Detach or Remove Entire Missing Libraries

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Hey Figma Community,

I’m excited to kick off a discussion on a feature proposal that I believe will significantly enhance our workflow: an easy way to remove missing libraries and immediately conceal the styles copied from other libraries to be applied as core visual styles within the new library.

The Problem

As we continuously evolve our design projects, we often encounter situations where styles and components from old libraries are no longer relevant or used. However, these linked styles still persist, creating unnecessary strain and clutter within our current design files. It can be quite frustrating to see missing library notifications, giving the false impression that essential design elements are missing when, in reality, they are not even utilized in the new library.

The Proposal

Introducing a Complete Detachment Button for missing libraries, which will:

• Remove Missing Libraries: Allow users to completely detach and remove references to missing libraries.

• Conceal Old Styles: Automatically conceal the styles that were copied from other libraries, reapplying them as core visual styles within the new library.

• Streamline Workflow: Eliminate the visual clutter and confusion caused by missing libraries, ensuring that only relevant and current styles are displayed.

Benefits

• Clean Design Files: Maintain cleaner and more organized design files by removing obsolete library references.

• Improved Performance: Reduce the potential strain on Figma’s performance by eliminating unused linked styles.

• Enhanced Clarity: Prevent the visual distraction of missing library notifications, allowing designers to focus on what truly matters.

Let’s Discuss!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this proposal:

  1. Have you faced issues with missing libraries cluttering your design files?

  2. How do you currently manage obsolete library references?

  3. What additional features or improvements would you suggest for handling missing libraries?

Let’s brainstorm and collaborate to make Figma an even better tool for all of us. Looking forward to your insights and feedback!

Healing, Hyping, and Harmonising through design,

Hyke

2 Likes
2

Hey Hyke,

Great proposal! I’ve struggled with missing libraries cluttering my design files too. The Complete Detachment Button idea is brilliant and would save a lot of time.

Right now, I manually remove references, which is tedious. An added feature to merge duplicate styles into core visual styles would also be fantastic for maintaining consistency.

Thanks for suggesting this! Hope Figma implements it soon.