How to Add Properties to a Figma Component

• Boolean: shows or hides a nested layer. Use it for optional parts like a leading icon or a badge.
• Text: exposes a nested text layer so instances can change the copy from the sidebar. It needs a default string.
• Instance swap: lets instances swap a nested instance, such as the icon in a button. You can add optional preferred values so the picker suggests the right set.
• Variant: the axes of a component set, like Size or State. It only exists on component sets. Our component variants guide covers variants in depth.
• Slot: a flexible area where instances can add their own layers. It rolled out from March 2026 (open beta); see Figma slots.

Select the main component, click + in Properties and choose Text. Enter a name like Label and a default string, then click Create. Now select the text layer inside the component, hover the text field in the Text section at the top of the right sidebar, and click Apply variable/property. Pick Label. Instances now show a Label field you can type into without double-clicking into the layer.

This message means the property exists but isn't bound to any layer. It's one of the most-viewed component threads on the Figma forum, and the fix is the second half of the setup that people skip.

1. Select the layer inside the main component that should appear and disappear.
2. In the right sidebar, find the Appearance section.
3. Click the Apply variable/property icon and choose your boolean.
4. In a component set, check that the layer is linked in every variant where it should respond.

Work through these in order. The first two cover most cases.

1. You're looking at the wrong layer. The Properties section with the + button only appears on a main component or component set. On an instance you see the property controls, not the setup.
2. The property isn't linked to a layer. A boolean or text property that isn't applied to anything won't do anything on instances. Link it as shown above.
3. The Variant option is missing. Variant properties exist only on component sets. Make a component set first by adding a variant; the variants guide walks through it.
4. Nested properties aren't exposed. If the button's icon has its own properties and you want them on the button, turn on nested instances (next section).
5. The instance comes from a library that hasn't been updated. New properties reach other files only after the library is published and the update is accepted. See Figma library not showing.

Select the main component, open Properties, and under Expose properties from choose Nested instances. Pick which nested instances to surface. Their properties then appear under the parent instance in the right sidebar, so nobody has to dig into the layer tree.

Two rules trip people up. The Nested instances option only appears if the component already contains nested instances that have properties, or an instance that's already exposed. And if a boolean hides an exposed nested instance, that instance's properties are hidden too. More on this in Figma nested components.

Each boolean doubles the number of ways an instance can look, so a component with a few properties has combinations nobody has seen. Instancer, our plugin, reads the variant, boolean and nested instance properties of the selected component and lays out every combination as labeled, live instances. It's the quickest way to spot a label that overflows only when the icon is on.

New to components? Start with how to create a component in Figma. To document the properties for developers, see Figma design specs.