Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! Variables Studio is completely free and open source. No hidden fees, no premium features.

No. Variables Studio operates 100% locally within Figma. No data is ever sent to external servers. All export, import, and swap operations happen entirely on your machine.

All of them! Variables Studio supports Color, Number, String, and Boolean variables with full preservation of modes, scopes, and aliases.

Variables Studio works alongside Team Libraries. You can export variables from a library file and import them into other files, making it useful for distributing variables without publishing to Team Libraries.

Variables Studio exports to clean, human-readable JSON format. The structure is hierarchical with collections, modes, and variables clearly organized.

Yes! You can select multiple collections and export them all in a single JSON file. Use the checkboxes or 'Select All' button.

Absolutely. Aliases (references between variables) are exported and will be correctly restored when importing.

Yes. The JSON format is clean and structured, making it easy to use with build tools, design token parsers, or custom scripts.

Variables Studio will detect the conflict and ask you to choose: Replace (overwrite existing) or Rename (create a copy with '-copy' suffix).

Mode conflicts occur when your JSON has different modes than the existing collection. For example, your file has 'Light, Dark' but the JSON has 'Light, Dark, High Contrast'. Choose Replace to update modes or Rename to keep both.

Yes! Export from one file, then open a different file and import. This is perfect for sharing variables between projects.

Check that your JSON follows the correct format. Download the sample JSON file from the Import tab to see the expected structure. Common issues are: wrong format, invalid values, or incompatible types.

No. You can use 'Replace All' or 'Rename All' to quickly resolve all conflicts with the same strategy.

Variables are matched by name. If you have 'Primary/500' in both source and target collections, they'll be matched and swapped.

If no match is found, that variable binding won't be changed. The preview will show you which variables couldn't be matched.

Yes! Swap operations are fully integrated with Figma's undo system. Press Cmd/Ctrl + Z to undo.

Yes. You can swap from any collection/mode to any other collection/mode, as long as the variable names match.

Page scope only affects layers on the current page. File scope affects all layers in the entire file. Selection scope only affects selected layers.

Make sure the JSON follows the correct format. Download a sample file from the Export or Import tab to see the expected structure. Check for syntax errors using a JSON validator.

This might happen if modes are mismatched. Check that your JSON modes match your collection modes exactly (case-sensitive). Also verify that values are in the correct format (colors as hex, numbers as numbers, etc.).

Aliases are created after all variables are imported. If the referenced variable doesn't exist in the file, the alias can't be created. Make sure all referenced variables are included in the import.

This means no layers in your scope are using variables from the source collection/mode. Try expanding the scope (page → file) or check that you selected the correct source.

This is normal for files with hundreds of collections or thousands of variables. Be patient during import/export operations. For swapping, use smaller scopes (selection or page) instead of entire file.

Yes! Always export your current variables before doing a large import with Replace strategy. This way you can revert if needed.

Use consistent naming across collections and modes. For example, if you have 'Primary/500' in Light mode, also have 'Primary/500' in Dark mode for reliable swapping.

Absolutely. Export your variables to JSON and commit to Git. This gives you full version history of your design tokens.

Export from the source file, then import into the target file. Use Rename strategy if you want to keep both versions for comparison.