Why Can't I Edit Text in Figma?

Figma's text guide gives two ways in: double-click a text layer, or select it and press Enter. If the text sits deep inside frames or groups, the first double-click may select a parent. Keep double-clicking, or press Enter to step down one level at a time, until you land in the text.

If double-clicking stopped working everywhere, not just on one layer, you're not alone: "Can't edit the text layer while double-clicking" has about 29.6k views in Figma's Report a Problem forum. Go through the causes below before assuming it's a bug.

This is the most common cause. You can select layers and read text, but you can't type into them. Figma needs both the right seat and can edit permission on the file. Forum threads like "I have an editor access but is on view only mode" usually end with one of those two missing, or with the user being a guest on the team.

• Click Ask to edit in the toolbar. An owner or editor approves it, and they'll see a red badge on the Share button.
• If your seat doesn't cover editing, you need a seat request instead. Only admins can approve those.
• On paid plans, check that you're signed in to the account that was invited.

Also check what kind of link you opened. On paid plans, a file can be shared as a prototype-only link, which shows the prototype and not the design file. On the Starter plan, a viewer can choose Open in editor from a prototype. And on paid plans, owners can turn off "Allow viewers to copy, share, and export", which limits viewers further. The full breakdown of seats, roles and requests is in Figma edit access.

If double-clicking one layer does nothing while others work, check the Layers panel for a lock icon on that layer or on a frame above it. Select the locked layer there and press ⇧⌘L on Mac or Ctrl+Shift+L on Windows to unlock it.

Text in an instance comes from its main component. When you want the change on every copy, edit the main component: select the instance and press ⌃⌥⌘K (Mac) or Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K (Windows) to jump to it.

When each instance needs its own text, the cleaner setup is a Text property. Select the main component, go to Properties → + → Text, and link it to the text layer. The text then shows up as a field in the right sidebar of every instance, so nobody has to dig through layers to change a label. Text properties need a default value. See Figma component properties for the full setup.

If the layer uses a font you don't have, Figma shows a missing-font icon in the left sidebar. Install the font, or open the Missing fonts dialog from that icon, pick a replacement and click Replace fonts. Replacing changes the file for everyone, so save a version first. If the font is installed but Figma can't see it, follow fonts not showing in Figma.

Dev Mode (⇧D / Shift+D) is for inspecting, and the Prototype tab (⇧E / Shift+E) is for interactions. Switch back to Design before editing. If you're presenting, exit the prototype view first.

Reload the file, then try the same file in the desktop app or in another browser. If typing works elsewhere, the problem is local to that browser. If keyboard input fails more widely, Figma shortcuts not working covers keyboard layout mismatches that can break keys.