Applying and detaching styles in Figma - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Applying styles in Figma helps keep your design consistent by reusing colors, text, and effects. Detaching styles lets you customize an element independently when you need a unique look.

When you want all buttons to share the same color and font across your project

When you need to update the brand color in one place and have it change everywhere

When a text block needs a special font size different from the shared style

When you want to experiment with a unique shadow effect on a single element

When you want to keep your design system organized and consistent

Steps

Step 1: Select the element you want to style

- Canvas or Layers panel

The element is highlighted and its properties appear in the right sidebar

Step 2: Click the style icon next to Fill, Stroke, Text, or Effects

- Right sidebar under the relevant property section

A dropdown list of available styles appears

Step 3: Choose a style from the list

- Style dropdown menu

The selected style is applied to the element, updating its appearance

Step 4: To detach a style, select the styled element

- Canvas or Layers panel

The element remains selected with style applied

Step 5: Click the style icon again and select 'Detach style'

- Style dropdown menu in the right sidebar

The element no longer links to the style and can be edited independently

Step 6: Modify the element’s properties like color or font

- Right sidebar property controls

The element updates visually without affecting other elements

Before vs After

Before

A button uses the shared 'Primary Button' color and font style from the team library

After

The button no longer uses the shared style and has a unique color and font size different from others

Settings Reference

Apply Style

📍 Right sidebar next to Fill, Stroke, Text, or Effects

To apply a shared style to an element for consistency

Default: No style applied

Detach Style

📍 Style dropdown menu in the right sidebar

To remove the link to a shared style so the element can be customized

Default: Style attached

Common Mistakes

Trying to edit a style by changing the properties of a styled element directly

Changes only affect that element if the style is detached; otherwise, the style remains unchanged

Edit the style itself in the Assets panel or Styles modal to update all linked elements

Detaching a style without realizing it breaks the link to the design system

Future updates to the style won’t affect the detached element, causing inconsistency

Detach styles only when you need a unique look that should not change with the style

Summary

Applying styles keeps your design consistent and easy to update

Detaching styles lets you customize elements individually when needed

Always edit shared styles in the Styles panel to update all linked elements