Preview your prototypes in the Mac app, in the web app, or on your iOS device.
To start a preview in the Mac app, click the Preview button in the toolbar or press ⌘P. If you’ve set a Start Point, your prototype will start from there. If not, it’ll start from the currently selected frame.
Prototype preview controls in the Mac app
- Click anywhere in the Preview window to see hints that show you where Links and Hotspots are on the current frame.
- The back button takes you back a step to the previous frame in your prototype.
- The flag icon (
) sets the frame you’re currently viewing as a Start Point.
- The frame drop-down menu gives you a quick way to jump between different frames.
- The View Frame in Canvas icon
opens the Mac app and takes you to the frame being previewed.
- Display Options show you the different options to preview your prototype: Fit, Fill Width and Actual Size.
- The Share icon
allows you to copy a link to your prototype that you can share with others.
When you open a document in the web app, you can view any prototypes it contains by clicking the Prototypes link in the About tab of the sidebar. Click on a prototype’s thumbnail to open and preview it in your browser.
Hovering over the prototype’s thumbnail and clicking the gives you a couple of options for showing or hiding hints as you play your prototype.
Make sure you set a Start Point in your prototype, otherwise it won’t appear in the web app.
Prototype preview controls in the web app
- Click anywhere in the Preview window to see clickable targets (Links and Hotspots) on the current frame.
- Click
to close the prototype and return to the document overview.
- Restart Prototype
takes you back to the prototype’s Start Point.
- The Back
and Forward
buttons will step through frames that you’ve linked.
- View options
adjust how frames will appear in the prototype player (see below).
- Click Copy Link
to share a link to the prototype, with options to show or hide navigational elements.
- The View Frame button
opens the frame being previewed in the web app.
- The Full Screen button makes the window full screen. Press esc to exit full screen.
- Click the Comment icon
to view and add comments as you navigate the prototype.
Changing how a prototype displays in a browser
Use the View options to change how your prototype will display in the browser window.
Fit ⇧0: Resizes frames to fit your browser’s viewport, regardless of their size.
Fill Width ⇧1: Automatically resizes frames to fill the width of your browser window during playback. This helps avoid blank space around narrower frames and ensures your prototype stays responsive as you resize the window.
Actual Size z: Displays frames at their actual size, regardless of your browser’s window size.
The web app will use the same preview display setting until you change it.
Use the Fill Width option to automatically resize frames to fit your browser window’s width
When viewing a document, swipe up on the sheet at the bottom of the screen to see any prototypes below the frame thumbnails. Tap a prototype to open it in the prototype player.
As you test a prototype, tapping outside of hotspots and links on the screen will reveal hints.
To exit a prototype, tap and hold anywhere on the screen to return to the document view.
When you’re viewing a document, tap on the (play) button in the top-right corner of the screen to start playing its prototype. If there are multiple prototypes in the document, tap on the one you want to play from the list that appears.
As you test a prototype, tapping outside of hotspots and links on the screen will reveal hints.
To exit a prototype, tap and hold anywhere on the screen to return to the document view.
Troubleshooting prototype previews
Why isn’t my prototype showing in the web app?
If you saved your document in a Workspace but the prototype isn’t appearing, make sure you’ve set a Start Point on at least one frame. Once you do, save the document again and reload your browser.
How do I change how a prototype fills the screen?
Use the View options menu in the prototype player toolbar to switch between Fit, Fill Width, and Actual Size. You can also use these shortcuts at any time:
- ⇧0 for Fit
- ⇧1 for Fill Width
- Z for Actual Size
These shortcuts also work while the toolbar is hidden.
Can I hide the toolbar or hotspots in prototype view?
Yes. When you share or preview a prototype, you can hide hotspots, toolbar controls, and navigation for a cleaner presentation. For the full steps across the Mac app, web app, and iPhone app, see Sharing prototypes.
Can I hide prototype links while editing a document?
Yes. Prototype links only appear on the Canvas when you’re working in the Prototype tab, or when you have an artboard selected while using the Design tab. If you want a cleaner editing view, deselect artboards or switch back to Design so Sketch only shows links for the selected artboard instead of every connection in the document.