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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11In Figma, constraints control how a child layer is positioned or sized when its regular parent frame changes. Auto Layout handles a different problem: arranging children and resizing them as content or available space changes. Use constraints for anchored or proportionally scaled elements in regular frames, Auto Layout resizing for ordinary children in Auto Layout frames, and prototype presentation to check the result at different viewer sizes.
How do constraints work in Figma?
Constraints tell Figma how a layer should respond when its parent frame is resized. They apply to layers inside a regular frame—not to layers outside a frame or ordinary children inside an Auto Layout frame. Figma sets new layers to Top and Left by default. Figma’s constraints guide explains the available horizontal and vertical behaviors.
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Choose anchors based on the edge or edges that matter
Select a child layer and set its horizontal and vertical behavior in the Position section. Left keeps its position relative to the frame’s left edge; Right anchors it to the right. Top and Bottom work the same way vertically. The combined options—Left and right, or Top and bottom—keep the layer related to both corresponding edges and can make it grow or shrink as the frame changes. Scale treats position and size as proportions of the frame.
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These settings are not always visually distinct: depending on where a layer sits, different constraints can produce the same result during a resize. Choose based on the behavior you want, then resize the parent to verify it. Figma’s frame guide also notes that children with constraints respond to a frame preset change, while children without constraints retain their original dimensions and position.
What is the difference between constraints and Auto Layout?
They solve complementary problems. Constraints describe a child’s relationship to its regular parent frame; Auto Layout arranges content and adapts the arrangement to direction, spacing, padding, alignment, and resizing behavior. Figma documents vertical, horizontal, and grid flows. Horizontal and vertical flows can wrap when items no longer fit; vertical wrap creates columns when the available height is used up, but it is not masonry—items retain their Auto Layout order. See the Auto Layout guide.
| Question | Constraints | Auto Layout |
|---|---|---|
| Parent context | Child inside a regular frame | Children arranged inside an Auto Layout frame |
| What changes? | Position and size relative to the parent frame | Flow, spacing, alignment, and sizing as content or available space changes |
| Typical use | Anchor a control to an edge or scale an element with the frame | Lay out a list, toolbar, card contents, or other flowing group |
| How to check | Resize the regular frame | Change content or available space, then inspect the layout |
For ordinary children in an Auto Layout frame, use Auto Layout’s resizing properties rather than constraints. The choice depends on what should happen: a text container that should fit its text may need Hug contents, while a child that should take remaining parent space may need Fill container. Fixed width or height is appropriate when that dimension should not change. These are options, not a universal responsive recipe; Figma’s Auto Layout properties guide describes the resizing controls.
How do I make a Figma design responsive?
Start by deciding what should respond: edge position, proportional size, content flow, or some combination. Then choose the parent structure and the appropriate behavior for each layer.
- Use regular frames for anchored elements. Put elements whose placement depends on a frame edge inside a regular frame, then set horizontal and vertical constraints for each child.
- Use Auto Layout for groups that should flow. Set the direction, spacing, padding, and alignment; choose wrapping if items should move to another row or column when space runs short.
- Set resizing behavior deliberately. In Auto Layout, choose Hug contents, Fill container, or fixed dimensions according to how the parent and child should respond. Nest Auto Layout frames when different parts of a component need different flows.
- Combine the systems through nesting. A nested Auto Layout frame can have constraints when it is itself a child of a regular frame. For instance, a content group can use Auto Layout internally while its outer frame is anchored to the regular parent. Constraints do not apply to the ordinary children within that Auto Layout frame.
- Resize and inspect. Test narrow and wide parent sizes, and change content such as text or item count. Check that anchors, wrapping, and sizing behave as intended rather than relying on a single canvas view.
How can constraints and Auto Layout work together?
Use each feature at the level where its parent context supports it. A regular frame can contain a nested Auto Layout frame and other constrained layers. The nested frame can be anchored or stretched relative to the regular parent, while its own children use Auto Layout flow and resizing properties. Figma’s constraints documentation includes an example of an element that ignores Auto Layout flow and is anchored to the bottom and both horizontal sides; that does not mean constraints can be applied to ordinary Auto Layout children.
Layout guides can help align elements and can be used alongside constraints. Figma renamed “layout grid” to “layout guide” in May 2025; this terminology is distinct from Grid Auto Layout flow. See Figma’s guide to combining layout guides and constraints.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How do you test responsive behavior in prototype presentation?
Open the prototype in presentation and use Responsive scaling to inspect it at different viewer sizes. Figma says the viewer resizes and relays out content according to the constraints and Auto Layout properties already applied. It is a way to check the configured design, not a substitute for setting up those behaviors. See Figma’s prototype playback guide.
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