3 Ways to Group or Ungroup Objects in PowerPoint Presentations

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated February 10, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)

You can group and ungroup objects in PowerPoint using keyboard shortcuts, the context menu or the Ribbon. If you group pictures, shapes or other objects, you can format, move, resize and animate those objects as one object. You can also ungroup objects that have been grouped and regroup objects.

If you have grouped objects, you can ungroup them. There are also some PowerPoint objects that can be ungrouped such as charts or SmartArt. However, If you ungroup a chart or a SmartArt graphic, you can't convert the objects back into their original format.

Note: Buttons and Ribbon tabs may display in a different way (with or without text) depending on your version of PowerPoint, the size of your screen and your Control Panel settings. For PowerPoint 365 users, Ribbon tabs may appear with different names. For example, the Picture Tools Format tab may appear as Picture Format and the Drawing Tools Format tab may appear as Drawing Format or Shape Format.

Recommended article: How to Remove a Background from a Picture in PowerPoint (2 Ways)

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Group objects using a keyboard shortcut

To group objects in PowerPoint using a keyboard shortcut:

  1. In Normal View or Slide Master View, Shift-click or Ctrl-click the pictures, shapes or other objects you want to group.
  2. Press Ctrl + G. The selected objects will be grouped together and have a single set of selection and rotation handles.

Group objects using the context menu

To group objects using the context menu:

  1. In Normal View or Slide Master View, Shift-click or Ctrl-click the pictures, shapes or other objects you want to group.
  2. Right-click one of the selected objects. A drop-down menu appears.
  3. Select Group and then Group from the sub-menu. The selected objects will be grouped together and have a single set of selection and rotation handles.

Group appears in the context menu in PowerPoint:

Group in drop-down menu in PowerPoint.

Group objects using the Ribbon

To group objects using the Ribbon:

  1. In Normal View or Slide Master View, Shift-click or Ctrl-click the pictures, shapes or other objects you want to group.
  2. Click the Drawing Tools Format, Drawing Format, Shape Format, Picture Tools Format or Picture Format tab in the Ribbon.
  3. In the Arrange group, click Group. A drop-down menu appears.
  4. Select Group. The selected objects will be grouped together and have a single set of selection and rotation handles

The Group command appears in the Arrange group in the Ribbon:

Group command n the Ribbon in PowerPoint.

Edit an object in a group

After you group objects, you can still work with a single object in a group. Select the group and then click an item in the group to select it. You can then edit or format the selected object.

Ungroup objects using a keyboard shortcut

To ungroup objects in PowerPoint using a keyboard shortcut:

  1. In Normal View or Slide Master View, click the grouped object.
  2. Press Ctrl + Shift + G. The selected objects will be ungrouped.
  3. Click in an area outside of the grouped objects. You will now be able to select each object.

Ungroup objects using the context menu

To ungroup objects using the context menu:

  1. In Normal View or Slide Master View, right-click the object you want to ungroup. A drop-down menu appears.
  2. Select Group and then Ungroup from the sub-menu. The selected objects will be ungrouped.
  3. Click in an area outside of the grouped objects. You will now be able to select each object.

Ungroup objects using the Ribbon

To ungroup objects using the Ribbon:

  1. In Normal View or Slide Master View, click the grouped object.
  2. Click the Drawing Tools Format, Drawing Format, Shape Format, Picture Tools Format or Picture Format tab in the Ribbon.
  3. In the Arrange group, click Group. A drop-down menu appears.
  4. Select Ungroup. The selected objects will be ungrouped.
  5. Click in an area outside of the grouped objects. You will now be able to select each object.

Regroup objects

You can regroup objects that were previously part of a group:

To regroup objects:

  1. Right-click any one of the objects, shapes or pictures that were previously in a group.
  2. Select Group and then Regroup from the sub-menu. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + Shift + J. The selected objects will be regrouped.

It is more common to group and ungroup than regroup objects.

There are some objects that you will not be able to group in PowerPoint. For example, you will not be able to group objects that include a placeholder (like a Title placeholder), table, worksheet object or 3D model. If you want to group SVG icons, you need to convert them to shapes first. For more information and workarounds, check out the article Why You Can't Group in PowerPoint (3 Common Issues).

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How to Rotate Objects in PowerPoint

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Summary
How to Group or Ungroup Objects in PowerPoint (with Shortcuts)
Article Name
How to Group or Ungroup Objects in PowerPoint (with Shortcuts)
Description
You can group and ungroup objects in PowerPoint using keyboard shortcuts, the context menu or the Ribbon. If you group pictures, shapes or other objects, you can format, move, resize and animate those objects as one object. You can also ungroup objects that have been grouped and regroup objects.
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Avantix Learning

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