Allow viewers to only export, but not copy

What would be the point of disabling copying in this case? Someone could export individual assets as SVG and paste them into a new file if they wanted.

Thanks for your message 🤗

If the other person can copy the file. They have the file and I don’t want that. I just want her to be able to export the images.

But what’s the use-case for this? Usually this restriction is used as a safety feature so others can’t steal your work easily, but allowing them to export things will make it super easy to do that. So if it’s not a safety feature, what is it for?

We as a designer cooperate with external developers. We do not want these developers to be able to save or export the whole file. Only what they need. Because we have spent a lot of time to create the file.

A lot of these sorts of requirements are very much edge cases. I can see the reverse being a problem forever getting slacked by the developer because I forgot to put an export on X. The easy fix is to just create a file with just the exports in it.

There’s a degree to which this, or similar requests, might be read more as trying to make dev hand over easier, more straightforward.

At the moment a dev is somewhat left to their own devices in working out which elements to export — it may not be obvious to them that X icon needs to be exported by selecting Y parent container, that subtly adds extra padding, handles baseline shift/text alignment etc etc.

Sure, manually adding red-lines and instructions can help, but in a fast-moving, small team that’s not always feasible, or kept up-to-date.

So, some means of ‘filtering’ for devs, to see just those elements with Export settings could be useful.

Part of this puzzle might be helped if I could set export properties on Components once, and have that value passed through to all instances thereof – would anyone agree with that approach?

Exactly it would be great what you can share.

As a Product Designer, we are always encounter copyright problem to our Design Works in the file that could just easily be duplicated by others. As a matter of fact it’s about to keep our Design File save from others to just share it without our permission.

So that’s why I’d suggest to Enable the File Owner to also prevent Editor from Copy/Duplicate File, and export or save File as.fig. Not just to Viewer.

I’ve been a Pro Account user for some time and feel that this is crucial for us to always keep our File save no matter what.

Thank you for having me in this platform and let’s discuss together 😊

Completely agree! Allowing this feature to be built in will especially be useful in scenarios where someone hires an expert Figma freelancer to help build out their IP/vision/concept.

There should also be a feature to prevent the editors and viewers to share the file further.

Currently editors are allowed to add more editors and viewers and at the pro account level we have an admin who is looking into access management. So this feature will be helpful.

Can’t agree more!

this is long overdue! please add this feature. I want my clients to export assets, but not just copy the full file.

I have to agree, too!
We are a small design agency and we cannot afford our clients bypassing license models by copying the entire file that contains loads of concepts and ideas…

It’s crazy this feature doesn’t exist yet and would be totally needed. Especially only viewers should please not have the permission to duplicate files or if, only if the owner gives them the right to. So, yes, please add this feature!

Another case I just encounter…

We have taken/invested time to produce a great and complete UI kit.
We start all our project with it.

We also work with a lot of other agencies as creator of the design system for common customers.

And this morning, I just learn that one of our main competitor is duplicating our starter UI kit since 1,5 year without telling us for his own clients. I don’t find this fair !
This option can solve the problem.

And I know there is a lot of free UI kit… so they have to use those

Sorry to hear that. 🤗

Seriously. This feature would save loads of headache from a legal standpoint for us designers. I want to share some assets to potentials employees and not have them steal buttloads of work from us.

Our studio very much needs this functionality to offer up some amazing design system work to clients without fear of copyright and license violations. Please add!

A much-needed option for designers and any Figma file owner, seriously.

Any news about this feature implementation?
In our team we moved to figma also because we are trying to merge all the activities and deliverables in one platform. Actually the only solution for sharing project is to use Zeplin, otherwise the copy function let the client to copy the whole file on a local copy…

I’m facing the same problem
I work with external client with “can view” access and I want them to be able to export assets/screens/whatever they need, but not be allowed to copy or share the files

I agree with Marc_Notrop 's observation that developers don’t know what they really need to download (the layout of the icon only, or the icon and its area?).
So his suggestion might be a good compromise, i.e. that it’s up to the design team to decide what can be downloaded or not. And above all, that this permission parameter can be kept on the instances.

This feature would be really important: Allow viewers to export all assets from the file but not allow to copy the file and design itself. Designer teams put a lot of effort to create the components, auto-layouts, etc and don’t necessary want to share that with someone else.

Much needed

Please, @figma listeners…
Hear us about this problem !

I’m pretty sure this doesn’t cost you a big effort
and doesn’t compromise your business model.

To all here, keep the subject live 😅