Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Grouping Drawing Objects.

Grouping Drawing Objects

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 3, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

After you have worked on a document for a while, you will find that you may have added quite a few objects to it. Some of these objects just naturally go together to create other objects. For instance, you might have a few graphic objects used to create a larger image; these naturally go together.

Word lets you group objects together so they can be treated as a single object by the program. In this way, you can select an entire collection of objects with the same ease you would use in selecting one. To group objects together, follow these steps:

Select all the objects that belong in the group.
Select the Shape Format tab on the ribbon.
In the Arrange group, click the Group option. A drop-down list appears.
Choose Group from the drop-down list.

There may come a time when you need to ungroup the objects. For instance, you may need to update one of the elements that make up your group. To ungroup objects, follow these steps:

Select the grouped object.
Select the Shape Format tab on the ribbon.
In the Arrange group, click the Group option. A drop-down list appears.
Choose Ungroup from the drop-down list.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6032) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Grouping Drawing Objects.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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