡 😡

They’ll never fix it because they think it’s a non-issue. You can disable other people’s mouse on your screen by disabling Multiplayer. They can still see yours, exactly where it is on the screen (everything you’re doing). But since you can hide theirs, figma thinks it’s a non-issue. So they’ll never fix it.

I think a mod even said “just pretend they’re not watching”. Lol, ok are we in 1st grade? They obviously think it’s a non-issue.

Just today I suddenly had several people in my file, on my page watching me work. They were uninvited. Draft mode doesn’t work because I was on a revision of a layout.

Two features would solve this:

• either a privacy mode where I can quickly set the entire file to temporarily in no-viewing mode


• Or, viewing preference per page in a file so I can set a page to draft

I know I can set the viewing prefs for the entire file, but then people could not look at other pages in the file. Working is a separate file is not an options due to the components.

Lol probably the exact same mod that has the worst communication on this forum — always communicating in the manner of your example.

It’s interesting how they’re ignoring this topic tho. It would be nice to read their view on this situation.

It is really a gross violation of privacy, especially when I preferred to work on private documents and transfer all the files before a meeting, but the company insists on having people edit in the shared file.

I’ve had managers be extemely offensive and even go back to check the auto-save timings and call me out saying I didn’t work all day because they didn’t see the auto-save, or my icon in the file all day, while I was working in my drafts. I don’t think I should be answerable for where my cursor is or which file I’m working on as long as I have substantial progress before every meeting.

It is especially anxiety-inducing to be working on the shared file and have the manager’s cursor hover over mine as he monitors my moves.

I’ve never been this creepily monitored, and it might as well be an issue to bring up with the higher ups.

Cannot wait for Figma to add an incognito mode or an incognito page so I can work in peace.

@Josh @Figma_Support What is the forecast for meeting this long-awaited solution?

I would like to request this feature as well. Figma is a great collaborative tool and like all good collaborations there are times where people need to be able to create uninterrupted. It’s not a hidden, privacy, or stealth mode. It’s a productivity feature.

This idea has been here for multiple years and I’m surprised that it hasn’t been done yet. I don’t want my clients or my boss to observe me while working.

But more than that, I don’t want them to comment while my work is in progress. I do use separate files that only I have access to and then move to the shared file. But there should be a way to do that easily and automatically in the same file.

I want to be able to work on a page in “locked mode”, meaning nobody can see what I’m doing or edit the page I’m working on until I “unlock” it. And then they’d be able to see the changes.

Hey @Nad_Cee,

We hear you, and sorry for the frustration. The forums are primarily run by the community. Our team monitors all feature requests, and we pass feedback and votes along to the appropriate teams for consideration. To be completely transparent, our teams are always working on improvements, but there’s no immediate roadmap we can provide but the more votes and feedback the better.

That said, it sounds like you’re also interested in this feature: Giving unique access to specific pages

I can’t wait for this! 🫣

And where do we vote on this? And how much feedback will it take for this to be taken seriously? Devs and designers are not your adversaries. Or at least shouldn’t be. It’s a legitimate request that obviously has a significant impact on many people’s work life.

Hey @Anthony_Fields,

You can Vote by clicking “Vote” at the top of the page. ☝️

If you go to the Share an Idea category then click Votes, you’ll see all feature requests sorted by Votes. Historically, any feature requests with 300+ Votes has higher likeliness of being prioritized by our developers.

That said, this particular feature is already on our team’s radar. Ultimately, teams have full control over these features, which is why our team here doesn’t have a specific timeline to share. We’ll keep you in the loop whenever we can.

are you guys going to fix this shit? fucking thing has been an issue for 2+ years.

While I love the ‘open design’ concept of Figma, designers also require privacy to work effectively. With the observe feature, clients, PMs, engineers all quickly realize that they can easily tune in to watch their designers work at any time of the day or night. It disrupts designer workflow and can easily cause tension among team members. In my experience, it is incredible frustrating to be working and have your flow interrupted every time you see someone open the file. I often click on their icon to see they are literally watching my every move. If you are going to provide an ‘observe’ mode, it seems like table stakes to allow designers to prevent others from ‘observing’ them. Please add this feature.

Sometimes it is quite uncomfortable when you find others following you all the time, they could be your micro-managy manager or others. Would Figma consider having a feature that users can stop others from following you?

I feel like everything has already been said, but I agree 100% with all the arguments here.

Every time a PM, PO or boss goes on file all of a sudden, I get so frustrated.

1. 
   

   Unsolicited feedback. I have to explain unfinished work statuses and ideas endlessly. Because what is in the file is what is considered finished. You would actually have to formulate and document every screen, every even so little idea, every time, because you can never be sure which uninvolved person is going into the file and looking at something at any given time. It’s more of a people problem if you can’t distinguish between an idea and the finished product - but I can’t write in large letters on the screen every time in advance: Attention, this is only an idea!

   
   


2. 
   

   Strong anxiety. Nobody likes to be observed at work. I tense up as soon as I see cursors of higher-ups flying around in the file. Inwardly, I prepare myself for unnecessary explanations and unsolicited feedback.

   
   


3. 
   

   Reduced productivity. I practice non-reactivity, but that just doesn’t work in today’s digital world. Being involved in unsolicited feedback conversations at all hours of the day and night reduces your own productivity. And also the desire to work on the project.

   
   


4. 
   

   Accumulated unwillingness. Whenever I prepare “the big one”, clean up the file or prepare a great presentation, I am endlessly annoyed when the “wow” effect is taken away from me because the boss has already looked at it 10 times. The dramaturgy, the effect and also my own verve are completely lost.

   
   

I vote for this. I had situations where I shared a Figma file with a potential employer or later-ex boss. When someone shouldn’t have access (any more), there should be a way to silently block and/or remove them.