Unpacking the beta release with some real talk from the design community
Every year, Figma Config feels like a festival for product designers, devs, and system builders. Config 2025 didn’t disappoint—touching down in San Francisco, going global with a London event, and offering a free virtual track so everyone could join the fun. As always, it came packed with announcements and sneak peeks into Figma’s future.
But among all the shiny new features, one stood out and sparked the most buzz:
Grid Auto Layout — finally, a solution for managing complex grids and data tables natively in Figma.
That buzz, though? It didn’t last.
As designers got their hands on the beta, excitement quickly turned to frustration. What looked so promising onstage at Config felt… half-baked in the wild. The community has been vocal, and it’s time we unpack that feedback.
What Is Grid Auto Layout, Anyway?
Let’s set the scene.
For years, we’ve hacked together grid-like structures using nested Auto Layouts—great in theory, but quickly messy in practice. Think: clunky resizing, breakpoints that don’t break right, and a lot of manual tweaking.
Enter Grid Auto Layout. Announced at Config 2025, the feature promised a smarter, more intuitive way to build dynamic grid systems directly inside Figma. Think marketing pages with column spans, responsive product grids, and those annoying data tables—all easier, faster, cleaner.
That was the dream.
Reality Check: What Designers Are Actually Saying
Once the beta landed, the community wasted no time in sharing their experience—and, well, it wasn’t all sunshine and smooth snapping. Here’s what designers are saying:
1. “Underbaked” and “Basically Useless”
Those are actual quotes from early testers.
Many felt the feature wasn’t ready. Words like “limited,” “incomplete,” and “useless for real work” floated across forums. There’s a strong sense it was rushed out for the Config demo, not because it was ready for everyday use.
Some even worry this might shake confidence in Figma’s ability to deliver on its bigger feature promises.
2. The Missing Piece: “Hug Contents”
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.
If there’s one piece of feedback that’s practically shouted from every corner of the design community, it’s this:
The absence of “Hug Contents” for rows and columns is a dealbreaker.
Here’s why it matters:
- Text Blocks That Wrap: Without “Hug,” text can overflow or get clipped. Layouts break. Designers weep.
- Dynamic Data Tables: In real-world scenarios, table rows need to auto-resize based on content height. No “Hug”? No dice.
- Responsive Flexibility: Anytime content inside a cell changes, the container should adapt. “Hug” made that easy. Without it, we’re back to manual resizing hell.
Designers aren’t being dramatic—this one feature is essential for any modern grid-based system.
3. Doesn’t Match Web Standards (Like CSS Grid or Flexbox)
Another major criticism: Grid Auto Layout doesn’t behave like CSS Grid or Flexbox, which most designers and devs already understand.
This disconnect makes handoffs harder. It also creates unnecessary learning curves. Designers expected Grid Auto Layout to mirror the logic of the web, not reinvent it.
One frustrated user asked:
“Why introduce a new layout model when Flex Grid already exists and works?”
There’s a big opportunity here for Figma to align better with how developers think.
4. Table Woes & Broken Workflows
You’d think data tables—the poster child use case—would be easy with Grid Auto Layout.
Spoiler: they’re not.
- Duplicating a row sometimes adds columns (huh?).
- Some features that worked in old Auto Layout now break or behave unexpectedly.
- Designers report needing more time and effort to build something they could do faster before.
The biggest hit? Many can’t reproduce their old layouts in the new system. That feels like a step backward.
5. Other Missing Essentials
Let’s quickly list a few more pain points:
- No easy way to select everything in one row or column.
- Can’t insert new rows or columns at a specific location.
- Grid gaps can’t be linked to tokens/variables.
- Limited alignment options within grid cells.
- No support for naming areas (like in CSS Grid).
- General performance feels slow with large grids (e.g., tables with 100+ columns).
These gaps add up to a frustrating user experience, especially when trying to build scalable design systems.
What Should You Do Right Now?
If you’re experimenting with Grid Auto Layout, here’s our advice based on the current beta state:
✅ Stick With What Works
Nested Auto Layout might still be your best friend—for now. If it gets the job done, don’t feel pressure to switch just yet.
⚠️ Use the Beta With Caution
If you’re working on critical layouts, the beta might introduce more problems than it solves. Test in safe spaces, not production projects.
🗣 Share Feedback (Loudly)
Remember, Figma wants your feedback—this is the whole point of a beta. Be clear, specific, and explain why a feature like “Hug” is mission-critical for your workflow.
What About Product Teams?
Figma’s team clearly had good intentions, but the feedback reveals a deeper lesson:
Cool announcements are only exciting if the product actually works when users try it.
This isn’t just about one missing feature. It’s about listening closely to how designers work every day and aligning product decisions with real-world use cases.
Final Thoughts
Grid Auto Layout has massive potential. The idea? Brilliant. The reality (so far)? Not ready.
If Figma can take this passionate feedback and act fast—especially around “Hug contents” and CSS-like logic—there’s hope this feature can become everything we wanted.
Until then, the design community will be watching, waiting, and yes—still hugging their Auto Layout frames a little tighter.
