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Quick steps
Open the Share menu
Open the file and click Share in the top right of the toolbar.
Change an existing person
Find the person in the list, click their permission and choose can view or can edit.
Invite someone new
Type an email address or user group, pick can view or can edit, and send the invite.
Set the link access
Under link access, choose who the link works for (Anyone, your organization, your workspace, or only invited people) and whether they can view or can edit.
Check the seat
If the person still sees view-only, their seat doesn't cover the product. They need to send a seat request, and only an admin can approve it.
How Figma decides who can edit
Figma checks two separate things. File access is set per file (or per project or team) in the Share menu: can view or can edit. Your seat is set by an admin on paid plans and decides which products you can edit in. You need both. The seat is often the missing half: a person can be given can edit and still open the file view-only, which is what the forum threads editor access but view-only and full seat but cannot edit files are about.
- Can edit + a seat that covers the product: the person can edit.
- Can edit + a seat that doesn't cover it: view-only until an admin approves a seat request.
- Can view + any seat: view-only until the owner or an editor gives them can edit.
How to make a Figma file editable for someone
Open Share, click the person's current permission and switch it to can edit. For someone who isn't on the file yet, invite them by email with can edit selected. If you want everyone with the link to edit, set the link access to can edit, but only do that when the link is limited to your organization or workspace, or to invited people. The share link guide covers each link option.
How to make a Figma file view-only
In Share, set the link to can view and change each editor you want to restrict to can view. Viewers can still comment and export by default. On paid plans you can also turn off Allow viewers to copy, share, and export, which stops viewers from duplicating the file, exporting assets or saving a local copy.
How to remove edit access in Figma
Open Share, click the person's permission and change it from can edit to can view. Check the link access too: if the link is set to can edit, anyone who has it can still edit even after you change individual people.
⌘⌥S / Ctrl+Alt+S. If something went wrong before the change, you can restore it from version history.Figma edit access not working? Why the file is still view-only
Work through these in order. The first two cover most cases.
- You only have can view on this file. Click Ask to edit in the toolbar. The owner or an editor gets the request, and a red badge appears on their Share button until they approve it.
- Your seat doesn't cover the product. Editing a Figma Design file needs a seat that includes Figma Design. If your seat doesn't, Figma asks you to make a seat request, and only admins can approve it. Owners and editors of the file can't fix this for you.
- You're a guest in the organization. Guest status limits what you can access, according to Figma staff on the forum. Ask an admin to check your status.
- The link is restricted. If the link access is set to Organization, Workspace or Only invited people and you're outside that group, the link usually won't open the file for you. Ask the owner to invite you by email.
If you can open the file but a specific layer or text box won't respond, that's a different problem. See can't edit text in Figma. Plugins also need edit access, so a view-only file is the most common reason Figma plugins aren't working.
Get an editable copy without asking
If you don't need to change the original, duplicate the file into your drafts. You have full edit access to your own copy. This only works when the owner hasn't turned off copying for viewers.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my Figma file view-only when I have an editor seat?
Your seat and your file access are separate. You also need can edit on that specific file. Click Ask to edit in the toolbar, or ask the owner to change your permission in the Share menu.
How do I request edit access in Figma?
Click Ask to edit in the toolbar of a file you can view. The owner or an editor approves it from the Share menu. If your seat doesn't cover the product, you'll be asked to send a seat request to an admin instead.
How do I make a Figma link view-only?
Open Share and set the link access to can view. People who follow the link can look and comment but not edit. On paid plans you can also stop viewers from copying and exporting.
Who can change edit access on a Figma file?
The owner and anyone with can edit access can invite people and change permissions from the Share menu. Seat changes are different: only admins can approve a seat request.
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