If I unlink a symbol in Webflow, will the remaining instances of that symbol on other pages still exist as a symbol? I have a footer as a symbol that I need to copy, unlink, and create a new version for a different language as a new symbol. I want the original linked footers to remain as the original symbol while creating a new symbol from one of them.
TL;DR
- Unlink a symbol instance via Right-click > Unlink from Symbol to convert it into editable static elements without affecting other symbol instances.
- Edit the unlinked version for translation, then select its elements and use Create Symbol to save it as a new localized version.
Unlinking a Symbol in Webflow only affects the instance you explicitly unlink — it doesn’t impact other instances of the same symbol across your site.
1. What Happens When You Unlink a Symbol
- When you unlink a symbol in Webflow using Right-click > Unlink from Symbol, only that specific instance becomes a static group of elements.
- Other instances of the symbol on different pages remain fully linked and functional as part of the original symbol.
2. How to Create a New Language Version
To make a translated version of your footer, while keeping the original in place:
- Go to a page with the existing Footer symbol.
- Duplicate or copy-paste it to a new page or the same page.
- Unlink one of the instances using Unlink from Symbol.
- Make any necessary content or language edits to the unlinked elements.
- Select all the unlinked footer elements, then choose Create Symbol from the right-click menu or Navigator panel.
- Give the new symbol a name like Footer (FR) or Footer - Spanish.
Summary
Unlinking a symbol only affects the instance you modify — all other instances stay intact as symbols. This makes it safe to copy, unlink, localize, and re-save a modified version as a new symbol for multilingual layouts.
