Font size and line height in Figma - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Adjusting font size and line height helps make text easy to read and visually balanced in your designs. This feature lets you control how big the text appears and how much space is between lines.

When you want to make headings stand out by increasing their size.

When body text looks crowded and you need to add space between lines for clarity.

When designing reports or dashboards that must be readable on different screen sizes.

When you want consistent text spacing across multiple text boxes.

When adjusting text to fit within a specific area without cutting off words.

Steps

Step 1: Select the text layer

- Canvas or Layers panel

The text layer is highlighted and its properties appear in the right sidebar

Step 2: Locate the Text section

- Right sidebar

Font size and line height controls are visible

Step 3: Click the font size input box

- Text section in right sidebar

You can type a new font size or use the up/down arrows to adjust it

💡 Use whole numbers for font size to keep text sharp

Step 4: Click the line height input box

- Text section in right sidebar

You can type a new line height value or use the up/down arrows to adjust spacing between lines

💡 Set line height to about 120% to 150% of font size for best readability

Step 5: Observe the text on canvas

- Canvas

Text updates immediately to reflect new font size and line height

Before vs After

Before

Text with font size 12px and line height set to Auto, lines appear very close together

After

Text with font size increased to 16px and line height set to 24px, lines have clear spacing and text is easier to read

Settings Reference

Font Size

📍 Right sidebar > Text section

Controls how large the text appears

Default: Depends on the selected font and text style

Line Height

📍 Right sidebar > Text section

Controls vertical spacing between lines of text

Default: Auto (usually about 120% of font size)

Common Mistakes

Setting line height smaller than font size

Lines overlap and text becomes hard to read

Always set line height equal to or greater than font size

Using inconsistent font sizes across similar text elements

Design looks unbalanced and confusing

Use consistent font sizes for headings, body text, and labels

Summary

Font size controls how big your text looks on the screen.

Line height controls the space between lines to improve readability.

Always keep line height equal to or larger than font size to avoid overlapping text.

Practice

1. What does font size control in Figma?

easy

A. The color of the text

B. The space between lines of text

C. How big the text appears on the screen

D. The font style like bold or italic

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand font size meaning

   Font size determines how large or small the text looks visually.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from line height

   Line height controls spacing between lines, not size of text.

3. Final Answer:

   How big the text appears on the screen -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Font size = Text size [OK]

Hint: Font size = text height, line height = space between lines [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing font size with line height
• Thinking font size changes text color
• Mixing font size with font style

2. Which of the following is the correct way to set font size and line height in Figma's text properties panel?

easy

A. Font size as a percentage, line height in pixels only

B. Font size in pixels, line height as a number or percentage

C. Both font size and line height only accept percentages

D. Font size and line height cannot be changed in Figma

Solution

1. Step 1: Check Figma text property inputs

   Font size is set in pixels (px) for exact text height.

2. Step 2: Understand line height input

   Line height can be set as a number (like 24) or percentage (like 150%).

3. Final Answer:

   Font size in pixels, line height as a number or percentage -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Font size = px, line height = number or % [OK]

Hint: Font size uses px, line height can be px or % [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to set font size as a percentage
• Assuming line height only accepts pixels
• Believing font size and line height cannot be changed

3. If a text block has a font size of 16px and a line height of 24px in Figma, what is the space between the lines of text?

medium

A. 8px

B. 24px

C. 16px

D. 40px

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand line height vs font size

   Line height is total height of each line including text and space.

2. Step 2: Calculate space between lines

   Space = line height - font size = 24px - 16px = 8px.

3. Final Answer:

   8px -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Line height - font size = space [OK]

Hint: Subtract font size from line height for spacing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing line height as only the space
• Using font size instead of difference
• Adding font size and line height

4. You set a font size of 18px and line height of 14px in Figma. What issue will this cause?

medium

A. Font size will automatically adjust to 14px

B. Text will be too spaced out

C. No issue, this is a valid setting

D. Lines will overlap because line height is less than font size

Solution

1. Step 1: Compare font size and line height values

   Font size is 18px, line height is smaller at 14px.

2. Step 2: Understand effect of smaller line height

   Line height less than font size causes lines to overlap visually.

3. Final Answer:

   Lines will overlap because line height is less than font size -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Line height < font size = overlap [OK]

Hint: Line height must be ≥ font size to avoid overlap [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking font size adjusts automatically
• Assuming no problem if line height is smaller
• Confusing line height with letter spacing

5. You want to design a dashboard with text that is easy to read on all screen sizes. Which combination of font size and line height is best practice in Figma?

hard

A. Font size 14px with line height 20px for good spacing

B. Font size 10px with line height 10px for compact text

C. Font size 18px with line height 14px to save space

D. Font size 12px with line height 12px for uniformity

Solution

1. Step 1: Consider readability on screens

   Font size 14px is readable; line height 20px gives enough space between lines.

2. Step 2: Evaluate other options

   Options with line height equal or less than font size cause cramped or overlapping text.

3. Final Answer:

   Font size 14px with line height 20px for good spacing -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Readable font + enough line height = best practice [OK]

Hint: Choose line height about 1.4x font size for readability [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Picking line height equal to or less than font size
• Choosing too small font size for screens
• Ignoring line height impact on readability