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

Practice

1. What happens when you apply a style to an element in Figma?

easy

A. The element deletes all previous styles and resets to default

B. The element becomes a separate copy and does not update with style changes

C. The element links to the shared style and updates if the style changes

D. The element locks and cannot be edited anymore

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand style application

   Applying a style links the element to a shared design setting.

2. Step 2: Effect of linked styles

   When the shared style changes, all linked elements update automatically.

3. Final Answer:

   The element links to the shared style and updates if the style changes -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Applying style = linked updates [OK]

Hint: Applying style links element to shared settings [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking applying style creates independent copy
• Believing element becomes locked
• Assuming styles delete previous formatting

2. Which of the following is the correct way to detach a style from an element in Figma?

easy

A. Double-click the style name in the right panel

B. Apply a new style over the existing one

C. Delete the element and recreate it without styles

D. Right-click the element and select 'Detach Style'

Solution

1. Step 1: Locate detach style option

   Right-clicking the element shows the context menu with 'Detach Style'.

2. Step 2: Detach style effect

   Selecting 'Detach Style' breaks the link to the shared style, allowing custom edits.

3. Final Answer:

   Right-click the element and select 'Detach Style' -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Detach style = right-click menu option [OK]

Hint: Detach style via right-click menu [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to detach by double-clicking style name
• Deleting element instead of detaching style
• Applying new style does not detach old style

3. Consider a text element with a shared color style applied. If you detach the style and then change the shared style color, what happens to the text element's color?

medium

A. The text color updates to the new shared style color

B. The text color remains as it was when detached

C. The text color resets to default black

D. The text color becomes transparent

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand detaching effect

   Detaching breaks the link to the shared style, making the element independent.

2. Step 2: Effect of changing shared style after detaching

   Since the element is detached, changes to the shared style do not affect it.

3. Final Answer:

   The text color remains as it was when detached -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Detached style = no updates from shared style [OK]

Hint: Detached elements keep their current style despite shared changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming detached elements update automatically
• Thinking color resets to default
• Believing detaching makes element transparent

4. You tried to detach a style from a component but the option is grayed out. What is the most likely reason?

medium

A. You have not selected the element inside the component

B. The style is already detached

C. The component is a master component and styles cannot be detached

D. You need to restart Figma to enable detaching

Solution

1. Step 1: Check selection context

   Detaching styles requires selecting the element with the style, not the whole component frame.

2. Step 2: Why option is grayed out

   If the whole component is selected, detaching is disabled because styles apply to inner elements.

3. Final Answer:

   You have not selected the element inside the component -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Select inner element to detach style [OK]

Hint: Select inner element, not component frame, to detach style [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming master components block detaching
• Thinking restart fixes grayed option
• Believing style is already detached without checking

5. You have a button component with a shared fill style applied. You want to customize the button's fill color for a special case without affecting other buttons. What is the best approach?

hard

A. Detach the fill style from the button instance and change the fill color

B. Create a new shared fill style and apply it to the button instance

C. Change the fill color in the master component directly

D. Apply a text style to the button instead

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand customization without affecting others

   Detaching the style breaks the link, allowing unique edits on this button only.

2. Step 2: Why other options are less suitable

   Creating a new shared style affects multiple elements if reused; changing master affects all buttons; text style does not affect fill color.

3. Final Answer:

   Detach the fill style from the button instance and change the fill color -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Detach style to customize single element [OK]

Hint: Detach style to customize one element without global changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Changing master component affects all instances
• Applying text style does not change fill color
• Creating new shared style affects multiple elements