Nested components in Figma - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Nested components let you build reusable parts inside other reusable parts. This helps keep your design organized and makes updates faster because you change one place and it updates everywhere.

When you want a button inside a card that appears many times in your dashboard

When you have a chart with repeated legends that share the same style

When you want to update a small icon used in many places without changing each one manually

When building a navigation menu with repeated items that share the same look

When creating a template with multiple reusable sections that contain smaller reusable parts

Steps

Step 1: Create a component for the smaller reusable part

- Design panel

The smaller part becomes a component with a purple outline

💡 Name your component clearly to find it easily later

Step 2: Drag an instance of the smaller component into your larger component frame

- Canvas

The smaller component appears inside the larger component

💡 Use the Assets panel to find and drag components

Step 3: Select the larger component frame and create a new component from it

- Right-click menu or top toolbar

The larger component now contains the smaller component nested inside

💡 Nested components keep their own properties and can be edited separately

Step 4: Edit the smaller nested component

- Assets panel or by selecting an instance on the canvas

All instances of the smaller component inside the larger component update automatically

💡 This saves time when you want consistent changes everywhere

Step 5: Use instances of the larger component in your design

- Assets panel

You see the nested smaller components inside each instance of the larger component

💡 You can override some properties on instances without breaking the nested structure

Before vs After

Before

A large component with repeated elements manually duplicated on the canvas

After

A large component containing nested smaller components, all linked and reusable

Settings Reference

Component naming

📍 Layers panel

Helps identify components and nested components clearly

Default: Untitled

Instance overrides

📍 Properties panel when an instance is selected

Allows customizing instances without changing the main component

Default: No overrides

Swap instance

📍 Right-click menu on an instance

Lets you change nested components inside a larger component easily

Default: Current nested component

Common Mistakes

Editing an instance of a nested component instead of the main nested component

Changes only affect that instance and do not update all other instances

Edit the main nested component in the Assets panel to update all instances

Not naming nested components clearly

Makes it hard to find and manage components in complex designs

Use clear, descriptive names for all components and nested components

Summary

Nested components let you build reusable parts inside other reusable parts for better design organization.

Editing a nested component updates all its instances inside larger components automatically.

Name components clearly and edit main components, not just instances, to keep changes consistent.