How it works
From a PDF to editable layers
Six short steps, nothing else to set up. The PDF is processed inside the plugin, on your computer, and never uploaded.
Benefits
Made to fit the way you work
Nothing else to install
The plugin runs inside Figma, in the desktop app or a supported browser.
It stays on your computer
The plugin reads the PDF with pdf.js, inside Figma. The PDF is never uploaded.
Back to PDF when you're done
The Export PDF tab turns your frames into one PDF, with links and bookmarks: free and unlimited, with no account.
The steps
Six short steps
From installing the plugin to exporting back to PDF.
- Step 01
Install the plugin
Once it is published, open the plugins menu in Figma, search for Docs to Design and run it. It works in any design file, in the desktop app or a supported browser.
- Nothing else to install
- Desktop app or browser
Coming soon to the Figma Community. Create your free account now, and you can connect the plugin the day it is out.
- Step 02
Connect your account
Without an account, the plugin imports the first 3 pages of any PDF. To pick up to 20, choose Sign in: the plugin shows a code and opens this site. Sign in with Google and type the code; the plugin connects by itself a few seconds later.
- First 3 pages without an account
- 5 documents a month with one
- No payment details asked
- Step 03
Choose a PDF and its pages
Choose a PDF in the plugin; if it has a password, type it there, and it stays on your computer. In the page picker, select pages one by one or type a range: up to 20 for one import. Each page you choose becomes a frame, and the frames go in one section.
- Up to 20 pages per import
- A frame per page, in a section
- Step 04
Choose a mode and options
Editable, the default, makes text layers you can retype. Vector outlines draws text as shapes: an identical look, not editable. Image places each page as one picture. Options rebuild auto layout, make components from exact repeats, keep text as lines instead of paragraphs, and import the invisible text of scans that went through OCR.
- Editable is the default
- Components need auto layout
- Step 05
Check the fonts and import
A review screen lists each font in the PDF and the Figma font it will use: the same font where Figma has it, Google Fonts included, or a metric-compatible substitute. Change any match; your choices are remembered.
- Review every match
- Choices remembered
- Step 06
Read the report, then export
The import report lists what came in, page by page; Copy diagnostics copies it in one click. When the design is done, the Export PDF tab turns frames or a section back into one PDF. Exporting to PDF is free and unlimited: it needs no account and doesn't use imports.
- Copy diagnostics
- Export free, no account
What comes in
What carries over from your PDF
The plugin reads each page with pdf.js, the PDF engine inside the plugin, and rebuilds it as Figma layers.
Text
- Every line on the PDF's own baseline
- Letter spacing and line height kept
- Fonts matched to ones Figma can use
- Lines joined into paragraphs, or kept as lines
- Outlined lettering with a hidden text copy, as editable text
Vectors and effects
- Vectors as vector layers
- Drop shadows, masks and gradients as Figma's own, where exact
- Other effects rendered as images in place
Images
- Images as image layers
- Black-and-white scans (JBIG2, CCITT) decoded in the plugin
- JPEG 2000 and CMYK colour decoded in the plugin (JPEG 2000 in Safari needs a connection)
Structure
- A frame per page, in a section
- Auto layout, if you turn it on
- Components from exact repeats, if you turn them on
UI and product designers
For UI and product designers
Bring specs, flows and old designs that only exist as PDFs back into Figma, ready to change.
Real layers, not a picture
Every page is a frame in a section, with text, vector and image layers inside.
Auto layout from stacks
Rebuild auto layout turns stacks and columns into auto layout frames, with their spacing.
Components from repeats
Make components turns exact repeats into a component and its instances. It needs auto layout.
Presentation designers
For presentation and pitch-deck designers
Restyle a deck you were sent as a PDF, slide by slide, and send it back as one PDF.
Every slide, a frame
The pages you choose come in as frames, side by side in one section.
Lines that keep their length
Where a font isn't in Figma, a metric-compatible substitute keeps the text on the same lines.
One PDF at the end
Export frames or a section as one PDF, as designed or on A4 or Letter, with links and bookmarks.
Have a PDF to try?
Try the first 3 pages of any PDF without an account. A free account gives you 5 documents a month, up to 20 pages each, any pages you pick.
Brand and graphic designers
For brand and graphic designers
Pull logos, layouts and artwork out of print-ready PDFs without redrawing them.
Vectors stay vectors
Paths come in as editable vector layers, not flattened pixels.
Gradients, masks and shadows
Figma's own effects where they match exactly; anything else is drawn as an image in its place.
Print images, decoded
CMYK colour, JPEG 2000 and black-and-white scans are decoded inside the plugin.
Consultants
For consultants and business professionals
Turn reports and proposals into editable files you can update for the next client.
Retype, don't rebuild
Headings and paragraphs come in as text layers on their original baselines.
Protected files stay local
The plugin asks for the password and uses it only on your computer. It is never stored or sent.
A report you can send
Copy diagnostics copies the import report in one click, to send us when you need help.
Questions before you start?
The help page covers modes, options, fonts, the report, exporting and troubleshooting.
Limits
What to expect
PDF and Figma are different tools. These are the places where an import cannot be exact, and what happens instead.
Scanned pages come in as images
A scan is a picture of text, so there is no text to make editable, and fully outlined text with no hidden copy stays as shapes. Text recognition (OCR) is not available yet; it is planned. Scans that already have hidden OCR text can bring it in with Import invisible text.
Fonts must be available in Figma
Where the exact font is not available, a metric-compatible substitute is used. The review screen shows every match before you import.
Some effects become images
Where Figma has no exact equivalent, that part is rendered as an image in its place. It looks right, but it is not editable.
Damaged PDFs
If a PDF cannot be read, the plugin says so in plain words. Saving or printing it again from a PDF viewer usually helps.
Word and PowerPoint
Not available yet: both are planned. Until then, save the file as PDF and import that.
Browsers
The plugin runs where Figma does: the desktop app, Chrome 120+, Edge 121+, Firefox 128+ and Safari 17.4+.
- 01Install the document's fonts before you import, if you have them: an exact match gives the closest result.
- 02One import holds up to 20 pages: import a long document in ranges, and check each before the next.
- 03Turn on Rebuild auto layout when you plan to change the layout, not just the text.
- 04When you ask for help, use Copy diagnostics in the report and paste it in your email.
Docs to Design
Bring your next PDF into Figma.
Try the first 3 pages of any PDF without an account. A free account gives you 5 documents a month, up to 20 pages each, any pages you pick.