Figma Not Working? Every Fix, in the Order to Try Them

Figma posts outages and degraded service at status.figma.com. If files won't load for your whole team at once, check there before you clear caches or reinstall anything. If the page is clear and only your machine has trouble while colleagues work normally, the cause is local: your browser, your desktop app, or the file you have open.

1. WebGL isn't available (browser)

The most-viewed troubleshooting thread on Figma's forum, WebGL not supported, has around 104k views. Figma draws the canvas with WebGL 1.0 or later, and the browser can only provide it with graphics acceleration on. Turn it on, relaunch, and test at get.webgl.org. The full walkthrough, including the Edge tracking prevention fix, is in how to fix the Figma WebGL error.

2. Blank white screen in the desktop app

The desktop app blank white screen thread has around 84k views. A corrupted cache is the usual suspect. Choose Help > Troubleshooting > Reset Figma and Restart. If the app won't open far enough to reach the menu, delete the cache folders by hand: the steps for Mac and Windows are in how to clear the Figma cache.

Also check the app's requirements: the desktop app needs macOS 11 or later, or Windows 8.1 or later, and Figma's troubleshooting checklist asks Windows users to run a 64-bit version.

3. Figma is very slow, or one file crashes

Each file gets 2GB of memory, in a browser tab or the desktop app. A red alert appears at 90%, and at 100% the file locks. When you reload a locked file on a supported browser, editors are offered recovery mode: every page loads, the Manage memory window opens, and you have to bring usage under 90% to leave it. Recovery mode needs Chrome 83+, Firefox 89+, Safari 15.2+ or Edge 93+.

To stop it happening again, see how to make Figma less laggy. The "Figma is running very slow" thread (around 25k views) covers the same ground.

4. The browser is outdated or unsupported

Figma supports stable releases of Chrome 120+, Firefox 128 ESR+, Safari 17.4+ and Edge 121+. Beta, dev and nightly channels aren't supported. On a Mac, Safari updates arrive with macOS updates, so an old macOS can leave you on an unsupported Safari. Switching to the desktop app or another browser is a quick way to test.

5. Extensions, VPNs or network settings

Figma's troubleshooting checklist lists browser extensions, VPNs and proxies as common blockers. Open the file in a private window with extensions off. If you're on a VPN or proxy, turn it off or ask IT to add Figma to the allow list.

Figma's troubleshooting checklist lists a few fast things to try before anything else:

• Close any Figma tabs you aren't using.
• Force-quit the browser or desktop app, then open Figma in a new window.
• Turn off multiplayer cursors, layout guides and effects in heavy files.
• Split large files to reduce memory use.
• Clear the desktop app cache.
• Check you have a stable internet connection.

Then the problem is local to the app. Reset it from Help > Troubleshooting, and if that isn't reachable, delete the cache folders manually. Keep working in the browser at figma.com in the meantime: your files are the same in both.

• Plugins won't run or load: see Figma plugins not working.
• Fonts are missing: see Figma fonts not showing.
• Shortcuts or undo don't respond: see Figma shortcuts not working.
• Prototype won't play: see Figma prototype not working.