Fill Prototypes with Realistic Copy Using Figma's Replace Tool

What This Does

Figma's Replace tool swaps lorem ipsum or repeated placeholder strings across a whole prototype for realistic, context-aware copy in one pass. A stakeholder review reads very differently when the checkout flow says "Add gift note at checkout" instead of "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet," and real-length copy also surfaces text-overflow problems before a developer ever touches the file.

Before You Start

• You have a Figma file open with placeholder text already placed
• Your seat is a Full seat on a paid Figma plan, not a free viewer or free-tier account, since AI content tools require both. Check figma.com/pricing for which tiers currently include this feature
• A short description of the product and audience the copy should sound like

Steps

1. Find the AI feature

Select the frame, section, or prototype flow whose placeholder text you want replaced, then open Actions in the toolbar (the sparkles icon, or Cmd+K / Ctrl+K). Look for a content-replacement option, sometimes labeled Replace content or similar, in that same menu.

2. Tell it what you need

Describe the product and tone you want the copy to match. Figma reads the surrounding layout and generates text sized to fit, so a specific brief (industry, audience, formality) produces more usable results than a generic one.

3. Review and use the result

Scan every replaced string for tone and length before moving on. AI-generated placeholder copy is meant to look real in a review, not to ship as final product copy, so treat anything customer-facing, like legal text, pricing, or error messages, as a draft that still needs a human pass.

Real Example

Scenario: You've built a five-screen checkout flow for a mid-size clothing retailer and it's full of "Lorem ipsum" and "Button Text" placeholders ahead of tomorrow's stakeholder review.

What you type/do: Select the whole checkout flow, open the content replacement tool, and describe: "Realistic e-commerce copy for a mid-size clothing retailer's checkout flow, casual and friendly tone."

What you get: Product names, shipping options, and button labels that read like a real store instead of filler text, plus a couple of buttons that now visibly overflow because the real copy is longer than the placeholder ever was, exactly the kind of problem this catches early.

Tips

• Run this right before a stakeholder review, not at the start of a project. It's meant to make a rough prototype presentable, not to write your final copy.
• Overflow issues the tool surfaces are a feature, not a bug. Fix the layout, don't just shorten the text to hide the problem.
• Keep your team's actual voice and tone guidelines handy. Generated copy defaults to a generic tone until you specify otherwise.

Tool interfaces change. If a button has moved, look for similar AI/magic/smart options in the same menu area.