- Adobe XD User Guide
- Introduction
- Design
- Artboards, guides, and layers
- Shapes, objects, and path
- Text and fonts
- Components and states
- Masking and effects
- Layout
- Videos and Lottie animations
- Prototype
- Create interactive prototypes
- Animate prototypes
- Object properties supported for auto-animate
- Create prototypes with keyboard and gamepad
- Create prototypes using voice commands and playback
- Create timed transitions
- Add overlays
- Design voice prototypes
- Create anchor links
- Create hyperlinks
- Preview designs and prototypes
- Share, export, and review
- Share selected artboards
- Share designs and prototypes
- Set access permissions for links
- Work with prototypes
- Review prototypes
- Work with design specs
- Share design specs
- Inspect design specs
- Navigate design specs
- Review and comment design specs
- Export design assets
- Export and download assets from design specs
- Group sharing for enterprise
- Back up or transfer XD assets
- Design systems
- Cloud documents
- Integrations and plugins
- Work with external assets
- Work with design assets from Photoshop
- Copy and paste assets from Photoshop
- Import or open Photoshop designs
- Work with Illustrator assets in Adobe XD
- Open or import Illustrator designs
- Copy vectors from Illustrator to XD
- Plugins for Adobe XD
- Create and manage plugins
- Jira integration for XD
- Slack plugin for XD
- Zoom plug-in for XD
- Publish design from XD to Behance
- XD for iOS and Android
- Troubleshooting
- Known and fixed issues
- Installation and updates
- Launch and crash
- Cloud documents and Creative Cloud Libraries
- Prototype, publish, and review
- Import, export, and working with other apps
Learn how to view, create, group, lock, hide, and move layers in Adobe XD.
Layers in Adobe XD is an adaptation of the layers in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop that you know and depend on but are reimagined for UX designers. Only the layers associated with the artboard you're working on are highlighted so your panel stays clean and uncluttered. You can view all the artboards in your document and immediately pan and zoom to a specific artboard from the Layers panel. Double-clicking an artboard icon contextually displays only the layers for that artboard. Reorder, rename, show/hide, and lock/unlock layers quickly and easily.
Access layers using the shortcut Cmd + Y ( macOS) or Ctrl + Y (Windows), or click the icon in the toolbar.
To expand or collapse all nodes in the Layers Panel at once, use Cmd + Click (macOS) or Ctrl + click (Windows), and save your time and effort.
Search within layers
You can search the Layers panel by layer names, or filter layers by text, shapes, and image categories. Search experience is optimized to show only relevant layers and artboards containing the keyword, without the layers structure (example-expanded groups) in the context of using Auto-Animate. Recent search keywords are temporarily saved in the filter dropdown for easy access, like in the Assets panel.
By default, each object in your project resides on its own layer. For example, when you draw a rectangle, a new layer for this rectangle is created. When you draw another rectangle, a separate layer, with the default name 'Rectangle 2' is created.
When you group objects on the artboard, the layers corresponding to the grouped objects are also grouped in the Layers panel. When you combine objects using Boolean operations, the layers of objects are replaced with a single layer, with the name of the Boolean operation.
You can manage layers, for example, group, rename, duplicate, or export layers, using the Layers panel:
- To group layers, multiselect layers, right-click, and pick Group from the context menu.
- To expand or collapse all nodes in the Layers Panel at once, use Cmd + Click (macOS) or Ctrl + click (Windows), and save your time and effort.
- To rename a layer easily, press Cmd+Opt+R (macOS) or Ctrl+Alt+R (Windows), and type a new name. To edit the next layer or artboard name, press Tab while the current layer name is still in the edit mode.
- To duplicate a layer, right-click the layer and select Duplicate.
- To hide a layer, hover your mouse over the layer, and click . To show the layer, click . Hidden layers are not visible on the artboard.
- To lock a layer, hover your mouse over the layer, and click . To unlock the layer, click the . Locked layers are excluded from all the editing operations that you perform on the artboard.
- To export layers, select the layers, right-click, and select Export. Choose the export options in the dialog box that is displayed.
- To create a component using a layer or a group of layers, right-click the layer and select Make Component. For more information, see Work with components.
- To delete a layer, right-click the layer and select Delete.
You can manage artboards easily using the Layers panel. For example, if you are working with layers, press Esc, and the Layers panel switches to the artboard view. You can also right-click the artboard names in the Layers panel to copy, paste, duplicate, rename, delete, or export artboards.
Objects that are not on any artboard and are placed on pasteboard, are grouped under 'Pasteboard' in the Layers panel.