Control which elements are visible and which can be selected or edited. Visibility and locking help you work efficiently on complex designs without accidentally modifying the wrong elements.
Visibility
Toggle element visibility to temporarily hide elements while working.
Toggling Visibility
- Layers Panel - Click the eye icon () next to any layer
- Keyboard - Select element and press
⌘/Ctrl + Shift + H - Context menu - Right-click → Hide/Show
Visibility Indicators
- Eye visible - Element is visible
- Eye crossed/dimmed - Element is hidden
- Dimmed layer name - Element or parent is hidden
Hidden elements are not exported. Use visibility to create design variations in the same file—hide different elements for different export states.
Parent Visibility
Hiding a parent (group or frame) hides all its children:
- Children's individual visibility is preserved
- When parent is shown, children return to their visibility state
- Hidden children stay hidden even when parent is shown
Locking
Lock elements to prevent accidental selection or modification.
Toggling Lock
- Layers Panel - Click the lock icon () next to any layer
- Keyboard - Select element and press
⌘/Ctrl + Shift + L - Context menu - Right-click → Lock/Unlock
Lock Behavior
Locked elements:
- Cannot be selected on the canvas
- Cannot be moved, resized, or transformed
- Cannot have properties changed
- Can still be selected in the Layers Panel
- Show a lock badge on the canvas when hovered
Lock background elements and reference images while working on foreground details. This prevents accidentally selecting or moving them.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Toggle visibility | ⌘/Ctrl + Shift + H |
| Toggle lock | ⌘/Ctrl + Shift + L |
Bulk Operations
Show/Hide Multiple Layers
- Select multiple layers in Layers Panel
- Press
⌘/Ctrl + Shift + Hto toggle visibility for all selected layers - All selected layers will change visibility state simultaneously
Lock/Unlock Multiple Layers
- Select multiple layers in Layers Panel
- Press
⌘/Ctrl + Shift + Lto toggle lock for all selected layers - All selected layers will change lock state simultaneously
To quickly show all hidden elements or unlock all locked elements, use Outline Mode (⌘/Ctrl + Shift + O). This shows all elements as wireframes regardless of visibility state, and you can still select locked elements in the Layers Panel to unlock them.
Common Workflows
Working with Backgrounds
- Create your background elements
- Lock them to prevent accidental selection
- Work freely on foreground elements
- Unlock when you need to edit backgrounds
Creating Variations
- Create all design variations in one file
- Use visibility to show different states
- Export with different elements visible
Using Reference Images
- Import reference image
- Position and resize as needed
- Lock the image layer
- Optionally reduce opacity
- Draw over the reference
Visibility in Export
Important: Hidden elements are not included in exports. This applies to:
- PNG/JPG exports
- SVG exports
- PDF exports
Use this feature intentionally to create different export variations from the same design.
Locked Elements in Export
Locked elements are included in exports. Locking only affects editing, not the final output.