Why It Matters
Instances are the foundation of scalable design in Figma. When you drag a component from your assets panel or library, you create an instance. The magic is that instances stay connected to their source—change the main component, and all instances update automatically. This creates a single source of truth for your design system.
Examples
1
Your primary button component has 47 instances across 12 screens. Updating the main component's padding instantly updates all 47.
2
A card instance can have its content overridden (title, image) while maintaining the structural connection to the main card component.
3
Nested instances allow complex compositions—a form component might contain button instances and input field instances.
Related Terms
Main Component
The original, source component that defines the structure, styles, and behavior that all its instances inherit.
Detached Instance
A component instance that has been disconnected from its main component, breaking the link that allows automatic updates when the main component changes.
Component Set
A group of related component variants combined into a single component with configurable properties, allowing users to switch between variants without swapping components.
Variant Property
A configurable attribute of a component set that allows users to switch between different variations of a component, such as size, state, or type.
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