How to restore earlier version in Figma on Mac: step by step for the desktop app

What version history keeps in Figma

Figma saves checkpoints of your file as you work. It records a new one every 30 minutes. It also adds one after a dropped connection or a crash. Autosave checkpoints can't be removed from history. That makes them a safety net for the work you forget to save.

How far back you can go depends on your plan. Drafts and the Starter plan can reach up to 30 days of history. Paid plans can reach the full history of existing files. Figma's pricing page lists a 30-day limit. The text doesn't say which plan that column belongs to, so check your own plan before you count on an old version.

The desktop app gives you the same features as the browser version. It adds extras, such as installing plugins and widgets, using locally installed fonts, and desktop notifications. Figma's version history help article doesn't list any difference between the two. So the steps here apply to either one. Menus can still move between releases, so trust the names you see on screen.

Open version history on a Mac

Start by clicking an empty spot on the canvas. That deselects your layers. Figma's help article starts there, so start there too. Starting from an empty canvas keeps the next clicks predictable.

Next, look at the top-left toolbar. The menu icon sits beside the file name. Click it, then choose Show Version History. The history opens in the right sidebar. Opening the list doesn't change your file. It only shows you what's there.

The help article describes this menu in words rather than pictures. If your toolbar looks a little different, match the option name rather than the icon. Show Version History is the name to look for.

Preview a version before you restore it

Select a version in the list to preview it in the viewport. You see the old layers, text, and frames on the canvas. The live file stays the same. Take your time here. Zoom, scroll, and check the parts of the file you care about.

Say a designer changed a button style on Friday, and the team wants the old one back. Open version history. Move through the list until you reach the last version before the change. Select it, then look at the button on the canvas. If the old style is there, you're ready to restore. If the button still looks new, select the next version in the list and check again.

Restore This Version and what it changes

Click the options control beside the version you want. Then choose Restore This Version. This is the step that changes your file. Figma adds two autosave checkpoints. One saves the state from before the restore. The other sits at the timestamp of the version you restored.

Those two checkpoints are your undo. If the restored version is wrong, open version history again. Find the checkpoint from just before the restore, preview it, and restore that one. The newer work stays in history as that earlier checkpoint.

Read the table as a checklist. Only one row changes your file, so keep that row for the moment you're sure.

Ask Lazur for help with the menu

If you'd rather not hunt through menus, hold ⌥⌘ and ask Lazur. Lazur looks at your screen while you hold the shortcut, and it answers out loud. Ask where Show Version History is, and Lazur draws a circle and a label around it.

Ask for a walk-through, and Lazur guides you one click at a time. It waits for each click before it moves on. It doesn't click buttons or edit your file for you. You still press every key and make every choice. That suits you when you're still learning Figma.

Good questions are specific. Try 'where is Show Version History?' or 'walk me through restoring an earlier version.' Lazur works from what's on your screen, so keep the file open while you ask.

Save a named version before a risky change

The 30-minute checkpoint is automatic. It may not land on the exact state you want. Before a big edit, save a named version. On Mac, press ⌘⌥S. Pick a name you'll recognize later, such as Before nav rebuild.

Named versions are easier to find than autosave entries. Deleting the info on a version turns it into a date-and-time autosave. Figma says that can't be undone. So name the version carefully, and leave the name alone once it's useful.

Restore from the file browser with a Mac shortcut

Figma's help article also documents a shortcut from the file browser. Hold Shift, Control, and Option together, then click the file. That starts a restore from version. The article lists this for Mac, but it doesn't say whether it behaves the same everywhere. Test it on a copy first.

The help article doesn't document a keyboard shortcut for Show Version History or Restore This Version. Some third-party lists name one. Figma's own article doesn't, so this guide doesn't use one. Use the menu path in the steps instead.

Export from an old version without restoring

Sometimes you want one asset from last week, not the whole file back. Open the older version and press ⌘⇧E. That exports using your export settings. Your live file stays the same. This is useful for handing off an old icon or image without touching the current design.

Who can restore and what the plan allows

• Restoring, naming, deleting, and creating versions all need edit access.
• View-only access can't restore. The help article doesn't say whether viewers can preview older versions of a shared file.
• Drafts and the Starter plan show up to 30 days of history.
• Paid plans show the full history of existing files.
• Version descriptions in Dev Mode need an Education (K-12), Organization, Government, or Enterprise plan, plus a Full or Dev seat.

If the version you remember is missing, check its date first. On Starter, anything older than 30 days may not show. That limit comes from the plan, so no restore inside the file can reach past it.

Desktop app requirements and updates

The Figma desktop app runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs. It needs macOS 12 Monterey or later. If your Mac runs an older system, use Figma in a browser instead. The browser has the same core features.

Figma ends support for previous desktop app versions six months after release. The app prompts you to update. On managed computers, an administrator may need to install the update. Take the update before a big restore, so you work in the current build.

Figma's release notes dated Oct 27, 2026 cover viewing and restoring previous versions of generative plugins and shaders. Editing those now creates a new version. That change concerns plugin and shader content. The release notes I checked don't change the Show Version History steps.

When restored edits seem to be missing

A Figma community thread from September 2024 describes restored edits that looked missing after a desktop app update. A Figma staff member suggested clearing the desktop app cache. The thread closed for replies without a confirmed fix. The poster's workaround was to duplicate a version and recreate the changes by hand.

Start with the simple checks. Confirm you chose the right version, and confirm your plan still covers that date. Then duplicate the file before you try a cache clear. That way you keep a copy of what you have now.

Comments and deleted work after a restore

Comments from all versions stay in the file, including resolved ones. A restore doesn't remove later comments. That matters when a reviewer left notes after the version you restored. Those notes are still there when you return to the live file.

Deleted comments are the exception. Deletion is permanent. Restoring an older version won't bring back a comment someone deleted. If you need that feedback, copy the text somewhere safe before you restore.

• Keeps comments from every version, including resolved ones.
• Adds two autosave checkpoints you can restore from.
• Doesn't bring back deleted comments.
• Doesn't remove autosave checkpoints from history.

Mistakes people make with version history

• Treating a preview as a restore. Selecting a version only shows it. Restore This Version is the step that changes the file.
• Forgetting to exit. After you restore, click Edit current version to leave history and return to the live file.
• Relying on autosave for a risky change. Save a named version with ⌘⌥S first.
• Expecting deleted comments to return. Deletion is permanent, so they don't come back.
• Assuming old versions exist on Starter. History only reaches back 30 days there.
• Trying to restore with view-only access. Restoring needs edit access.

Most of these come from one habit. Check what each click does before you make it. Preview first, restore second, and check the result on the canvas.

What to do next

Keep the file open after the restore, and make one more pass on the parts you changed. Then save a named version of the restored state, so you can find it later.

If you plan to share the file for review, read how to share a Figma file with view access first. For the desktop app setup, see how to install the Figma desktop app on Mac. For the shortcut list, see how to show keyboard shortcuts in Figma on Mac.