Figma is a popular graphic design tool that allows wireframing, creating high-fidelity user interface designs, prototyping, and more in a real-time collaborative environment. One of the most loved features of Figma is its ability to run inside a browser, which makes it platform-independent.
However, you might prefer the native application feel over a browser-based one. Figma does not have any official Linux client at the moment, but you can still install it on Linux as an application with an open-source client. Let's find out how.
Install the Unofficial Figma Client
Figma-Linux is an unofficial, open-source Electron-based Figma desktop app for Linux that you can use as an alternative. Even though it is an unofficial client, this does not mean that the app could be malicious, thanks to its open-source nature. The source code is hosted on a GitHub repository with over 1,200 stars and 55,000 downloads.
There are multiple ways to install figma-linux on your Linux machine, popular ones being the universal methods such as snap packages and the AppImage release. If you are using a snap enabled distro such as Ubuntu, you can install the package from the Snap Store by running the following command in the terminal:
sudo snap install figma-linux
Alternatively, you can opt to download the AppImage from the repository's releases page. To make it executable, issue the following commands:
chmod +x figma-linux-*.AppImage
sudo ./figma-linux-*.AppImage -i
Be sure to replace the Asterisk (*) with the version of figma-linux you've downloaded.
Alongside the universal packages, there are also distribution-specific packages for Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, Arch-based Linux distributions. Head over to the releases page to download the DEB package for Debian and Ubuntu-based distributions or the RPM package for Red Hat distributions.
On Debian-based distributions, issue the following command to install the downloaded package:
sudo dpkg -i figma-linux-*.deb
Similarly, on Fedora and CentOS:
sudo rpm -i figma-linux-*.rpm
Again, make sure to replace the Asterisk (*) with the version of the package you have downloaded.
On Arch-based distributions, you can download Figma Linux from the AUR using yay:
yay -S figma-linux
After successfully installing the package, you can open up Figma Linux from the applications menu and enjoy the Figma native app experience on Linux.
Creating Designs on Linux With Figma
While you can run Figma on the browser itself, additional tabs and browser notifications can distract you from your work. You don't have to worry about that anymore with Figma Linux. It is an unofficial Figma client that you can download to enjoy the native app experience on your Linux machine.
After downloading Figma on your Linux system, it's time to get creative and build some amazing designs. New to Figma or don't know where to start? How about exploring Figma's best features to understand its potential in the field of designing.