How Do You Make a Circle Outline in Figma?

To make a circle outline in Figma, you draw a circle shape using the Ellipse tool, then remove its fill and add a stroke.

Creating shapes in Figma is fundamental to design. A circle outline is simply a circle without an interior color, defined by its border or stroke. Here's a breakdown of how to achieve this:

Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a circle outline involves a few simple steps within the Figma interface.

1. Select the Ellipse Tool:

   • Navigate to the shape tools menu in the toolbar (usually looks like a square or a dropdown arrow next to it).
   • Choose the Ellipse tool.
   • Alternatively, simply press the O key on your keyboard. This is a quick shortcut used by many designers. As mentioned in the reference, "Use the Ellipse tool to draw both ovals and circles. Select the Ellipse tool from the shape tools menu, or press O."

2. Draw Your Circle:

   • Click and drag on your canvas.
   • To ensure you draw a perfect circle (instead of an oval), hold down the Shift key while dragging. This constrains the proportions.
   • Release the mouse button when the circle is the desired size. The reference states, "Select a spot in the canvas and drag in any direction to create the ellipse." Holding Shift ensures it's a circle.

3. Remove the Fill:

   • With the circle shape selected, look at the properties panel on the right-hand side.
   • Find the Fill section.
   • Click the minus (-) icon next to the Fill property to remove the default fill color.

4. Add a Stroke:

   • In the same properties panel, find the Stroke section.
   • Click the plus (+) icon next to the Stroke property to add a border.
   • By default, a 1-pixel black stroke will be added.

5. Customize the Stroke:

   • You can now customize the appearance of the outline:
     • Color: Click the color swatch next to "Stroke" to choose a different color.
     • Weight: Change the pixel value to make the outline thicker or thinner.
     • Location: Use the dropdown menu to set the stroke to appear Inside, Outside, or Center of the shape's boundary.
     • Style: Click the "..." icon for advanced options like dashed lines, rounded corners (for paths), etc.

Summary Table

Here's a quick overview of the actions:

Action	Tool/Panel	Shortcut	Detail
Select Tool	Toolbar	O	Choose Ellipse tool
Draw Shape	Canvas	Shift	Click & drag (hold Shift for circle)
Remove Fill	Properties	N/A	Click "-" icon in Fill section
Add Stroke	Properties	N/A	Click "+" icon in Stroke section
Customize Outline	Properties	N/A	Adjust color, weight, etc. in Stroke

By following these steps, you effectively transform a solid circle into a circle outline suitable for various design purposes, from simple UI elements to complex illustrations.