Files, Folders, Teams and Sharing

The file browser is the home screen you reach by signing in at figma.com, or from inside a file through the main menu and Back to files. In UI3 the left navigation bar lists the places you can browse. On Starter and Professional plans the sidebar shows All folders. On Organization and Enterprise plans it shows All teams, or All workspaces if workspaces are enabled, and selecting one shows its folders. Each team also lists its own Drafts space. The exact tabs of the left navigation bar changed on 2026-01-07 (see Interface Tour for the editor itself), so treat any older screenshot as a rough guide only.

Source: Figma Learn: Guide to files and folders

A folder groups related files, for example all the screens of one app. What you can do depends on the plan:

Folders can be given a custom colour. Old links to a project open the corresponding folder, and files did not move when the name changed.

Source: Figma Learn: Projects are now folders

A draft is a file that is not in a folder yet. Each team has its own Drafts space inside it, and drafts are private to you until you share them. Working in drafts is free. On a Starter plan a draft cannot be edited together with other editors, although it can be shared with unlimited viewers; to collaborate with editors, move it into a folder.

To move a draft into a folder:

Source: Figma Learn: Updates to how drafts work

Roles given to individual people follow a fixed rule. Files always inherit the individual roles of their folder, and this cannot be switched off per file, so anyone with a folder role can open every file in it. Direct access to a single file can only widen access beyond what the folder gives, never reduce it. Top-level folders follow the team roles (Organization and Enterprise) or the audience access and direct invitations (Starter and Professional). Nested folders inherit from their parent.

Since 2026-08-03 a folder shows one of two states instead of the old Team Access options:

The old View only team setting was removed. Former view-only members became individual viewers, so nobody lost or gained access. Changing inherited permissions is therefore an Organization and Enterprise capability; Professional plans cannot change them, and Starter has no inherited permissions.

Source: Figma Learn: File and folder permissions

In the figure: (1) top-level folders follow team access, (2) nested folders inherit by default, (3) a folder can be switched to Limited, and (4) direct file access only adds.

Owners and people with edit permission can change permissions. Admins on paid plans can change permissions on resources they already have access to, even without edit access.

On Starter and Professional plans, inviting someone to the plan makes them a member of the single team, and an admin can choose the new member’s seat type (Full, Collab, Dev or View) when inviting by email. Joining does not by itself grant access to a folder or file; people invited to specific content are marked as having limited access. On Organization and Enterprise plans, inviting someone to a team gives access to all files and folders in that team, and the plan can add members and guests to the organization or to individual resources. Enterprise adds workspaces as an extra level between the organization and its teams; the sharing guide shows them only in its hierarchy graphic and navigation menu, so this page does not go further.

Source: Figma Learn: Invite users to your Starter or Professional plan

Password protection hides a file behind a password so that only people who know it can open the link. It needs edit access to the file and a paid plan: Professional, Education, Organization, Government or Enterprise. It covers Figma Design files (a file password also covers its prototypes) and FigJam boards. Files published to the Community cannot have a password, and previews are hidden in embeds, link unfurls and thumbnails.

Source: Figma Learn: Add password protection to files and prototypes

To reset the password, open Share, click the control next to Anyone with password, press Reset, enter a new one and save; everyone with the file open must enter it. To remove it, untick Password required, and the file reloads immediately. People with Can view or Can edit on the containing folder, and people invited to the file by email, do not need the password.

Source: Figma Learn: Add password protection to files and prototypes

A guest is a person outside your organization domains, such as a contractor, agency or client. Guests are available on Education (K-12), Organization, Government and Enterprise plans. They cannot browse the organization teams or use shared fonts, plugins or library analytics; they only reach the teams, folders and files they were invited to, and they can hold any seat type (Full, Dev, Collab or View). You can only invite someone at or below your own permission level, and you need explicit permission on a resource to invite anyone to it.

Enterprise admins can require approval for guests or turn guest access off. Note that a link set to Anyone can still be opened by guests who have the link.

Source: Figma Learn: Invite guests to organization resources