How do I change the component color in Figma?

Introduction

Changing the color of components in Figma is a quick and easy way to update the look of your designs. Figma’s component system allows you to create elements like buttons, headers, and icons as components that you can reuse across your project. If you need to update the color of these components, Figma provides a couple of different options depending on your specific needs.

Using the Inspector Panel

The easiest way to change a component’s color is by using the Inspector panel in Figma. Here’s how:

1. Select the component instance on the canvas that you want to edit.
2. Open the Inspector panel on the right side of the screen.
3. Select the Fill color option.
4. Choose your new color using the color picker.

This will update the fill color of that particular component instance. If you have multiple instances of the component on the canvas, only the one you have selected will be updated.

Editing the Component Itself

If you want to globally update the component across all instances in your file, you need to edit the component itself rather than a specific instance. Here is the process:

1. Right click on the component instance and choose Edit Component.
2. This will open the component in isolation mode for editing.
3. Adjust the fill color by using the Inspector panel or by selecting a shape layer and updating its color.
4. Click the Back arrow in the top left corner when you are done editing to exit isolation mode.

Now, any instance of that component will show the new color you have chosen. This is helpful if you want all buttons or shapes using that component to change.

Using Component Sets

Component sets allow you to create variations of a component with different properties like color, text, or layout. Here is how you can use component sets to modify a component’s color:

1. With the component selected, click on the plus icon in the Inspector panel to create a new component set.
2. Adjust the fill color in isolation mode for this new component set.
3. Name your component set something like “Primary Color”
4. Click the Back arrow to exit isolation mode.

Now when you add a new instance of that component to the canvas, you can choose which component set you want to use. This allows you to maintain different color variations all within a single component.

Using the Layers Panel

You can also change the color of a component instance right from the Layers panel:

1. In the Layers panel, find the layer that represents the component instance you want to modify.
2. Hover over the layer and click the color square to open the color picker.
3. Choose your new color.

This approach changes the color of just that instance. The original component definition remains unaffected.

Tips for Modifying Colors

Here are some helpful tips for working with component colors in Figma:

• Use the Inspector panel to quickly tweak instance colors.
• Edit the component itself if you want to change all instances globally.
• Create component sets for frequently used color variations.
• Use the Layers panel to change colors instance-by-instance.
• Copy and paste components to quickly duplicate them with new colors.
• For complex components, isolate the fill color into a nested component for easier editing.

Conclusion

The ability to update component colors is an incredibly useful feature in Figma. Whether you are applying quick tweaks or doing a major redesign, utilizing components and component sets will allow you to change colors across your entire design system in a few clicks. The Inspector panel provides the most convenient workflow for quick color changes, while isolation mode lets you edit the source of a component for global impact.

So if you need to freshen up your project by changing some colors, use Figma’s component workflows to make the process fast and hassle-free. With some practice, you’ll be able to update colors across multiple pages, artboards, and component instances in no time!

Method	Use When…
Inspector Panel	Making quick changes to instance colors
Edit Component	Want global color changes across all instances
Component Sets	Need different color variations of the same component
Layers Panel	Updating colors instance by instance