How To Add Comments in Figma

A successful collaboration is all about working together and implementing targeted feedback. Therefore, commenting is vital for any collaborative design platform, and Figma is no different.

If you’re wondering how to use the commenting feature in Figma, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to learn how to add and reply to comments.

Adding Comments in Figma

In Figma, you can use comments to tweak your designs, reply to feedback, and communicate faster. This option comes in handy, especially when time is of the essence.

To add a comment in Figma, you must first enter comment mode. You can do this in two ways:

• Tap the comment bubble icon in the toolbar at the top of your screen
  
• Hit “C” on your keyboard
  

Once you enter comment mode, the cursor will turn into a comment bubble. Now you’re ready to leave your comment. The first step is to select what to comment on. You can choose between a singular element and a design region.

• To select a single location, simply tap on it.
  
• To select a region, click and drag your cursor over it.
  

Now, a comment field will be pinned to the selected location. From then, you can quickly leave your comment in two steps:

1. Type out the message in the comment field.
   
2. Click the “Share” icon (an arrow pointing up) to send your message.
   

To ensure your message comes across as intended, you can add emojis to your comment. You can choose any emoji from the Apple emoji collection that Figma uses.

Here’s how to add an emoji to your comment:

1. Tap the smiley face icon in the bottom-left corner of the comment field.
   
2. Select your emoji by browsing or going through the “Frequently used” section.
   

When you make your choice, it won’t immediately appear in the comment field as an emoji. It will be displayed in short-hand form, e.g., :handshake:, until you send the comment.

The quickest way to draw your collaborator’s attention to the specific part you’ve commented on is to mention them in the comment. This way, they’ll receive an email from Figma and an in-app notification, provided they have them enabled.

You can mention a colleague or collaborator reasonably quickly:

1. Tap the “at” icon (@) at the bottom left corner or hit “@” on your keyboard.
   
2. Start typing the person’s name or email.
   
3. Click on the right name from the suggested list of collaborators.
   

If the collaborator you want to mention is missing from the list, it’s probably due to Figma’s commenting restrictions. Namely, there are some restrictions on who you can mention when working in a team. If you’re a team member, you can mention:

• Collaborators with the same role on a resource.
• Collaborators who have a role on that specific file.

However, you can only mention team members if you’re not on the team or project but assigned a role on that file. You can’t mention other people who have also been assigned a specific role.

If you’re not in a team, you can mention anyone you’re associated with in your comment. This includes:

• Collaborators on the same project, team, or file
• Collaborators you have invited or who invited you to a file

Don’t forget that you can send up to 100 comments an hour, including new comments and replies.

How to Reply to Comments in Figma

When a collaborator mentions you in a comment or leaves an important message about a part of the design, you can view it in two ways. The number of comments dictates how they are displayed.

Individual comments are marked with a comment bubble icon. To preview the comment, simply hover over the pin. If you’d like to reply to the comment, click on the pin to enter comment mode.

If multiple comments are closely pinned together, they will display as a cluster. By hovering over the cluster, you can see how many comments there are and who their authors are. To reply to an individual comment, do the following:

1. Click on the cluster of comments to focus on it.
   
2. Tap the desired comment within the cluster.
   

Once you’re in the comment mode, you can reply or react to the comment.

After clicking on the comment, a “Reply” field will appear attached to the comment box.

1. Tap “Reply” to start typing your message.
   
2. Press “Send” to add your reply to the thread.
   

If a reply isn’t necessary, you can simply acknowledge the comment by reacting to it:

1. Hover over the comment’s body.
   
2. Tap the smiley face icon.
   
3. Select an emoji to use as your reaction.
   

To avoid comments cluttering your canvas, you can hide them once the issue has been resolved.

1. Select the comment you want to hide.
   
2. Tap the check-mark icon in the top-right corner of the comment field.
   

The comment is now marked as Resolved and will disappear from the canvas and the right sidebar.

Alternatively, you can delete a comment altogether. The difference is that the “Resolved” comments can be unresolved and thus returned to the canvas. In contrast, the deleted comments are gone permanently. There is no way to restore a previously deleted comment, so use this option carefully.

1. Select the comment you want to delete.
   
2. Tap the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner.
   
3. Choose “Delete comment.”
   

Additional FAQ

Can you comment in Figma without an account?

Currently, only people with a Figma account can comment on a file or a prototype. Figma doesn’t support guest-only access. However, as many users complained about the lack of this helpful feature, Figma released a plugin called Commentful. Using the plugin, you can create review links with design snapshots. Clients and collaborators who don’t have a Figma account can leave their text or image feedback there. The external feedback will flow into the plugin in real-time. You can then accept and apply any change requests with a single click. This will update the Figma designs automatically.

Make Your Voice Heard

Leaving comments can be a great way to take your collaboration to the next level. Being all about working toward a shared goal, Figma developers made it easy to leave and reply to comments. Thanks to all the quick and efficient feedback, your designs are sure to knock everyone off their feet.

Have you used the commenting feature in Figma? What do you usually use it for? Let us know in the comments section below.