I’m having trouble getting all my assets to show up properly after moving my design from Figma to Zeplin.
I created a complete interface design in Figma with several images and icons. When I used the export feature to send everything over to Zeplin, most of my image assets disappeared. The only things I can actually download from Zeplin are some arrow icons, but all the other images I had in my original Figma design are nowhere to be found.
I’ve been searching online for solutions but haven’t found anything that actually addresses this specific problem. Has anyone else run into this issue before?
What’s the correct way to make sure all images from Figma show up as downloadable assets in Zeplin?
Had this same problem until I figured out what was going wrong. Figma only exports stuff you’ve specifically marked for export. You’ve got to select each image or icon and add export settings in the right panel before sending to Zeplin. If you don’t do this, Figma thinks they’re just design elements, not actual assets. Wasted hours learning this the hard way. Also double-check your images are real image files - not fills or backgrounds - because those won’t transfer as downloadable assets. Your arrow icons probably worked because they were vector shapes that already had export settings.
This usually happens because Zeplin can’t handle certain image types during import. Vector graphics and simple shapes work fine, but bitmap images or complex grouped stuff gets dropped constantly. I dealt with this all the time on client projects with photo placeholders and custom graphics. My fix was exporting problem images as SVG or PNG files straight from Figma first, then bringing them back as proper image assets before syncing to Zeplin. Also check if you’re using masks or effects - Zeplin hates those and just ignores the whole asset. The sync process is pretty buggy, so keeping your assets simple saves a lot of headaches.
make sure ur using the zeplin plugin right - it can miss stuff on the 1st sync. try refreshing the connection or re-exporting from figma. also, check how ur images are nested, since zeplin skips em if they’re too deep in layers.
Sounds like a layer naming issue in Figma. I had the same problem on a mobile redesign - images kept disappearing during export. Zeplin freaks out when layer names have special characters or when images sit inside poorly configured components. I fixed it by moving all exportable assets to a separate frame outside my main artboards and cleaning up the names (no spaces or weird symbols). Also found out that images imported as fills don’t show up as assets in Zeplin - only actual image objects do. Try flattening the problematic images into single layers before exporting again.
This Figma to Zeplin workflow sounds like a nightmare. I dealt with the same headaches until I stopped overcomplicating things.
You’re adding extra steps that create more problems. Skip bouncing between Figma and Zeplin and hoping everything transfers right - just automate your asset management.
I built automated workflows that grab assets straight from Figma and organize them exactly how I need. No missing images, no manual exports, no wondering what got lost.
The workflow watches my Figma files and automatically processes new assets or changes. Everything gets sorted, renamed, and dropped in the right folders without me doing anything. Takes 10 minutes to set up, saves hours weekly.
Build something similar for your asset pipeline and kill these transfer issues. Check out Latenode for this automation: https://latenode.com