Adobe XD 59.0.12 — macOS

The July 2025 release of Adobe XD is mostly about tidying up. Bug fixes and minor workflow improvements keep things stable, which matters if you rely on it daily. Adobe has said the app is in maintenance mode, so don't expect big new features — but the core work still gets done.

So, a quoi sert Adobe XD? In plain terms, it's a UI/UX design and prototyping app for websites, mobile apps, and other user experiences. You can lay out screens, build interactive prototypes, and test flows before handing anything to a developer. Tools like repeat grid, responsive resize, and auto-animate cover the common design tasks without a steep learning curve.

It runs on macOS and Windows, and you can work alone or share files with a team. Third-party integrations extend it further. For an accountant who occasionally touches design files, it's a practical tool — nothing flashy, just solid layout and prototyping in one place.

Pasting assets from Photoshop and Illustrator into XD

If you have other Adobe apps installed, you can copy assets from Photoshop or Illustrator and paste them directly onto an XD artboard. Layers and vector shapes come through clean, which saves time when you're pulling in icons or background graphics from your company's existing files.

You can store colors, character styles, and components in a library and share them across your team. When someone updates a library element, you get a notification inside XD the next time you open the project. No digging through email attachments to find the latest brand color.

Adobe Stock is linked as well. For a small office that doesn't have a dedicated designer, that can fill the gap when you need a decent mockup photo fast.

On the macOS side, XD works with standard system features. You can use split view to keep XD on one side and a browser on the other while you reference a site design. The app supports Dark Mode if you prefer it, and it responds to standard trackpad gestures for zooming and panning. Nothing unusual — it behaves like a native Mac app should.

Mocking up a mobile app screen from preset artboards

Let's say you need to mock up a simple mobile app screen for a client proposal. You open Adobe XD and pick a phone artboard from the preset list. The interface is clean — a toolbar on the left, layers and properties on the right, and your canvas in the middle.

First, you drag a rectangle from the toolbar to create a header bar. The properties panel lets you set a fill color and corner radius. You type in a hex value from the brand guide. Then you add a text layer for the app name. XD uses system fonts by default, but you can pick any font you have installed.

Next comes a list of items. Instead of drawing each row manually, you use the repeat grid tool. You draw one row with a thumbnail placeholder and two text fields, then drag the bottom handle downward. XD duplicates the row automatically, keeping spacing even. You can adjust the gap between rows by dragging the blue guide that appears. It's quick and precise.

To make the prototype interactive, you switch to the Prototype tab. You select the first button and drag the arrow to the next screen. In the properties panel, you set the trigger to "Tap" and the transition to "Slide left." A small blue line appears on the canvas, showing the connection. You add a few more links between screens — a back button, a menu item, a submit button. The whole thing takes a few minutes.

Before sharing, you preview the prototype. You click the desktop preview button, and XD opens a full‑screen window where you can tap through the screens with your mouse or keyboard. It behaves like a real app. You notice the transition on one button feels too slow, so you go back and change the easing from "Ease Out" to "Snap." You preview again, and it looks right.

Finally, you share a link. XD generates a URL you can send to the client. They can view the prototype in a browser on any device, tap through the screens, and leave comments. No account needed on their end. For a small office, that kind of simplicity matters.

Maintenance mode updates through July 2025

Since Adobe XD moved to maintenance mode, the changes have been small. The July 2025 release fixed bugs and smoothed out a few workflow steps. Nothing you'd notice unless you hit one of those bugs before. The core tools — repeat grid, auto-animate, responsive resize — work the same way they did last year.

If you're coming from an earlier version, the interface hasn't shifted. Menu locations and keyboard shortcuts are unchanged. The main difference is stability. For daily use, that's the important part.

Adjusting auto-save frequency in Preferences

When you first open Adobe XD, a few settings can make the day‑to‑day work go faster.

• Auto-save frequency. XD auto-saves by default, but you can adjust the interval in Preferences. If you tend to close files quickly, a shorter interval means less risk of losing changes.
• Grid and snap settings. The default grid is fine for most work, but you can turn on snapping to pixel grid in the View menu. That helps when you're aligning elements for a precise layout.
• Prototype preview. In the Prototype tab, you can set the default device and orientation. If you always design for iPhone, set that once and skip the dropdown each time.
• Plugin permissions. If you use third-party plugins, check the Plugins panel to see which ones have access to your documents. It's a small security step worth taking.

None of these are dramatic changes, but they add up over a workday. Set them once and move on.

• The July 2025 release includes bug fixes and minor workflow improvements.

• macOS 10.15 or later
• Intel or Apple Silicon Mac