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Lesson 2 of 3 · 5 min

Coming from Sketch or Adobe XD

If you already design in Sketch or Adobe XD, most of what you know still works in Figma. The tricky part is not learning the tool, it is deciding what to bring with you and what to leave where it is.

From Sketch: import the file

Sketch changed interface design, and Figma builds on the same ideas, so you will recognise most tools as soon as you open it. There is no export button in Sketch, but you don't need one: from the Figma home click Import and choose your .sketch file. From inside a file, the same command is in the main menu under File, New from Sketch File.

What an imported Sketch file keeps, one row at a time. Structure and symbols arrive, styles don't, so plan a bit of cleanup.

Big files and full design systems need some care after the import: tidy the layers, check the components, recreate the styles and assign them again. If you only need a few screens, copy and paste works too.

From Adobe XD: copy, export or convert

Figma doesn't open .xd files. For simple projects you can copy and paste artboards and layers, or export them as SVG and put them back together in Figma. Both ways keep how things look, not how they are built: no structure, no components, no styles.

  • Rebuild by handslow, but you get a clean file and full control
  • Converter servicean external paid tool turns .xd into .fig and saves hours on big files

You don't have to move everything

Switching tool doesn't mean migrating every old project. Keep Sketch or XD around for quick changes on old files, and start the new ones in Figma. That is usually the fastest way to make the switch stick.

Try it

  1. Pick one small Sketch file, or two or three XD artboards.
  2. Import the Sketch file from the home, or paste the XD artboards into a new Design file.
  3. Open the layers panel and list what you would have to fix: styles, components, names.

Remember

  • Sketch files import directly, symbols become components.
  • Styles don't come through: recreate them after the import.
  • XD files can't be opened: copy, export as SVG or use a converter.
  • Start new projects in Figma, keep old tools for old files.