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 January 16, 2021)
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...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Removing Line Numbering

If you've added line numbers to your document, at some point you may want them turned off. Here's how to disable line ...

Discover More

Adjusting a Range's Starting Point

Select a range of cells, and one of those cells will always be the starting point for the range. This tip explains how to ...

Discover More

Removing Borders

Need to get rid of the borders around a cell? The shortcut in this tip can make quick work of this formatting task.

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Using Connectors with Shapes

If you add shapes to the drawing canvas, you can use connector lines between those shapes. Here's how to add them to your ...

Discover More

Understanding Fill Effects

Want to fill a drawing shape with more than just a color? Word allows you to use all sorts of fills, as described in this ...

Discover More

Always Printing Drawing Objects

Add a bunch of drawing objects to your document, and you may wonder how to make sure they all appear on a printout. How ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 9 + 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.