Microsoft adds Design Live Share to Visual Studio to co-edit Figma-like within IDE

Tech · 5 min read

Design Live Share brings a live design canvas into Visual Studio, letting developers view and edit layout constraints, copy, and tokens alongside code. Designers can join sessions and tweak visual details in a synchronized environment where changes map back to code-friendly variables.

The feature supports two-way binding: edits to tokens in the IDE update design files and vice versa, supporting a smoother handoff loop. Microsoft also included a diffing UI that shows when a change originated in design or in code, with merge suggestions and an approvals workflow.

Microsoft emphasized the feature's security and integration with Azure DevOps, aiming to make cross-discipline collaboration less frictional for large engineering teams. Early access is available to enterprise Visual Studio subscribers.