How to Change Letter Spacing in Figma

Letter spacing—also known as tracking—refers to the uniform space between characters in a block of text. Adjusting letter spacing in Figma helps improve readability, create stylistic emphasis, or fine-tune typography to align with your design vision. Whether you’re crafting buttons, headlines, or paragraphs, knowing how to tweak letter spacing can make a big difference in your final layout.

✏️ What Is Letter Spacing?

In Figma, letter spacing is defined in pixels (px) and controls the amount of space between each character in a text layer. Unlike kerning, which adjusts space between specific letter pairs, letter spacing applies evenly across all characters in a selection.

🛠️ How to Adjust Letter Spacing in Figma

Follow these simple steps to change letter spacing in your text:

Select the Text Layer
Click on the text you want to modify using the Move tool (V).
Open the Text Properties Panel
Look to the right-hand panel, under the Text section.
Find “Letter spacing”
It’s located below the font size and line height settings.
Adjust the Value
- Increase spacing by entering a positive pixel value (e.g., 10px).
- Decrease spacing by entering a negative pixel value (e.g., -2px).
- You can also use the up/down arrow keys for fine-tuning.

💡 Tip: You can preview changes in real-time on the canvas as you adjust the value.

🧠 When to Use Letter Spacing

Headlines and Titles: Slightly increased spacing can make them feel airy and upscale.
Buttons and UI Elements: Helps improve legibility in small components.
Paragraphs: Usually best kept minimal or default to maintain readability.

⚠️ Best Practices

Avoid excessive letter spacing in body text—it can make reading difficult.
Use consistent spacing across your components for visual harmony.
Test across different screen sizes and zoom levels.

✅ Final Thoughts

Figma makes it incredibly easy to control letter spacing and elevate your typography. By mastering this setting, you can give your UI a more refined, consistent, and intentional appearance. Typography is a subtle yet powerful design tool—and letter spacing is a key part of that toolkit.