How to Install Figma on Ubuntu 24.04: The Complete Guide for UI/UX Designers

Whether you’re a seasoned UI/UX designer or just stepping into the world of digital product creation, Figma has almost certainly landed on your radar. It’s become the gold standard for collaborative interface design — and for good reason. But if you’re running Ubuntu 24.04 as your daily driver, you’ve probably run into a frustrating wall: Figma has no official Linux desktop client.

Don’t worry. By the end of this guide, you’ll have Figma fully running on your Ubuntu machine using three reliable installation methods, plus a deep understanding of what makes Figma worth the effort in the first place.

What Is Figma? A Closer Look at the Platform

Before jumping into terminal commands, let’s talk about why Figma deserves a spot in your toolkit.

Figma is a cloud-based design platform built specifically for creating digital interfaces — apps, websites, dashboards, and everything in between. Unlike traditional design tools that require heavy local installations, Figma runs primarily in the browser, which means your work lives in the cloud and is accessible from virtually any device with a modern web browser.

Since its launch in 2015, Figma has fundamentally changed how product teams work. The secret? Real-time collaboration baked directly into the core experience, not bolted on as an afterthought.

The Core Design Canvas

At the heart of Figma is an infinite canvas where designers craft everything from rough wireframes to pixel-perfect prototypes. The tool supports vector graphics editing, auto layout for responsive design, components and design systems, and powerful prototyping that lets you simulate real user flows without writing a single line of code.

What sets Figma apart from legacy tools like Adobe XD or Sketch is its frame-based approach combined with constraint-based layouts. Frames act like intelligent artboards that understand how elements should behave when resized or placed on different screen sizes.

Real-Time Collaboration

Figma popularized what is now an industry expectation: multiple designers working on the same file simultaneously, seeing each other’s cursors in real time. This fundamentally shifted how design reviews, stakeholder feedback, and cross-functional collaboration happen. No more emailing .sketch files back and forth or hunting for “the latest version.”

Teams can comment directly on designs, tag colleagues, and resolve threads — all within the design file itself.

Figma in 2025: A Platform, Not Just a Tool

At Config 2025 — Figma’s annual design conference held in San Francisco — the company announced a dramatic expansion of its platform. Rather than a single tool, Figma is now a suite of interconnected products:

Figma Make is a new AI-powered prompt-to-app capability that allows both designers and non-designers to transform ideas into interactive, high-fidelity prototypes using natural language prompts. You can start from a simple text description or an existing Figma design file and iterate your way to a fully coded prototype. Figma Make can even connect to real databases — tools like Supabase — turning your prototype into a working MVP before any developer writes traditional code.

Figma Sites brings website publishing directly into the design workflow. Designers have long built website prototypes inside Figma only to hand them off for rebuilding elsewhere. Now, those prototypes can be published as live, responsive websites with animations, scroll effects, and transitions. A content management system (CMS) is also on the roadmap, making Figma a direct challenger to platforms like WordPress and Webflow.

Figma Draw addresses a longstanding pain point: vector illustration. Previously, designers had to hop between Figma and external tools like Adobe Illustrator to create custom icons or detailed illustrations. Figma Draw brings advanced vector editing directly into the design workspace — including brushes with variable stroke width, text on a path, pattern fills, noise and texture effects, a Shape Builder tool, multi-vector editing, and lasso selection. Think of it as handling roughly 80% of everyday Illustrator tasks without ever leaving your design environment.

Figma Buzz targets marketing and brand teams. It lets marketers use designer-approved, locked templates to generate thousands of creative variants at scale — pulling data from CSV files or applying AI-assisted imagery — without breaking brand guidelines. Social media assets, ad creatives, and campaign materials can be produced in bulk with consistent brand governance.

Beyond these four new products, Figma also enhanced its Dev Mode — the bridge between design and engineering. Automatic component annotations, improved CSS and design token exports, and better developer documentation make handoffs smoother than ever. The company also added MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration for FigJam, enabling coding agents to generate architecture diagrams and entity-relationship diagrams directly from development workflows.

For enterprise customers, new governance features include viewer restrictions (preventing view-only users from copying or exporting files) and user insights for organization admins. Figma also simplified its pricing model: each user now needs only one seat to access multiple products including Figma Design, FigJam, Figma Slides, and Dev Mode.

Why Use Figma on Linux at All?

You might wonder: since Figma runs in the browser, why bother installing a desktop app?

Fair question. The browser version works well, but a dedicated desktop application brings meaningful quality-of-life improvements. Your Figma tabs stay completely separate from the rest of your browsing, eliminating accidental tab closures and reducing browser memory competition with your other work. The desktop app also handles deep linking better — Figma file links open directly in the app rather than routing through the browser. Files and prototypes even preload in the background so they’re ready when you switch to them.

For designers working on large, complex files with hundreds of components, every bit of performance headroom matters.

The Linux Reality: Community to the Rescue

Here’s the honest truth: Figma does not provide an official Linux desktop client. The company offers native apps for Windows and macOS, but Linux is left out.

What fills that gap is the open-source community. A project called figma-linux — hosted on GitHub and maintained by community contributors — provides an Electron-based desktop wrapper for Figma that works on Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, Fedora, and other distributions. It’s available through multiple installation channels: Snap, Flatpak, .deb package, AppImage, and even the AUR for Arch users.

The app has accumulated thousands of downloads and is actively maintained. It gives you the same Figma experience as the official macOS app — because the official macOS app is also, functionally, an Electron wrapper around the Figma web app.

System Requirements

Before installing, make sure your Ubuntu 24.04 system meets these baseline requirements:

• Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) — 64-bit
• At least 4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended for larger Figma files)
• Active internet connection (Figma is a cloud-based tool)
• A Figma account (free to create at figma.com)

Method 1: Install Figma via Snap (Recommended)

Snap is Ubuntu’s built-in universal package manager and is the simplest, most widely tested path to running Figma on Ubuntu 24.04. The figma-linux Snap package is listed on the official Snap Store.

Ubuntu 24.04 ships with Snap pre-installed, so no additional setup is typically required.

Step 1 — Confirm Snap is installed and up to date:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install snapd

If Snap is already installed, this command simply confirms it’s current. No harm in running it either way.

Step 2 — Install figma-linux from the Snap Store:

sudo snap install figma-linux

The installation will download the package along with its dependencies and install it automatically. You’ll see a progress indicator in the terminal.

Step 3 — Enable access to local fonts (important for designers):

By default, the sandboxed Snap environment can’t read fonts installed on your system. This command creates a symbolic link that bridges that gap:

sudo ln -s $HOME/.local/share/fonts $HOME/snap/figma-linux/current/.local/share/

This step ensures that any custom typefaces you’ve installed locally — from Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts, or your own font library — show up inside Figma just as they would on macOS or Windows.

Step 4 — Launch Figma:

You can launch Figma from your application menu by searching for “Figma,” or run it from the terminal:

snap run figma-linux

On first launch, you’ll be prompted to log in through your browser. Complete the authentication and you’ll be redirected back into the desktop app. After that initial login, you won’t need the browser again.

Method 2: Install via .deb Package (Snap-Free Alternative)

Some Ubuntu users prefer to avoid Snap for various reasons — whether it’s startup time, personal preference, or system configuration. The .deb package is a clean alternative.

Step 1 — Download the latest .deb package:

Visit the figma-linux GitHub releases page:

https://github.com/Figma-Linux/figma-linux/releases

Look for the file ending in _linux_x86_64.deb under the latest release. Download it to your ~/Downloads folder.

Step 2 — Install the package using dpkg:

cd ~/Downloads
sudo dpkg -i figma-linux_*.deb

Replace the wildcard * with the exact version number if needed, for example: figma-linux_0.11.0_linux_x86_64.deb.

Step 3 — Resolve any dependency issues:

If dpkg reports missing dependencies during installation, run:

sudo apt install -f

This automatically fetches and installs any missing libraries.

Step 4 — Launch Figma:

Search for Figma in your application launcher, or run:

figma-linux

Method 3: Install via Flatpak

Flatpak is another universal packaging system and a solid alternative for users who want sandboxed applications without Snap. Flatpak is not installed by default on Ubuntu 24.04, so you’ll need to set it up first.

Step 1 — Install Flatpak:

sudo apt install flatpak

Step 2 — Add the Flathub repository:

Flathub is the primary source for Flatpak applications:

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Step 3 — Install figma-linux from Flathub:

flatpak install flathub io.github.Figma_Linux.figma_linux

Follow the prompts to confirm the installation.

Step 4 — Launch Figma:

flatpak run io.github.Figma_Linux.figma_linux

Or search for it in your application menu after a restart.

Method 4: Using Figma Directly in the Browser (No Installation)

If desktop apps aren’t your style, or if you’re on a restricted system, simply open your browser and go to:

https://www.figma.com

Log in with your account and you’ll have full access to the design canvas, your files, and collaboration features — no installation required. For casual use or quick access on a new machine, this is perfectly viable.

Troubleshooting Common Issues on Ubuntu 24.04

Figma launches but doesn’t open properly:

Try creating a desktop entry manually if the launcher icon is missing. Create a file at ~/.local/share/applications/figma.desktop with the following content:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Figma
Exec=/snap/bin/figma-linux
Icon=/snap/figma-linux/current/usr/share/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps/figma.svg
Type=Application
Categories=Graphics;Design;

Then update the application database:

update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications

Login redirect doesn’t return to the app:

This is a known issue with some Linux environments. After clicking “Log in” and authenticating in the browser, if Figma doesn’t automatically reopen, try running:

xdg-settings set default-url-scheme-handler figma figma-linux.desktop

Then try the login process again.

Fonts not appearing inside Figma:

Make sure you ran the font symlink command from Method 1. If you’re using the .deb or Flatpak versions, manually check where your local fonts are stored (~/.local/share/fonts or /usr/share/fonts) and ensure Figma can access that path.

App freezing on large files:

Close other memory-intensive applications while working in Figma. If you’re consistently hitting performance limits, consider adding more RAM or using Figma directly in Chrome, which may handle certain rendering tasks more efficiently than the Electron wrapper.

Getting Started with Figma After Installation

Once you’re up and running, here are a few things worth setting up right away:

Create or import a design file. Click the “+” button from the home screen to start a new file. Choose a frame size that matches your target device — Figma provides presets for iOS, Android, desktop, and tablet dimensions.

Explore plugins. The Figma community has built thousands of plugins covering everything from icon libraries and color palette generators to accessibility checkers and content filler tools. Navigate to the menu → Plugins → Browse Plugins in Community.

Set up Auto Layout. Auto Layout is one of Figma’s most powerful features for building responsive components. Select a frame or group, then press Shift + A to enable it. Elements inside will automatically reflow based on the rules you define — similar to CSS Flexbox.

Connect with your team. Share any file by clicking “Share” in the top right corner. You can invite collaborators via email or generate a shareable link with view or edit permissions.

Figma Pricing: What’s Free and What Isn’t

Figma operates on a freemium model. The Starter plan is free and includes unlimited personal files, unlimited collaborators on 3 active files, and access to Figma’s core design and prototyping tools. It’s genuinely capable for individual projects and small teams getting started.

As of 2025, Figma’s AI-powered features — including Figma Make — are available even on the free Starter plan. This is a significant offer for designers who want to experiment with prompt-driven prototyping without a paid subscription.

Paid tiers (Professional, Organization, Enterprise) unlock unlimited active files, advanced sharing permissions, branching, design system analytics, and the governance and admin features discussed earlier. Pricing details and the latest plan comparison are available at figma.com/pricing.

Conclusion

Figma has earned its place as the default choice for digital product design — not through marketing, but through genuine utility. Real-time collaboration, a powerful component system, seamless designer-to-developer handoff, and now an expanding suite of AI-powered tools make it a formidable platform.

Running it on Ubuntu 24.04 requires one extra step compared to macOS or Windows, but the figma-linux community has made that step straightforward. Whether you prefer Snap for its simplicity, a .deb package for a traditional installation experience, or Flatpak for sandboxed isolation, you have solid options.

Pick the method that suits your workflow, get Figma installed, and start designing. The canvas is waiting.

Have questions about the installation process or running into issues not covered here? Drop a comment below or visit the figma-linux GitHub repository for community support and the latest release notes.