Release Notes 2026: February Edition | Figma

Quick Overview

Figma's February 2026 Release Notes introduce major updates including Glass effects for text and objects, enhanced image cropping precision, FigJam emoji stamps for collaborative feedback, the ability to convert designs to prototypes using Make connectors, and new plugin functionality via the Draw features API.

Key Points: Figma introduced Glass effects, which allow users to apply glassmorphism to text and objects with controls for light, reflection, depth, and refraction. Image cropping received precision improvements, allowing users to select specific aspect ratios like Square (1:1) or Portrait, and use AI to expand backgrounds while maintaining aspect ratio. FigJam now features custom emoji stamps, allowing teams to react collaboratively to ideas on the board using emojis like melting face, caterpillar, and fire. The Make feature introduced Connectors, enabling users to link designs to external tools like Amplitude, GitHub, and Jira, and allowing for bidirectional data flow. Figma's API now supports the creation of plugins using Draw features, empowering developers to build more powerful vector editing tools. The team announced that the next Release Notes episode will cover updates related to Figma's presence at the Config 2026 conference and a giveaway for tickets, flights, and hotel accommodations.

Context: This video presents the Figma Release Notes for February 2026, hosted by David Curran and featuring guest Yuhki Yamashita, Figma's Chief Product Officer, alongside Mari Kong and Kaitie Chambers. The hosts introduce several major feature updates across Figma and FigJam, emphasizing improvements to design tooling, collaborative feedback mechanisms, and workflow integration with external services.

Detailed Analysis

The February 2026 Figma Release Notes cover several significant updates. First, Figma expanded its effects capabilities by introducing the Glass effect, which can be applied to text and objects, offering granular control over light angle, reflection, depth, and refraction. Furthermore, image manipulation received enhancements, allowing users to crop images with greater precision, including preset aspect ratios like Square (1:1) and Portrait, and utilize AI to expand the image background while preserving the content's original aspect ratio. In FigJam, custom emoji stamps were launched, enabling teams to provide richer, more expressive feedback on digital whiteboards using new emojis like the melting face, caterpillar, and fire. A major workflow improvement came via Make Connectors, which allow users to connect Figma designs directly to external tools such as Amplitude, GitHub, and Jira, facilitating bidirectional data flow. This supports a modern design workflow where design and code are closely linked. Additionally, Figma expanded its plugin capabilities by allowing developers to create plugins using Draw features, making it possible to build custom vector editing tools. The hosts also mentioned that the next release notes will feature a giveaway for Config 2026 tickets, flights, and hotel accommodations, with submissions closing at noon Pacific time on March 5th. Finally, David Curran expressed his excitement about the continued evolution of software aiding design and development, noting that the goal is to make the process more intuitive and less siloed.