Why Overriding instance properties in Figma? - Purpose & Use Cases

The Big Idea

What if you could change dozens of repeated elements instantly without breaking your design?

The Scenario

Imagine you have a design with many repeated buttons, and you want to change the text or color on just a few of them manually.

You open each button one by one and edit the properties directly in every instance.

The Problem

This manual method is slow and tiring because you must find and update each button separately.

It's easy to make mistakes or miss some buttons, leading to inconsistent designs.

The Solution

Overriding instance properties lets you keep the main design consistent but change specific parts like text or color on individual buttons easily.

You only update what you want per instance without breaking the overall style.

Before vs After

✗ Before

Select each button > Edit text/color > Repeat for all

✓ After

Select button instance > Override text/color property directly

What It Enables

You can customize repeated elements quickly while keeping your design system clean and consistent.

Real Life Example

In a sales dashboard, you use the same card design but override the sales number and color for each region's card without redesigning each one.

Key Takeaways

Manual edits on repeated elements are slow and error-prone.

Overriding instance properties allows quick, safe customizations.

It keeps designs consistent and flexible at the same time.