Overview
XD is a vector program with one purpose, which is designing screens and then making them behave like the product they represent. Artboards stand in for screens, components hold the repeated pieces, and links between artboards turn a static set of layouts into something a client or a test participant can actually tap through. It is deliberately lighter than a general drawing program, and that lightness is the point when a project runs to two hundred screens.
This is the final desktop build of the program, packaged offline with the licensing settled ahead of time. There is no account requirement, no cloud document prompt and no sign-in wall. Documents are saved as normal local files. Because the program is no longer developed, this build is stable in the most literal sense: it will not change under an ongoing project, which is exactly why a number of studios kept it.
Designing screens
The drawing tools cover what interface work actually needs: rectangles, ellipses, paths, boolean operations, corner radii per corner, and a text engine with proper paragraph and character styles. Repeat grid takes a single cell and multiplies it into a list or a gallery, and editing the source cell updates every instance, which handles the most common tedious task in the whole discipline in one step.
Components are the reusable elements, and they carry states. A button can hold its default, hover, pressed and disabled appearances in one component, and every instance picks up a change made to the master while keeping its own overridden text or image. Stacks and padding give a component auto layout behaviour, so a card grows correctly when its content gets longer instead of needing manual adjustment.
Prototyping
The prototype mode is a second wiring layer over the same document. Drag a link from an element to an artboard, pick the trigger and the transition, and the flow becomes clickable. Auto animate interpolates between two artboards that share element names, which produces a convincing motion transition without animating anything by hand.
Component states can be triggered in the prototype too, so hover and pressed appearances behave in the preview rather than only existing in the file. Scrolling groups, fixed headers and overlays all work in preview, which is enough fidelity that a usability test on the prototype produces useful results.
Handoff and interchange
Specifications can be generated from a document as a local package, giving measurements, colours, text styles and downloadable assets without needing a hosted service. Assets export at multiple scales in the formats front end work expects, and export settings are stored per element so a second pass is one command.
The program reads and writes its own document format and imports from the common vector formats, plus layered documents from the raster editors. Plug-ins install into the local plug-in folder and continue to work in this build.
What you get
- Artboard based design with per corner radii and full boolean paths
- Repeat grid for lists and galleries with a single editable source cell
- Components with states and per instance overrides
- Stacks and padding for auto layout behaviour
- Prototype wiring with triggers, transitions and auto animate
- Scrolling groups, fixed elements and overlays in preview
- Local specification package for developer handoff
- Multi scale asset export with per element settings
- Plug-in support from the local plug-in folder
Inside the archive
- Adobe XD desktop installer
- Starter UI kits and sample documents
- Language packs for the interface list shown above
- Readme covering the local handoff package
System requirements
| Operating system | Windows 10 version 22H2 or Windows 11, 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel or AMD, 2 GHz or faster |
| Memory | 8 GB recommended |
| Graphics | DirectX 12 capable card |
| Storage | 3 GB free |
| Display | 1280 by 800 minimum |
Installing it
- Unpack the archive to a local folder.
- Suspend real time protection for the install.
- Run setup as administrator and choose the interface language.
- Launch once and confirm it opens on the start screen with no sign-in prompt.
- Copy any plug-ins you use into the local plug-in folder listed in the readme.
Mirrors
| Route | Region | Note | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct, primary | Europe | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Direct, secondary | North America | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Torrent magnet | Global | Optional at this size | Online |
Release history
- Repacked as an offline installer with the cloud document prompts removed
- Fixed the start screen hanging on machines with no network
- Local specification package export restored
- Component state overrides corrected on nested instances
- Asset export scaling fixed for odd pixel dimensions
- First offline repack of this build
Questions about this release
Is this still being developed?
No, this is the final desktop build. That is a drawback for new features and an advantage for a project that needs its tools to stop moving.
Does it need an account?
No. Documents save locally and there is no sign-in prompt in this build.
Can I hand off to a developer without a hosted service?
Yes. The specification package exports as local files with measurements, styles and assets included.
Do plug-ins still work?
Yes, from the local plug-in folder. The readme lists the exact path to drop them into.
Comments
Repeat grid alone saves me hours on list heavy screens. Runs light on an old laptop too.
Handoff package exports locally with all the measurements. Developers had no complaints.
Comments are read before they appear. If a build stops working, say so here and it gets rebuilt rather than quietly left up.
Still the fastest thing I have used for wiring a clickable flow. No account nag in this build which was the whole problem before.