How do i share a component library with an external designer?

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1

Hi there. I want to know if an external designer can use our component library without being able to edit our components in the original. I know i can share with team members to work with it and externals to look at designs but can someone outside our team use our component library without being in our team? Help is appreciated.

2

Anyone who is invited to the file as a viewer can use the file library.

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This. So this is a feature? I don’t understand how it aligns with the free plan limitations: you can’t share a library within a free team but you can use one from outside.

Don’t get me wrong, if the rule is here to stay, it’s great. But I’ve been wondering if it was a bug or a feature. Additionnaly, it doesn’t work with libraries created in an Organization.

4

Let me try and resume the whole thing:

On free teams you can:

  • create local file libraries of both styles and components;
  • create shared libraries of just styles;

On Pro & Org. teams you can:

  • create local & shared libraries of both styles and components;

Now, both teams have 2 key roles: editor or viewer. Viewers can access all libraries shared with any team, free or paid, but they can only use, not edit components/styles or update such libraries. Also, these users don’t have access to store files on any of the team’s projects.

With the upcoming update on free plans (April 21st) it will be harder for free users to try and go arround paying for Pro teams if they’re looking for collaborative work as drafts will now become limited to the owner as an editor, and free teams will have a limit of 3 shared files, with a single page per file (although they will now have unlimited editors). This will not affect the library limitations of the free plan, as you can only share style libraries across files.

5

Thanks for laying it out.
That’s how I understand it, but I need some clarifications in the details. When you write “Viewers can access all libraries shared with any team, free or paid, but they can only use (…)”, do you mean that Viewers can turn on any shared Library in their Team library Modal as long as long as they have access to the file (and then import always-up to date Components from the Assets panel).

This is something I have come across but haven’t been able to replicate using an Org account (hence my comment about it not working with Orgs).

Thanks.

6

Checking back in.

Weeks have passed, the issue remains; we have downgraded our plan to Pro in order to have a working shared library (it didn’t show up in visitors’ Asset Panel when sharing it from an Org workspace).

Little did we know that this workaround would not be enough. As it turns out, users that are themselves on an Org plan can’t use our shared library, in a weird but logical symmetrical effect. When visiting our published library’s original file, these users can’t use it (it doesn’t show up in the “shared library” modal). Everything is in order for users with other Plans (paid or free).

This is a rather huge issue for us, and we had no feedback from our Sales’ contact at Figma. Is there a fix or workaround?

Thanks,

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7

:heavy_plus_sign: :one: We’re having this same issue. This issue is not solved and should be reopened/evaluated. If anyone finds a work around would love to know the solve! Thanks in advance.

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8

Bumping to revive. Is this still a problem? Trying to navigate if it’s our IT blocking the function or an existing lack of functionality on the Figma side.

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9

We are facing this issue as well - Still no fixes?

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10

Same here too

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