Find and replace across files in Figma - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a UI/UX designer working on a large design system in Figma.

📋 Request: Your design lead asks you to update the brand color name from 'Primary Blue' to 'Brand Blue' across all design files in the project.

📊 Data: You have multiple Figma files containing components, text layers, and styles using the color named 'Primary Blue'.

🎯 Deliverable: A report showing all instances where 'Primary Blue' was replaced with 'Brand Blue' across files, and updated design files reflecting the change.

Sample Data

File Name	Layer Name	Color Name	Usage Count
Design System.fig	Button/Primary	Primary Blue	15
Marketing.fig	Header Background	Primary Blue	5
Landing Page.fig	Call to Action	Primary Blue	8
Dashboard.fig	Sidebar	Primary Blue	10
Design System.fig	Link Text	Primary Blue	12

1

Step 1: Open the Figma desktop app and sign in to your account.

No formula needed.

Expected Result

You are logged in and ready to access your project files.

2

Step 2: Use the Figma search bar to find all files containing the color name 'Primary Blue'.

Search term: 'Primary Blue' in the project files list.

Expected Result

You see a list of files where 'Primary Blue' is used: Design System.fig, Marketing.fig, Landing Page.fig, Dashboard.fig.

3

Step 3: Open the first file 'Design System.fig'. Use the 'Find and Replace' feature to search for 'Primary Blue' in color styles.

In the file, press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac), enter 'Primary Blue', then select 'Replace' and type 'Brand Blue'.

Expected Result

All instances of 'Primary Blue' in color styles and layers are highlighted and ready to be replaced.

4

Step 4: Replace all occurrences of 'Primary Blue' with 'Brand Blue' in 'Design System.fig'.

Click 'Replace All' in the find and replace dialog.

Expected Result

15 instances in Button/Primary and 12 in Link Text layers are updated to 'Brand Blue'.

5

Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the other files: Marketing.fig, Landing Page.fig, and Dashboard.fig.

Use find and replace for 'Primary Blue' to 'Brand Blue' in each file.

Expected Result

Marketing.fig updates 5 instances, Landing Page.fig updates 8 instances, Dashboard.fig updates 10 instances.

6

Step 6: Save all updated files and document the changes in a report.

Create a summary table listing file names and number of replacements made.

Expected Result

Report shows: Design System.fig - 27 replacements, Marketing.fig - 5, Landing Page.fig - 8, Dashboard.fig - 10.

Final Result

-----------------------------------------
| File Name       | Replacements Made    |
-----------------------------------------
| Design System.fig | 27                  |
| Marketing.fig     | 5                   |
| Landing Page.fig  | 8                   |
| Dashboard.fig     | 10                  |
-----------------------------------------

✓The color name 'Primary Blue' was successfully replaced with 'Brand Blue' across all project files.

✓Design System.fig had the highest number of replacements (27), indicating heavy usage of the color.

✓Consistent color naming improves design system clarity and brand consistency.

Bonus Challenge

Automate the find and replace process across multiple Figma files using Figma Plugins or API.

Show Hint

Explore Figma's Plugin API to write a script that searches for color styles named 'Primary Blue' and renames them to 'Brand Blue' programmatically.