Ultimate Guide to Auto Layout in Figma

Why auto layout matters

• Responsiveness: Elements adapt as content or frame sizes change.

• Flexibility: You can swap, reorder, and scale items without nudging pixels.

• Consistency: Spacing and alignment stay consistent across components.

• Spatial systems: Builds on your 4pt/8pt rhythm effortlessly.

• No manual adjustments: Less dragging, more designing.

• Easy management: Components are cleaner to hand off and update.

First step: How to create auto layout (3 fast options)

You can apply auto layout to frames, components, and selections of layers easily by:

1. Using the keyboard shortcut (Shift + A).

2. In the design panel, click the auto-layout icon.

3. Right-clicking on a frame or object.

Shortcuts to master (Mac/Windows)

Nesting: the secret to real responsiveness

Create relationships and rules to ensure desired responsiveness:

Button → Button group → Card → List of cards

Think in building blocks, not isolated frames.

Common mistakes

Avoid these pitfalls that beginners often make:

• Over nesting: Don’t create unnecessary auto layout levels.

• Setting too many fixed sizes: It can make auto layout unresponsive.

• Not accounting for content scaling: Always consider how your content may change.

• Not double-checking the settings: Adding a new element or more levels to an existing auto layout might reset some settings.

Practice today

Beginner challenge

Create a responsive card with auto layout that scales correctly as the width changes.

Pro challenge

Use auto layout to create all the elements from the example, and make the main frame scale as the one below.

Conclusion

When you set smart rules once, auto layout does the heavy lifting. Your components stay tidy, your handoffs are cleaner, and updates take minutes instead of hours. Master auto layout in Figma, and your designs will scale with you.