How to open .FIG files (Figma designs) on Android, Windows and Linux

Someone on your team used Figma’s Save local copy and sent you Homepage redesign.fig. Or you’re clearing out an old project folder and find a stack of .fig files with no idea what’s in them. Figma lives in the browser and in the cloud, so on a phone or a computer without an account the file just sits there.

Folders shows the thumbnail that Figma stores inside the file, along with basic details, on Android, Windows and Linux, with no account and no internet. To work on the design, you import it back into Figma.

What is a .FIG file?

Figma is a design tool for apps, websites and other interfaces, used mostly in a web browser. Figma files normally live in Figma’s cloud, not on your disk. A .fig file appears when someone chooses Save local copy from Figma’s menu: it’s a snapshot of the design for backup or for moving between accounts, and it can be imported back into Figma.

Inside, the design is stored in Figma’s own binary format, which Figma doesn’t publish a specification for. Recent local copies are a package holding that canvas data, the images used in the design, a thumbnail, and a little metadata such as the file’s name and when it was exported. Older local copies are a single block of binary data with no thumbnail at all.

Before you go further, check where the file came from, because .fig isn’t only Figma’s extension:

Program	What a .fig file is
Figma	A design file (this guide)
MATLAB	A saved figure (a chart or plot window), stored in MATLAB’s MAT-file format
Xfig	A vector drawing in a plain-text format, from the long-standing Unix drawing program

If it came from a lab, a university course or an engineer, it’s very likely a MATLAB figure.

How to open a .FIG file with Folders

On Android

1. Get Folders from the download section and install it (Android 7.0 or newer).
2. When Folders asks, tap Allow access and turn on All files access.
3. Find the .fig file, often in Download, or type .fig into the search box.
4. Tap it.

If it arrived in Slack, email or a cloud drive, open it there and choose Open with → Folders.

On Windows and Linux

1. Install Folders on Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), or on Linux.
2. Double-click the .fig file in Folders.
3. On Windows, right-click it in File Explorer and choose Open with → Folders; the installer puts Folders in that menu for the types it opens.

What you can do with it in Folders

• See the thumbnail that Figma saved in the file. It usually shows one frame or the first page, not the whole file, but it’s enough to recognise a design.
• Details lists the file’s name, size and date, plus what Figma recorded about the export when it’s there, such as the original file name and when the copy was saved.
• Share the file with someone who has Figma, so they can import it.

If the file has no thumbnail, which is the case for older local copies, Folders says No preview to show. You’ll see the same for a MATLAB or Xfig .fig, since those aren’t Figma files.

Folders can’t show pages, frames, layers, components or prototypes, inspect measurements or export assets. Those all need Figma.

Other ways to open .FIG files

• Figma itself: the free plan is enough to import a .fig file. Drag it into Figma’s file browser in a web browser or the Windows app, or use Import.
• For a MATLAB figure: open it in MATLAB with openfig, or ask the sender to export the plot as PNG or PDF.
• For an Xfig drawing: Xfig itself, or its fig2dev tool, which converts drawings to PDF, SVG or PNG.

Problems opening a .FIG file?

• Folders shows no preview. It’s an older Figma local copy without a thumbnail, or not a Figma file. Importing into Figma still works for Figma files.
• It’s not a Figma file. Open it in a text editor and look at the first line. A MATLAB figure starts with text like MATLAB 5.0 MAT-file, and an Xfig drawing starts with #FIG.
• Figma shows missing fonts after import. The design uses fonts that aren’t available to your account or computer. Figma lists them and lets you swap them for others.
• Images are missing or the import fails. The copy may have been cut short on the way. Ask for a fresh Save local copy, or better, an invitation to the Figma file itself.

Questions people ask

Can I open a .fig file without Figma? You can see its thumbnail and details in Folders. To see every page or edit the design, you need Figma, and its free plan is enough.

How do I open a .fig file in Figma? Sign in, go to the file browser and drag the .fig file onto it, or use Import. The design opens as a new Figma file.

How do I convert a .fig file to PNG, PDF or SVG? Import it into Figma, select the frames you want and use the Export settings. Folders doesn’t convert .fig files.

.fig vs .sketch: what’s the difference? Both are interface design files. .fig comes from Figma, which runs in a browser; .sketch comes from Sketch, which is an app for Apple computers. Figma can import Sketch files, which helps when a team moves across.

Related guides: how to open Sketch files and how to open SVG files. Or browse all 382 file types Folders opens.