Figma detached instances not updating on Mac: causes and fixes for designers in 2026

Why a detached instance never gets updates

Detaching turns an instance into a regular frame. The frame keeps the layers and properties it has at that moment. The link to the component goes away, and every future change goes with it. Figma's help center says a detached object no longer applies changes made to the component. So a detached copy is not broken. It works exactly as designed.

The trouble starts when a detach happens by accident. It also starts when someone detaches a copy to fix one color, then moves on. The copy looks fine until the library changes. Then it looks wrong, and nobody remembers the detach.

How to check whether an instance is detached

Start on the canvas. Click the layer you think is an instance, then look at the Properties panel on the right. Run these checks in order.

1. A live instance shows its component name and an instance menu in the Properties panel.
2. A detached frame shows neither. It is a plain frame with the layers it had when you cut the link.
3. Right-click the layer. A live instance offers Detach instance in the menu. If that item is missing, the link is already gone.

How library updates reach your file

A library update starts in the source file. Someone with edit access opens the Assets panel, clicks Libraries, and clicks Publish next to Current file. They add a summary, then click Publish. The summary appears in version history, so write it for the people who read it later.

Your file only sees the change after that publish. The Libraries button tooltip reads Review unpublished changes when the source file has edits that are not yet published. It reads Review library updates when your file has updates waiting.

Figma's publish article does not say whether consuming files get a notice. Do not count on one. Tell your team when you publish, in the channel they already read.

Walk through the review step in Figma

1. Open the file that uses the component. Find Review library updates at the bottom of the left navigation.
2. Open the Updates tab in the Libraries panel.
3. Turn on Show updates for all pages. Figma's help says you need this to see every update.
4. Click Update instance to apply one update at a time. Click Update all to apply the whole list.
5. Check the copy on the canvas before you move on. The panel cannot visually compare hidden layers inside a component.

Reviewing and accepting updates needs edit access to the file. Without it, ask the file owner for edit rights. Do not detach your way around the review, because a detached copy can never be reviewed back into the library.

Mistakes that keep updates from showing

• Detaching to fix one property. You fix that property and lose every future update for that copy.
• Editing the source file and never publishing. Your team sees no change, so the library looks stale.
• Reviewing only the current page. Updates on other pages stay out of sight until you turn on Show updates for all pages.
• Accepting an update you cannot see whole. Hidden layers inside a component cannot be compared visually, so check them in the component file.
• Trying to publish on Starter. Figma's Starter plan overview lists No team libraries, so there is no shared library to publish to.

The most expensive mistake is blaming Figma for a copy that was detached long ago. Check the detach first. Then check the review queue. Those two checks cover the causes Figma's help pages describe most directly.

A worked example: the button that stopped matching

Say you change the fill of a live button on a new screen. The fill override stays on that instance, and library updates still reach it. Later you detach the same button to change its label. Now the library's corner radius update never reaches that copy.

Open the Libraries panel and you will not find the detached button in the review list. That is expected. The link is gone, so no review can bring the update back. The fix is to swap the frame back to the live component.

Figma's swap article says overrides stay by default when you swap libraries. Test the swap on one button first. Then check the label and the fill before you swap a whole page.

When detaching is the right call

Detaching is not always a mistake. A one-off illustration, a mockup that will never ship, or a copy that must differ on purpose can all justify a detach. Detach on purpose. Then write the reason in the layer name or in the team channel.

Know what you give up. That copy will never receive a fix from the library, including a fix you want later. Decide before you cut the link, not after the next publish.

Keep the whole team on one version

Most stale instances are team problems, not single-file problems. One person publishes without a summary. Another never reviews. A third detaches a copy to get unstuck. A short rule set helps. Keep it short enough that people will read it.

• Write a publish summary that names the components that changed.
• Post each publish in your team channel the same day.
• Review pending updates after each publish, not whenever someone remembers.
• Detach only with a reason on the layer or in the channel.
• Swap a component when you need another version, instead of detaching it.

Slack is the easy place to post the note. Hold fn and dictate it instead of typing. Dictation drops clean, formatted text at the cursor in any app. Read it back before you send it.

Where Lazur helps, and where it does not

Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac. Hold ⌥⌘ (Option and Command) to ask about anything on screen, and Lazur answers out loud. It points at things, explains what it sees, and guides you one click at a time. It waits for each click before it moves on.

Lazur does not click buttons or edit your file for you. It is not a plugin for Figma. For this problem, Lazur can show you where Review library updates is and draft the publish summary. You still make the design call and click the buttons yourself.

Menu paths and shortcuts for this workflow

Plan limits and what they cost

Libraries need a paid Figma plan, and Figma's pages do not agree on which plans qualify. Figma's Starter plan overview lists No team libraries under limited features. It also caps Starter at 3 Figma Design files in one folder.

Figma's pricing page lists a Professional full seat at $16 per month and includes team-wide design libraries. Figma's sharing article lists libraries only on Education, Organization, Government, and Enterprise plans. Check the pricing page and your own plan before you buy.

What the evidence does and does not show

I did not find a study that measures the time or money lost to stale components. The survey numbers on this page cover design systems in general. They do not measure library updates on their own.

The fixes here come from Figma's help pages. Those pages document the steps. They do not test whether a step fixes a stale instance, so treat them as the documented route and check what you see on your screen.

Some forum threads point at other causes, such as invalid items that block a publish. I did not open those threads to verify them, so this page leaves them out. The release notes I checked did not mention libraries or detaching either.