How to Export Figma Variables

Figma Variables are a powerful way to manage design tokens like colors, spacing, typography, and more—all within your design file. But what if you want to use those variables outside of Figma? Maybe your dev team wants to integrate them into code, or you’re building a design system that syncs across tools.

Good news: Figma makes it easy to export variables, and in this article, we’ll walk you through exactly how to do it—plus a few tips on how to use those exports in real workflows.

🔧 Step-by-Step: How to Export Figma Variables

Exporting variables from Figma is simple and fast. Here’s how:

Open the Variables Panel
Click the “Local Variables” icon in the right-hand sidebar (or use the shortcut Shift + 2 to open it quickly).
Select the Collection You Want to Export
Figma organizes variables into collections. You can export one or multiple collections, depending on how you’ve structured your tokens.
Use the Options Menu
Click the three-dot menu (•••) next to the collection name.
Choose “Export as JSON”
Figma will download a .json file that contains your variables, including all values, modes (e.g. dark/light), and references.

That’s it—you now have a clean JSON file of your variables, ready to use elsewhere.

📦 What’s Inside the Exported JSON?

When you open the exported .json file, you’ll find:

Variable names and their scopes (e.g. color, number, string)
Values across different modes (e.g. light and dark themes)
Any aliases or references between variables
The collections they belong to

This format is developer-friendly and perfect for integration into codebases, design systems, or third-party tools.

🧩 How to Use Exported Figma Variables

Here are some common ways teams use exported variables:

In Development: Convert Figma variables into CSS variables, SCSS maps, or JavaScript objects.
In Token Management Tools: Import into tools like Style Dictionary, Token Studio, or Git-based design token pipelines.
For Documentation: Create living style guides or design system docs that reflect your Figma values.
Sync with Code: Automate the pipeline so that when variables update in Figma, the codebase updates too (using plugins or scripts).

If you’re using Figma’s Dev Mode, developers can also inspect and reference variables directly from the UI, making handoff even smoother.

🧠 Pro Tip: Version Your Variable Exports

For teams managing large design systems, it’s smart to track variable exports in version control. You can commit exported .json files to Git, tag releases, and even write scripts that validate changes between versions.

✅ Final Thoughts

Figma Variables give you design consistency—and exporting them opens the door to better dev handoff, automation, and cross-platform harmony. Whether you’re building a full-blown design system or just want to streamline your workflow, exporting variables is a great step toward tighter integration between design and code.