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Antoine
Antoine
Active Member
October 5, 2021

Global live library sharing

  • October 5, 2021
  • 84 replies
  • 10629 views

After discussing the subject at length with the support, here’s a summary of what Figma allows and doesn’t allow in terms of library sharing (hint: it’s not that simple), and how it could be streamlined:

Currently, as a component library creator, here are the options you have in order to share your library (I will not include the options for a Starter plan, they are legitimately limited)

As a Pro user:

  1. Publish it and share it within your Team (to users you - or your admin - pays for) using the Team library feature. They can access the component anywhere inside the Team’s files, and get realtime updates. Links are preserved throughout even with multiple files.
  2. Share it on Community (to users outside your Team): they can duplicate the file to their respective spaces, without live updates. Links won’t be preserved if the library includes multiple files.
  3. Share it via link (view-only) to selected users: they can either duplicate it (although not as easy as a Community file), or use it as a shared library (it appears in the “Team library” modal) with live update and link preservation ONLY if they are Starter or Pro users (Org users won’t be able to).
  4. Share it as .fig file to anyone: users won’t get live updates or even see if there’s an update. Links will be broken if the library is composed of several files.

As an Org member:
All of the above except the second part of 3. > Designers within an Org cannot use this share “feature”. And that’s the whole issue.

After clarification with the support, it appears the 3. method of sharing, that resembles how Sketch allows library sharing (across spaces and licences), is more or less accidental. Which is a shame because it’s the most horizontal and powerful.

So, it would be nice to have a supported way of sharing a component library (comprised of one or several linked files):

  • As long as you pay for Figma (Pro and Org users)
  • To any user (paid, and if possible, free)
  • Keeping realtime updates

One way to do it would be allowing live updates on Community files, rather than Duplicate (or both). I love Figma way more than Sketch but the best way to describe it is “Sketch-like”.

Any comment is welcome!

    84 replies

    Show previous replies
    Mike_Paggi
    Mike_Paggi
    May 30, 2022

    It would be really great for the ability to do third party libraries, so that we can subscribe to other libraries without copying files in 🙂

    Lukas_Oppermann
    Lukas_Oppermann
    June 17, 2022

    This is even important for company design systems. I am having the issue that I work with agencies who have an org account and thus can not use the design system I am building for my company (we are on a pro account).

      Ben_Kopf
      Ben_Kopf
      July 12, 2022

      We have the same problem. We have many vendors who have their own Figma organization accounts, but we need a central place for every organization to share one library. Perhaps this is something Figma should work into their Enterprise plan. While at that, they could make it so a different cost center could be associated with each workspace. Pretty please Figma.

        Norma1
        Norma1
        July 18, 2022

        It’s the same for us. I work in an agency with an org account. Most of our clients have their own figma design system within their own org accounts. We need to set up our projects in our own figma space but with our client’s design system. They will not invite us to their space because of account costs and administration efforts, so we need to be able to user their design system in our organisation.

          Miya1
          Miya1
          July 28, 2022

          Same here! We have a pro account and are working on a basis of an open source product, which has its own design system. So we desperately need it to update, as our designs are always based on the newest version of the product.
          It worked in an old file for us and we still have f.e. the text and color styles available, but the newer files show nothing. 😦

            dr_sven
            dr_sven
            September 7, 2022

            I’m surprised more people aren’t asking for this feature every day. As an individual i rely on third party design systems since i don’t often have time to build my own. I can’t even subscribe to updates on Material Design or Material Icons? that sucks.

              Stephan_Loewe
              Stephan_Loewe
              New Participant
              September 8, 2022

              Totally agree. And did not had the use case of Material Icons, but it’s a good one. But not be able to rely on third party design systems, is kind of an antithesis of the softwares philosophy in itself.

                MartinFujak
                MartinFujak
                September 29, 2022

                Same here, as PwC have separate branches with separate budgets throughout the world we want to be able to share our design system outside of our super expensive but actually pretty useless enterprise account.

                  Markus_Beck
                  Markus_Beck
                  October 13, 2022

                  we need this feature urgently

                    CourtneyFalconer_Hugeinc
                    CourtneyFalconer_Hugeinc
                    October 13, 2022

                    Our teams need this desperately. We are having to maintain two DS’s currently in each org and praying they “swap” libraries correctly when files are moved between the two organizations.

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