How to Create a Two Column Layout in Figma Quickly

To create a two column layout in Figma, use Frames and apply Auto Layout with horizontal direction. Place two child frames inside the parent frame to represent each column, then adjust spacing and sizing as needed.

Syntax

In Figma, a two column layout is built using a parent Frame with Auto Layout set to horizontal. Inside this parent frame, you add two child frames representing each column. You can control spacing, padding, and alignment through Auto Layout properties.

• Parent Frame: Container with Auto Layout (horizontal)
• Child Frames: Two frames inside parent, each is a column
• Spacing: Gap between columns controlled by Auto Layout spacing
• Sizing: Fixed or fill container width for columns

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Parent Frame (Auto Layout Horizontal)
  ├─ Column 1 Frame
  └─ Column 2 Frame

Example

This example shows how to create a two column layout with equal width columns and 20px gap between them.

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1. Create a new Frame (press <code>F</code>) and name it "Two Column Layout".
2. With the frame selected, enable <code>Auto Layout</code> from the right panel and set direction to <code>Horizontal</code>.
3. Set spacing between items to <code>20</code> (Figma uses numbers without units for spacing).
4. Inside this parent frame, create two child frames (press <code>F</code> twice) named "Column 1" and "Column 2".
5. Set both child frames to have the same width (e.g., 200) and height.
6. Add content inside each column frame as needed.

This setup creates a responsive two column layout with a 20px gap.

Output

A horizontal frame containing two equally sized columns separated by 20px space.

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when creating two column layouts in Figma include:

• Not enabling Auto Layout on the parent frame, which prevents columns from spacing correctly.
• Using fixed positioning instead of frames, which breaks responsiveness.
• Forgetting to set the direction to Horizontal in Auto Layout, causing columns to stack vertically.
• Not setting consistent widths for child frames, leading to uneven columns.

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Wrong way:
- Parent frame without Auto Layout
- Manually moving frames side by side

Right way:
- Parent frame with Auto Layout (Horizontal)
- Two child frames inside
- Spacing set in Auto Layout properties

Quick Reference

Step	Action	Purpose
1	Create parent frame	Container for columns
2	Enable Auto Layout (Horizontal)	Arrange columns side by side
3	Add two child frames	Represent each column
4	Set spacing between columns	Control gap size
5	Adjust child frame widths	Make columns equal or custom sized

Key Takeaways

Use a parent frame with horizontal Auto Layout to create side-by-side columns.

Add two child frames inside the parent frame to serve as columns.

Set spacing in Auto Layout to control the gap between columns.

Ensure child frames have consistent widths for balanced layout.

Avoid manual positioning to keep layout responsive and easy to edit.