Switching from Adobe XD to Figma can feel overwhelming—especially if you’re dealing with large, complex design projects filled with dozens (or even hundreds) of artboards, components, and assets. But the good news is that with a smart approach and the right tools, you can streamline the process and save hours (or even days) of manual work. Whether you’re a solo designer or part of a team, this guide covers practical, time-saving tips to help you migrate large Adobe XD projects to Figma more efficiently.

Let’s break it down step by step.

Audit and Clean Up Your Adobe XD File First

Before you even start the conversion process, take a bit of time to clean up your XD file. Remove unused components, redundant artboards, outdated design variations, and any hidden layers you no longer need.

Why this matters: The cleaner your XD file, the less clutter you’ll bring into Figma. This not only makes the import faster but also keeps your Figma workspace organized from the start.

Bonus tip: Rename your layers and artboards properly in XD—it’ll make it easier to navigate once they’re in Figma.

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Use a Conversion Tool to Speed Up the Process

Manually copying designs element-by-element is extremely time-consuming and prone to errors. Instead, use automated tools that help convert your Adobe XD files to Figma with minimal effort.

Some recommended tools include:

• Xd2Figma Plugin: Helps transfer design layers and artboards from XD to Figma via SVG exports.

• Convertify: A paid tool that can convert XD files into editable Figma projects.

• SVG Export + Paste in Figma: You can export artboards or elements as SVG from XD and paste them directly into Figma (works well for smaller parts of a design).

Keep in mind: These tools may not preserve every interaction or component perfectly, but they do save a ton of time with layout, typography, and asset conversion.

Break Your Project Into Manageable Chunks

If you’re working on a very large XD file (like a full product UI or a design system), don’t try to move everything all at once. Instead, break it down into sections—like:

• Homepage and landing pages

• Forms and modals

• Dashboard views

• Design system elements (colors, typography, components)

Move one section at a time into Figma. This approach is easier to manage, and it allows for better testing, organization, and cleanup as you go.

Prioritize Core Components and Styles First

Start by importing or recreating your core design system in Figma: colors, typography styles, buttons, inputs, headers, and other shared components. Once your foundation is set, it becomes much easier to rebuild other pages and templates using those Figma components.

If you already have a design system in Adobe XD, export those styles and recreate them in Figma manually. It takes a bit of time upfront, but it’ll save tons later when you’re reusing those styles across multiple artboards.

Use Figma’s “Paste to Replace” Feature

Once you’ve set up your base components in Figma, you can speed up replacing placeholders or outdated assets using the “Paste to Replace” option. For example, if you import a placeholder component, you can select it and paste a more refined element in its place, and Figma will automatically keep the size and constraints intact.

This feature is a huge time-saver when updating dozens of instances across a large file.

Use Figma Templates or UI Kits as a Base

If your XD project follows common UI patterns (like dashboards, mobile apps, or landing pages), consider using Figma templates or UI kits that match your structure. Instead of rebuilding layouts from scratch, you can plug your content and branding into these pre-built frameworks.

Check the Figma Community for free UI kits that closely match your project style—they can accelerate your rebuild significantly.

Leverage Figma Components and Variants

As you migrate reusable design elements from XD (like buttons, cards, or nav bars), convert them into Figma components and use variants to manage different states (hover, disabled, selected, etc.).

This will dramatically reduce the time you spend recreating interactions and layout adjustments across multiple screens. Plus, when you update one component, the changes reflect everywhere instantly.

Maintain File Organization While Migrating

It’s easy to let your Figma file turn messy when importing lots of elements. To save time later on:

• Use pages to separate sections (e.g., “Login Flow”, “Dashboard”, “Design System”).

• Group related frames inside named folders.

• Use naming conventions that make sense (e.g., btn/primary/hover instead of random names).

Good organization from the beginning saves hours of file cleanup later—especially when working with a team.

Batch Export and Import Assets

If your XD project includes lots of images or icons, batch-export them from XD (PNG, JPG, or SVG depending on the asset type) and then bulk import them into Figma. This avoids dragging and dropping each asset one by one.

In Figma, you can also bulk place multiple images using the “Place image” feature—just select your frames and Figma will intelligently place each image into a designated space.

Take Advantage of Figma’s Comment and Review Features

As you migrate and rebuild, use Figma’s built-in comment system to note areas that need further refinement, developer feedback, or approval. You can tag team members, leave reminders for yourself, or document decisions—all within the design file.

It eliminates the need for external notes or feedback docs, streamlining your review and handoff process.

Create a Migration Checklist

To keep your project on track, make a simple checklist of everything you need to migrate, such as:

• Core components (buttons, inputs, navs)

• Color and text styles

• Key layouts/pages

• Assets (images, icons)

• Prototype links and interactions

• Developer notes

Checking off each item as you go ensures you don’t overlook anything and keeps your progress clear and focused.

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Conclusion

Migrating large Adobe XD projects to Figma doesn’t have to be a stressful, time-consuming task. With the right prep, tools, and workflow, you can save countless hours and even improve the quality of your designs in the process.

Start small, organize wisely, and take full advantage of Figma’s powerful features—especially components, real-time collaboration, and plugin support. Whether you’re moving a single product or an entire design system, these time-saving tips will help you convert faster, work smarter, and deliver better results.