Thank you so much, I’ve been using this quite a lot. I’ve started running into issues a few patches ago where when I do it it will not only flip the order of the layers, but also turn the content upside down - so text will be flipped upside down making it impossible to read.

Any solution to this?

The reverse layers order should no longer be an issue when using auto layouts. On may the 10th during Config 2022 Figma dropped a new release that fixed this issue. Figma changed the z index to be the other way around in the layers panel, meaning if you create an auto layout with multiple instances it will no longer reverse them in the layer panel. Check the video on the page for additional details. If by any change your work predating the 10th is behaving strangely I would suggest to remove the auto layout and adding a new one.

I really don’t understand why smart layout defaults to last on top.

In many years of using Figma, not once has that been my desired order. It’s always First on top.

I’m sure there might be some weird edge cases where it might become useful, but even if it’s just so that dropdown menus don’t “display” their content underneath other layers, that’s a good enough reason.

I’ve just found myself clicking endlessly through frames just to fix the problems w. as when I’m designing pages I’m not looking at the prototyping.

Yeah - z-index would be lovely. My dropdowns are being hidden behind the layer below them and this would fix it. I

The solution is in the auto-layout settings:

I have the same issue, and it’s precisely because my dropdown menus are appearing underneath the next item in the auto-layout. I use auto-layout all the time, and it’s a pain to have to change to first on top all the time.

Please add this, it’s a pain for me too.

Second this.

This logic is unintuitive and forcing me to pick between auto layout frame and hovering interation

I’m sure your stats show that everyone and their mother switches this parameter to first on top. People design things to be readable in the reading direction. Copy thus moves from top to bottom. It seems natural.

yes inside the advanced auto layout settings as seen here:

+1. It really is troublesome that you can’t design a typical dropdown menu without it showing up under other mockup layers beneath it by default. Rearranging other frames to reverse canvas stacking feels cumbersome and is difficult to manage at scale. If a layout is using absolute positioning within an autolayout frame, it’d be nice if there were at least a way to set it to show above other frames using standard positioning.

I need the top navbar as well as the bottom navbar to drop shadow on the contents frame. that didn’t solve it.

any idea how to manage this?

If top and bottom nav can be fixed, have them separated from body, i.e. have scrollable content in a separate container. Something like this

We need the option to set our default order in preferences. While the last on top can be useful for some people, the other group simply don’t work that way (including me).

+1 please make an option for setting the default to first on top

@Luigi_Chelli it already exists, if you see 3 or 4 replies above your request

Not sure I follow, I think it would be great to have first on top by default set for every new auto-layout frame, not having to set them manually each time. That would require some app-wise preference.

Is that already implemented? thanks!

Yes Please!

I get your point, but that’s not how objects in 3D work, IRL or in 3D applications. It’s independent of the visual order in a list, the user decides where they should be in their list and 3d space. However, in order to see something it must be “above”/“in front of” other objects in x,y,or z depending on your camera POV.

3D cameras work exactly like a camera in the real world. UX best practices dictates that “the system should match the world”. The reason for this is simple, it’s how people think and how humans experience the world around them. Whomever made this choice clearly didn’t bother asking anyone who would be designing in Figma.

Look at all of Adobe’s products, Layer order is from the top down 1 being at the top of the list and also in visual order.

They really need to fix this like it’s a bug, I wonder how many hours collectively are wasted because users get hung up on this odd convention?

This is killing me

help 😟

By default, the autolayout feature - canvas stacking should have first on top. Because while creating forms always the dropdown list comes behind the rest of the contents.

So please request the Figma team to make it by default to first on top.

If not, let me know. any other scenario where first on top by default is not required.

Add me to the “Default First on Top” gang. Why wouldn’t this be the default to begin with, what am I missing? Feels broken, man.

How has @Customer_Support not seen this thread in years??? This is the most intuitive thing - it feels like a MAJOR oversight. You add a component designing from top to bottom / left to right… the order of layers should be top to bottom. BUT, as it is now… the more you add to a page, the more what you’ve already worked on gets buried in layers. It’s totally backwards… If I design a NAV > Header > Footer – the order in layers will be: Footer > Header > Nav. How does that make sense? You could also consider adding a sorting feature where you can auto arrange oldest > newest and vice-versa.

I’m just having the same problem. Layers in auto-layout have the reversed order vom top to bottom like the same ones without auto-layout. Totally confusing and unnecessary in my eyes. Is there a reason in that?