How to download and install Figma on Mac
The Figma desktop app gives you Figma and FigJam in their own window on your Mac, and it comes from Figma’s website. Here is which version to pick, how to install it and how your Mac’s fonts get into Figma.
Figma
- macOS 12 or later
- Apple Silicon and Intel
- Free plan. Paid plans for teams
Or the installer straight from the developer’s server:
The links go to the developer’s website (figma.com, desktop.figma.com). MacWashing is not affiliated with the developer and keeps no installers.
Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities) and run:
brew install --cask figmaHomebrew downloads the app from the developer’s server, checks the file and puts the app in Applications.
No Homebrew yet? How to install Homebrew: one command from brew.sh.
Which version to download
Figma has separate builds for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. If you download the app directly, check which chip your Mac has first:
- Choose Apple menu › About This Mac.
- If you see Chip with Apple M1, M2 or later, take the version for Apple Silicon. If you see Processor with Intel, take the one for Intel.
Figma needs macOS 12 Monterey or later and a Figma account. Download it only from figma.com.
How to install Figma
- Open
Figma.zipin your Downloads folder: macOS unpacks Figma next to it. - Drag Figma to the Applications folder.
- Open Figma from Applications and click Open when macOS asks about an app downloaded from the internet.
- Sign in to your Figma account. Figma may open your browser for this and then return you to the app.
The download button on Figma’s website may give you a small installer instead. Open it: it downloads and installs Figma by itself.
What to set up after the first launch
- Fonts. The desktop app includes Figma’s font installer, so fonts installed on your Mac show up in Figma. The separate font installer on the downloads page is only for using Figma in the browser.
- Cache. Figma keeps copies of the files you open so they load faster, and the cache grows with large files.
- Updates. Figma updates itself. Restart the app when it says an update is ready.
- The download. Move
Figma.zipfrom Downloads to the Trash once Figma runs.
If Figma won’t install or open
- «Figma is damaged and can’t be opened». The download was incomplete. Delete the file and download it again from
figma.com. - Figma doesn’t start on an older Mac. Check your macOS version in About This Mac: Figma needs macOS 12 or later. On an older Mac, use Figma in the browser.
- Your fonts don’t appear. Quit Figma completely and open it again. The font helper starts with the app.
- Figma keeps crashing. Remove it with its cache and helpers and install it again: see how to uninstall Figma on Mac.
Alternatives to Figma
Keep your Mac tidy
System Junk in MacWashing finds the caches apps build up over time, Figma’s included, and shows how much space they take. And if you decide to remove Figma, the Uninstaller takes its files with it.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Is Figma for Mac free?
Yes. The app is free, and the free Starter plan is enough to try Figma and work on a few files. Paid plans add more files, team libraries and other features.
Do I need an account, and is Figma in the Mac App Store?
You need a Figma account: your files are stored in it. For Mac, Figma offers the desktop app on figma.com, not in the Mac App Store.
Do I need the Figma font installer?
Not with the desktop app: it already includes the font installer. Install it separately only if you work in Figma in the browser and want to use fonts from your Mac.