How to use Adobe XD — basic operations and options for existing users
“I want to learn how to use Adobe XD” — this is a common search for people starting in UI/UX design, or for those who’ve inherited existing XD files.
The catch: Adobe XD ended its standalone sales on June 22, 2023, and from 2024 onward it has been in maintenance mode. New purchases have ended, and new feature development has effectively stopped. If you’re planning to learn or keep using XD, you need to factor that situation into your decision.
This article covers the basics of how to use Adobe XD, then walks through the current constraints and the three real options for existing users (continue Creative Cloud, migrate to Figma, or pick an alternative tool). Use it to ground both the “I want to learn this first” angle and the “what do I do with my existing .xd files” angle.
What you’ll get from this article
- What Adobe XD does — feature overview
- Basic operations (artboards, tools, layers, components) at a glance
- How wireframes and prototypes get built
- How sharing, collaboration, and developer handoff work
- Adobe XD’s current state (standalone sales ended, maintenance mode)
- Three options existing users have, and how to decide between them
Disclosure
We make Pixel Fine Converter, a plugin for converting Adobe XD designs to Figma. We do mention Figma migration as one option in the latter half, but we treat the option of staying on XD seriously too and lay them out fairly. We discuss every option’s downsides honestly.
📝 Introduction — for those learning Adobe XD now
People searching “how to use Adobe XD” tend to fall into one of three situations:
- Just starting in UI/UX design and considering XD as a candidate tool
- Inherited existing XD files and need to edit or reference past work
- Long-time XD users trying to figure out what’s next
Whatever the situation, understanding both XD’s features and its current state matters before committing. This article shows the basics first, then moves to the current state and the realistic options.
A note for new learners
If you’re starting UI/UX design from scratch, learning Adobe XD as your first tool needs careful thought. Since XD has ended new sales, the only path for new users to get a license is the full Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. For learning purposes, starting with a tool that’s still actively developed (like Figma) usually works out better — the hiring market, learning materials, and community are all stronger.
🎨 What Adobe XD does — feature overview
Adobe XD is a UI/UX design and prototyping tool. One app covers these phases:
| Phase | XD features | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Structural design | Artboards, shape tools, grids | Sketch out wireframes |
| UI design | Components, Assets, Repeat Grid | Build the visual look of screens |
| Prototyping | Prototype mode, Auto-Animate | Test screen transitions and animations |
| Sharing and review | Share links, comments | Show designs to stakeholders |
| Developer handoff | Design Specs, asset export | Hand off to engineers |
XD’s strengths are a snappy desktop app and end-to-end coverage in a single tool. It also has features unique to XD, like Repeat Grid (for repeating elements) and Auto-Animate (automatic prototype animation between artboards).
🛠️ XD basics — artboards, tools, layers
XD’s canvas operations should feel familiar if you’ve used other design tools. The three main concepts are Artboards, the tools panel, and layers.
Artboards
In XD, one screen = one artboard. You place multiple artboards side by side to see the full screen flow at a glance while working.
- Artboards are typically created from size presets (iPhone / Android / Web, etc.)
- You can resize them later
- Each artboard can have a scrollable viewport (vertical scroll area)
Tools panel
Main tools include:
- Shape tools: Rectangle / Ellipse / Line / Polygon / Pen
- Text tool: Text input (point text and area text)
- Artboard tool: Add new artboards
- Selection tool: Select, move, transform objects
- Export: Individual export of assets as PNG / SVG / PDF
Layers, Groups, and Components
XD’s layer structure is organized around three levels:
| Concept | Role |
|---|---|
| Layer | An individual object (shape, text, image, etc.) |
| Group | Layers bundled into one unit |
| Component (formerly Symbol) | Reusable parts. Editing the master propagates to all instances |
Components support States, letting you manage multiple looks (hover, pressed, etc.) within a single component.
Repeat Grid — XD's signature feature
XD has Repeat Grid, which repeats elements vertically and horizontally. It’s great for quickly building list UIs and card grids, but Figma has no direct equivalent — when migrating, it gets converted to Auto Layout. Plan for some adaptation if you’re moving designs over.
🔗 Building wireframes and prototypes
XD has two work modes: Design mode and Prototype mode. You build the screens in Design mode, then wire up the screen transitions in Prototype mode.
Typical wireframe workflow
- Place artboards for each screen you need
- Sketch the structure (header / content area / footer, etc.) with shape tools
- Add labels and headings with the text tool
- Use Repeat Grid to build list UIs efficiently
- Promote reusable parts to components
At the wireframe stage, keep colors and font specifics minimal. Work structure-first — that’s the standard approach.
Prototype mode
In Prototype mode, you draw lines between artboards to define screen transitions.
- Triggers: Tap / Time / Voice / Key, etc.
- Actions: Transition / Overlay / Scroll / Audio playback, etc.
- Easing: Animation curves and durations
Auto-Animate — XD's prototyping highlight
XD’s Auto-Animate detects same-named objects between two artboards and automatically animates the differences (position, size, color, rotation, etc.). It made micro-interaction prototypes much faster to build, and was a signature feature for XD users. Figma’s Smart Animate is functionally similar.
👥 Sharing, collaboration, and developer handoff
There are mainly three ways to hand XD designs off to others:
Share links
You can share an XD cloud document (or individual artboards) via URL. Viewers don’t need the XD app — they can see the design and prototype in a browser.
- Public link: Anyone with the URL can access
- Invite-only link: Only Adobe ID holders you’ve invited
- Password-protected: Adds a password requirement
Comments
Through share links, viewers can leave comments directly on the design. This shifts design review from text-based to visual.
Developer handoff
To hand designs off to engineers, Design Specs mode shows:
- Color codes (HEX / RGB)
- Typography (font, size, line-height)
- Dimensions and spacing values
- Asset export (PNG / SVG / PDF)
The plugin ecosystem has shrunk
XD’s third-party plugin ecosystem (color palette generators, mock data fillers, code exporters, etc.) was active until around 2023. Since the 2024 maintenance-mode shift, new plugin development and updates to existing plugins have largely paused. If you plan to introduce a plugin into your workflow, check its maintenance status first.
⚠️ Adobe XD’s current state (as of May 2026)
We’ve covered how XD works — now the state of the product that you absolutely need to know about going forward.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| September 2022 | Adobe announced the Figma acquisition (~$20B) |
| June 22, 2023 | Adobe XD ends standalone sales and new subscriptions |
| December 18, 2023 | Adobe and Figma mutually terminate the merger agreement (regulatory concerns) |
| From 2024 | XD enters maintenance mode — new feature development effectively halted, only security and critical bug fixes |
”Usable” — but with constraints
As of May 2026, XD runs, but with these constraints:
- New licenses are only available through Creative Cloud full plans: Standalone sales have ended, so you can’t subscribe to XD by itself
- No new features: In maintenance mode, UX improvements and new tooling effectively don’t happen
- A shrinking plugin ecosystem: New plugin development and existing plugin maintenance is in decline
- Less hiring-market demand: Job postings requiring “XD experience” have decreased; Figma is dominant
Adobe hasn’t officially announced an “End of Support” date yet, so how long XD remains usable depends on Adobe’s call. For a deeper look at this, see How long will Adobe XD be supported?.
🚦 Three options for existing XD users
For people using or planning to use XD, the realistic options come down to three.
Option 1: Continue Creative Cloud and keep using it
Fits when:
- You’re mainly maintaining existing projects, not starting new ones
- Your team is deeply skilled in XD and switching costs are too high
- The project will wrap up in a short horizon (1–2 years)
Cautions:
- New purchases aren’t available (only continuation of existing contracts)
- No new features or new plugins to look forward to
- Not suited for multi-year planning (the End-of-Support timing is unknown)
Option 2: Migrate to Figma
Fits when:
- You’re starting new projects from now on
- You expect to use the tool long-term
- Real-time collaboration and review matter to your team
- Hiring-market reach and learning material availability matter
Cautions:
- Existing XD files need a migration path (manual rebuild or converter plugin)
- You’ll need to learn Figma-specific concepts (Auto Layout, Variants, etc.)
- Existing component libraries may need to be rebuilt
→ See Adobe XD to Figma migration practical guide for the full migration walkthrough.
Option 3: Pick a different alternative tool
Fits when:
- You want to compare options beyond Figma
- You have specific requirements like open source, data sovereignty, or staying fully free
Main candidates: Sketch (Mac-only veteran), Penpot (open-source), Lunacy (free), Adobe Illustrator + Express (staying with Adobe), and others.
→ See Which Adobe XD alternative should you pick? for a comparison.
Which option is realistic
For most XD users, Option 2 (Figma migration) tends to be the realistic choice. The reason: it strikes a balance between migration cost and longevity, and existing XD files can be carried over via converter tools. That said, Options 1 (continue) and 3 (alternatives) genuinely fit some situations.
🚀 How to open .xd files in Figma
If you’re leaning toward “migrate to Figma” or just “I want to view this XD file in Figma right now”, there are three routes for opening .xd files in Figma:
| Route | What it is | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| A. External web conversion | Online services like Magicul convert .xd → .fig | ~$29–$62 per file |
| B. Figma Community plugin | Pixel Fine Converter / Angel Converter / Convertify, etc. | Free tier / Pro paid |
| C. Manual export | Export from XD as SVG / PNG / PDF, then import into Figma | Free |
→ See Three ways to open Adobe XD files in Figma for the full breakdown.
What Pixel Fine Converter does
We make Pixel Fine Converter, a Figma Community plugin for XD → Figma conversion. The conversion runs entirely inside the plugin (no file uploads to external servers). The free tier covers up to 3 artboards with no watermark and no sign-up. It also offers options like Japanese-font position correction and Auto Layout inference, aimed at making converted files actually re-editable in Figma.
💬 Frequently asked questions
Q: I’m completely new to UI design — should I start with Adobe XD?
A: Generally, no. Adobe XD has ended new sales and is in maintenance mode. For learning purposes, starting with an actively-developed tool (like Figma) is usually better — the hiring market, learning materials, and community are stronger.
Q: Can I use Adobe XD for free?
A: There used to be a free “Starter plan”, but new free use is no longer available. Using XD now requires a Creative Cloud full plan (or continuation of an existing license).
Q: Can I move XD prototypes over to Figma?
A: Compatibility isn’t 100%, but converter plugins can carry over the structure (artboards, components, etc.) into Figma. XD’s Auto-Animate and Figma’s Smart Animate aren’t perfectly compatible, so complex animations usually need adjustment.
Q: Is there a risk that older .xd files become unopenable?
A: Adobe hasn’t announced a specific End-of-Support date, but based on past maintenance-mode product trajectories, there’s a real risk that XD becomes hard to launch within a few years. For important .xd files, migrating to a still-active tool like Figma is the safe move. See How long will Adobe XD be supported? for context.
Q: Can I use XD’s Repeat Grid in Figma?
A: Figma doesn’t have Repeat Grid as such, but Auto Layout can express something similar. Converter plugins like Pixel Fine Converter automatically transform Repeat Grid into Auto Layout structures during conversion.
Q: If I cancel Adobe XD, can I still edit my existing files?
A: The .xd files themselves stay on your machine, but you lose the ability to edit them in XD. Viewing and conversion can still happen via converter plugins or external services, so migrating important files to Figma before canceling is the safer path.
✅ Wrapping up — balancing learning and longevity
We’ve laid out how to use Adobe XD and the realistic options given the current state.
Article takeaways
- XD’s features are still practical: artboards, components, Repeat Grid, Auto-Animate — the core UI design toolkit is intact
- But standalone sales ended in mid-2023, and maintenance mode (from 2024) means new features and new plugins are effectively paused
- For learning from scratch, an actively-developed tool like Figma is better positioned: stronger hiring market, learning materials, and community
- Existing XD users have three options: continue Creative Cloud, migrate to Figma, or move to another alternative tool
- Figma migration is the realistic choice for most: existing XD files can carry over via converter plugins
“Learning to use XD” and “thinking about its longevity” aren’t opposing concerns. Use this article as material for making the most of your current XD work while figuring out where to put your long-term focus.
Free plan covers up to 3 artboards. No watermark, no sign-up, no file uploads to external servers.
Related
- How long will Adobe XD be supported? — End-of-support timing and how to decide when to migrate
- Which Adobe XD alternative should you pick? — Figma / Sketch / Penpot / Lunacy compared
- Three ways to open Adobe XD files in Figma — External web service / plugin / manual export
- Adobe XD to Figma migration practical guide — Steps and checkpoints once you’ve decided on Figma