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Installation issues

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Plugin not appearing in Figma

  1. Close all Figma tabs/windows
  2. Reopen Figma
  3. Navigate to Plugins menu
  4. Look for pdf.tomake.design
  1. Visit Figma Community
  2. Click Install again
  3. Restart Figma
  4. Check Plugins menu
  1. Go to Settings → Plugins
  2. Ensure plugins are enabled
  3. Check if pdf.tomake.design has necessary permissions

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Upload issues

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Can’t upload PDF file

Symptoms: File upload fails or shows error message.
1

Check file size

Ensure PDF is under 50MB (20MB for free plan). Compress or split larger files.
2

Verify file format

Confirm file is actually a PDF (check extension is .pdf)
3

Check file integrity

Try opening PDF in Adobe Reader or browser to verify it’s not corrupted
4

Unlock encrypted PDFs

Remove password protection before uploading

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”File too large” error

Solution: Your PDF exceeds the size limit.
Use tools to compress your PDF:
  • Adobe Acrobat (File → Reduce File Size)
  • Online tools: Smallpdf.com, iLovePDF.com
  • Preview on Mac (Export → Reduce File Size)
Divide large PDFs into smaller sections:
  • Use Adobe Acrobat split tool
  • Online tools: PDF2Go.com
  • Import sections separately to Figma
Pro plan supports files up to 50MB vs. 20MB for free plan

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”Encrypted PDF” error

Symptoms: Error message about encrypted or password-protected PDF. Solutions:
  1. Remove password protection:
    • Open PDF in Adobe Acrobat
    • Go to File → Properties → Security
    • Change security to “No Security”
    • Save the unprotected PDF
  2. Use unlock tools:
    • Adobe Acrobat Pro
    • Preview on Mac (export as new PDF)
    • Online tools (if content isn’t sensitive)
Only remove password protection from PDFs you have permission to modify.

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Import issues

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Import stuck or not completing

Symptoms: Import starts but never finishes, or progress bar freezes.
Complex, high-resolution PDFs can take several minutes:
  • Simple PDFs: 5-10 seconds per page
  • Complex PDFs: 20-30 seconds per page
  • High DPI (300): 2-3x longer
Wait at least 5 minutes before assuming it’s stuck.
  1. Cancel the current import
  2. Close and reopen the plugin
  3. Try again with lower resolution (72 DPI)
  4. Import fewer pages at once
  1. Use lower DPI (72 instead of 300)
  2. Import fewer pages (5-10 at a time)
  3. Use flattened text instead of editable
  4. Enable image optimization
  1. Close other Figma files
  2. Close other plugins
  3. Restart Figma
  4. Check available memory on your device

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Import fails with error

Symptoms: Error message appears during import. Common errors and solutions:
Error MessageCauseSolution
”Failed to parse PDF”Corrupted or invalid PDFRe-save PDF from source application
”Out of memory”PDF too complex or largeUse lower DPI, import fewer pages
”Unsupported PDF version”Very old or very new PDFRe-save as PDF 1.7 in Adobe Acrobat
”Import limit reached”Exceeded monthly quotaWait for reset or upgrade to Pro

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Partial import (missing pages)

Symptoms: Only some pages import, others are missing. Solutions:
  1. Check page selection: Verify you selected all desired pages in settings
  2. Import in batches: Try importing missing pages separately
  3. Reduce complexity: Lower DPI or use flattened text for problematic pages
  4. Check PDF: Some pages might be blank or corrupted in the original PDF

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Quality issues

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Blurry or pixelated content

Symptoms: Imported content looks low quality or fuzzy. Causes & Solutions:
Solution: Re-import with higher resolution
  • For screen: Use 150 DPI
  • For print: Use 300 DPI
Solution: The import quality cannot exceed the source
  • Check original PDF quality
  • Request higher-resolution PDF from creator
  • Re-export from original source at higher quality
Solution: PDF images may be compressed
  • This is a limitation of the source PDF
  • Try obtaining uncompressed version
  • Extract images from source files instead

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Text not editable

Symptoms: Text appears as images or shapes instead of editable text. Possible causes:
  1. Flattened text option selected: Check import settings, use “Editable text” instead
  2. Text is actually an image: Source PDF has text as images (scanned documents)
  3. Outlined text option used: Text was intentionally converted to shapes
  4. OCR needed: For scanned PDFs, use OCR software first
Solutions:
  • Re-import with “Editable text” option
  • Use OCR software on scanned PDFs before importing
  • For outlined text, re-import or manually recreate text in Figma

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Wrong or missing fonts

Symptoms: Text uses different fonts than in original PDF.
Cause: The font from the PDF isn’t available in FigmaSolutions:
  1. Install the font in Figma (or on your system)
  2. Use “Outlined text” option to preserve appearance
  3. Manually change to desired font in Figma
Cause: Figma substitutes similar font when exact match unavailableSolutions:
  1. Check which fonts are used (plugin shows font list)
  2. Install missing fonts before importing
  3. Change to your preferred fonts after import
Cause: PDF uses fonts you don’t have license forSolutions:
  1. Use “Outlined text” to preserve appearance
  2. Contact font owner for licensing
  3. Substitute with similar free font

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Colors don’t match

Symptoms: Colors look different from original PDF. Common causes:
  1. CMYK to RGB conversion: Print PDFs use CMYK; Figma uses RGB
  2. Color profile differences: Different color spaces
  3. Display calibration: Your monitor’s color settings
Solutions:
  • Accept minor color shifts (inherent in CMYK→RGB conversion)
  • Manually adjust colors in Figma if critical
  • Use color picker to sample exact colors from PDF
  • For print work, note that final output should use CMYK anyway

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Missing images

Symptoms: Some images from PDF don’t appear in Figma. Troubleshooting:
1

Check import settings

Verify “Extract images” option was enabled
2

Check PDF

Open original PDF and verify images are actually there
3

Look for images in layers

Images might be hidden in collapsed groups or behind other elements
4

Check file formats

Some exotic image formats in PDFs may not convert perfectly
5

Re-import

Try importing again with different settings

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Layout issues

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Elements misaligned or overlapping

Symptoms: Layout doesn’t match original PDF. Possible causes:
  1. Complex positioning: Some PDF layouts are very complex
  2. Font substitution affecting layout: Different fonts have different metrics
  3. Rounding errors: Pixel rounding can cause minor shifts
Solutions:
  • Use “Outlined text” for exact positioning
  • Manually adjust layout in Figma
  • Import at higher DPI for more precision
  • Check if original PDF has layout issues

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Incorrect page size

Symptoms: Figma frames are wrong size. Solutions:
  1. Check original PDF page dimensions
  2. Re-import with custom page sizing
  3. Manually resize frames in Figma
  4. Ensure PDF doesn’t have non-standard page sizes

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Missing elements

Symptoms: Some PDF elements don’t appear in Figma. Common reasons:
  • Elements are outside page boundaries
  • Elements are white on white
  • Elements are in unsupported format
  • Elements are hidden layers in PDF
  • Elements are annotations (not part of page content)

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Performance issues

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Plugin running slow

  • Reduce DPI setting
  • Import fewer pages at once
  • Enable image optimization
  • Use flattened text option
  • Close other Figma files
  • Close other plugins
  • Restart Figma
  • Clear Figma cache
  • Close other applications
  • Check available RAM
  • Restart your computer
  • Ensure adequate disk space

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Figma crashes during import

Symptoms: Figma freezes or crashes while importing. Solutions:
  1. Reduce import complexity:
    • Lower DPI (use 72 DPI first)
    • Import 5 pages at a time maximum
    • Enable all optimization options
  2. Increase available resources:
    • Close other applications
    • Close other Figma files
    • Restart Figma
    • Restart computer
  3. Split the PDF:
    • Divide PDF into smaller files
    • Import sections separately
    • Combine in Figma after import

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Error messages

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”Failed to parse PDF”

Cause: PDF file is corrupted, malformed, or uses unsupported features. Solutions:
  1. Re-save PDF from source application
  2. Open and re-export from Adobe Acrobat
  3. Try online PDF repair tools
  4. Contact PDF creator for new copy

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”Import limit reached”

Cause: You’ve used all free conversions for the month. Solutions:
  • Wait until next month for limit reset
  • Upgrade to Pro for unlimited conversions
  • Contact support for enterprise options

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”Unsupported PDF version”

Cause: PDF version is too old or too new. Solution: Re-save as PDF 1.7 (most compatible):
  1. Open in Adobe Acrobat
  2. File → Save As → PDF 1.7
  3. Try importing again

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Still need help?

Discord community

Ask the community for help

Email support

Contact support team

Report bug

File a bug report on GitHub

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Before contacting support

Help us help you faster by including:
  • PDF file (or sample if it’s confidential)
  • Import settings you used
  • Error messages or screenshots
  • Figma version (desktop/web)
  • Operating system
  • Steps to reproduce the issue
  • What you’ve already tried
Check our Discord community first — someone may have already encountered and solved your issue!