Frames are one of the most important building blocks in Figma. Whether you’re designing a mobile app screen, a website section, or a container for components, frames help organize your layout and structure your work.
But what if you want to copy a frame—without losing your auto layout settings, styles, or inner components?
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- What frames are in Figma
- How to properly copy a frame
- Common pitfalls to avoid
- Pro tips for efficient design workflows
🧱 First: What Is a Frame in Figma?
A Frame in Figma is a flexible container that can hold shapes, text, components, and even other frames. You can think of it as a digital artboard—or as a layout box with advanced properties like:
- Auto Layout
- Constraints
- Grids and guides
- Naming and nesting
Frames can represent:
- Screens in an app
- Cards in a UI
- Layout sections
- Popups and modals
✅ How to Copy a Frame in Figma
Copying a frame is easy, but it’s important to do it the right way to preserve its internal structure and settings.
🔹 Method 1: Copy and Paste
- Select the frame by clicking its name in the Layers panel or directly on the canvas
- Press Cmd/Ctrl + C to copy
- Click anywhere else (or switch pages)
- Press Cmd/Ctrl + V to paste
This creates a fully intact duplicate of the original frame—including its children, auto layout, and constraints.
🔹 Method 2: Duplicate In Place
- Select the frame
- Press Cmd/Ctrl + D
This creates an identical copy, directly overlapping the original frame on the same page. It’s great when iterating UI variations side by side.
🔄 Copying Frames Across Files or Pages
Need to reuse a frame in another file or page?
- Open the file containing the frame
- Select the frame
- Cmd/Ctrl + C
- Open the destination file or page
- Cmd/Ctrl + V
Figma retains the frame’s structure—even if the destination file has different styles or libraries.
💡 Note: If your frame includes components from another file, Figma will prompt you to link or detach them.
🧼 Best Practices When Copying Frames
✅ Rename Your Frames Immediately
Avoid “Frame 123” clutter by using clear names like Login Screen, Product Card, or Footer Section.
✅ Keep Auto Layout Intact
Avoid breaking Auto Layout by accidentally double-clicking and dragging children out of the frame. Always select the parent frame when copying.
✅ Maintain Hierarchy
Copying frames also copies any nested frames and components inside. This helps when building modular, scalable layouts.
✅ Avoid Detaching Components Inside
Unless you’re customizing something specific, don’t detach instances just to copy a frame—this reduces consistency.
🚫 What Not to Do
- Don’t select just the contents of a frame unless you want to recreate the layout manually
- Don’t detach or flatten components unless you’re sure you no longer need them as components
- Don’t convert a frame into a component mid-copy unless you’re intentionally turning it into a reusable pattern
✨ Pro Tips for Frame Duplication
- Use Variants instead of copying frames for similar states (e.g. hover vs. default)
- Use Swap Instances for faster component replacements inside a copied frame
- Save copied frames as Templates in a “Snippets” page or team library for reuse
🧭 When Should You Copy a Frame?
Use frame duplication when:
- You’re designing different UI states (e.g. logged in vs. logged out)
- You want to test layout variations
- You’re creating reusable templates
- You’re organizing design reviews or design systems
🚀 In Summary
Copying a frame in Figma is fast, simple, and powerful—as long as you copy the frame itself, not just its contents. It allows you to iterate rapidly, maintain structure, and scale your designs with ease.
To recap:
- Use Cmd/Ctrl + C and Cmd/Ctrl + V for copying
- Use Cmd/Ctrl + D to duplicate in place
- Keep Auto Layout, naming, and hierarchy intact
- Copy across files or pages with ease
Looking to master layout tools in Figma? Explore our full UI/UX design tutorials, component strategies, and Auto Layout deep dives at Designilo.com.
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