Grouping and layers

Group related objects to move, resize, and restyle them as one unit, and use the layers list to manage stacking order and structure across the whole part.

Quick overview

1. Select two or more objects, then press Ctrl or Cmd and G to group them.
2. A group behaves as a single object: move, resize, and rotate it as one.
3. Double-click a group to enter it and edit members individually.
4. Press Escape to exit back out to the group level.
5. Press Ctrl or Cmd and Shift and G to ungroup.
6. Open the layers panel with Ctrl or Cmd and Shift and L to see, reorder, hide, and lock every object on the part.

Detailed reference

Creating a group

Select at least two objects (Shift-click or marquee), then group them. The group becomes the active selection, and it can be moved, resized, rotated, and restyled as a whole, including applying one opacity value across every member. Elements the editor generates automatically as decoration, such as a pattern behind styled text, are skipped when building a group rather than becoming their own group member.

Group edit mode

Double-clicking a group opens group edit mode: a "Group Edit Mode" badge appears at the top of the screen, and the group's members open up so you can work on them one at a time. Nothing is selected yet, so click a member to pick it:

You do this to a member	Result
Click any object inside the group	It becomes selected, and its settings appear in the properties panel
Double-click a text object inside the group	It becomes active and starts accepting typed input directly

Press Escape, or the badge's exit button, to leave group edit mode. The members snap back together and the group returns as the active selection. Behind the scenes the group is briefly taken apart while you edit and rebuilt when you exit, so you never have to ungroup and regroup by hand.

Nested groups

A group can contain other groups. The layers list shows the full hierarchy, with each nesting level indented one step further, so you can navigate deep structures without guessing what's inside what.

Group capabilities

Feature	Supported
Move, resize, rotate as one unit	Yes
Apply opacity to the whole group	Yes, it affects every member
Edit a member's properties individually	Yes, through group edit mode and the properties panel
Nested groups	Yes, shown as nested rows in the layers list
Reorder the whole group in the stack	Yes, drag its row in the layers list or use bring forward and send backward
Reorder items within a group	Ungroup, reorder, then regroup (see Troubleshooting)

The layers list

Open the layers panel with Ctrl or Cmd and Shift and L. Every object on the current part appears as a row, ordered by stacking: the top row is the frontmost object, and the bottom row is the backmost.

Control	What it does
Visibility toggle	Hides or shows the object. A hidden object stays in the part and is excluded from exports, but can be toggled back at any time.
Lock toggle	Locks or unlocks the object. A locked object can't be clicked or marquee-selected on the canvas but remains selectable from this list.
Drag to reorder	Dragging a row up or down changes its stacking position, equivalent to bring forward and send backward but with full control over the exact position.
Rename a group	Double-click a group's or frame's name in its row to give it a label so it's easy to find in a busy part.
Click a row	Selects the matching object on the canvas.

Groups, frames, and grid cells appear as expandable rows with their members nested underneath. A frame that's linked to its source image shows a chain icon connecting the two rows; click that row to select the image, or Ctrl-click (Cmd-click) it to select the frame instead. A background image appears as a separate row pinned to the bottom of the list, with a fit control (cover, contain, stretch, and corner or edge positions).

In whiteboard and board layouts, the layers panel adds folders and color labels for organizing items visually without merging them into a single object.

Step by step

Group a logo and tagline, then ungroup to edit one

1. Shift-click the logo and the tagline so both are selected. The floating toolbar shows a group button once two or more objects are selected.
2. Press Ctrl or Cmd and G. The two become one group and now move, resize, and rotate together.
3. Later, to change just the tagline, select the group and press Ctrl or Cmd and Shift and G to ungroup. The pieces come back as a multi-object selection, so you can click elsewhere and then edit the tagline on its own.

Nudge one item inside a group without ungrouping

1. Double-click the group. A "Group Edit Mode" badge appears and the group opens up for editing.
2. Click the item you want, then move it or change its settings in the properties panel. Double-click a text item to type into it directly.
3. Press Escape, or the badge's exit button, to close group edit mode. The items snap back into the group.

Put a shape behind text

1. Select the shape.
2. Press [ to send it backward one step at a time, or drag its row down in the layers panel, until it sits below the text row.
3. If the shape needs to go all the way to the bottom, right-click it and choose Send to Back, or use the same option on the floating toolbar's stacking dropdown.

Common tasks

I want to...	Do this
Group a selection	Select two or more objects, then Ctrl or Cmd and G, or the group button on the floating toolbar.
Ungroup	Select the group, then Ctrl or Cmd and Shift and G.
Edit one member	Double-click the group, click the member, edit, then press Escape.
Move a group up or down one step	Select it and press ] (forward) or [ (backward).
Send a group to the very front or back	Right-click and use Bring to Front or Send to Back (no keyboard shortcut).
Reorder items within a group	Ungroup, reorder, then regroup.
Reveal what's inside a group	Expand its row in the layers panel.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl/Cmd + G	Group the current selection
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + G	Ungroup the selected group
Double-click a group	Enter group edit mode
Esc	Exit group edit mode
] / [	Bring forward / send backward one level
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + L	Toggle the layers panel

Bring to front and send to back have no keyboard shortcut. Use the right-click menu's arrange options or the floating toolbar's stacking dropdown.

Tips

Lock what you're done with

Locking backgrounds and finished elements makes it much easier to select and adjust everything else without picking the wrong thing.

Group to keep a repeating unit in sync

If you find yourself moving the same cluster of objects together over and over, like a logo and a tagline, group them once so every future move keeps them aligned.

Troubleshooting

Nothing happens when I press Ctrl+G

Grouping needs a live multi-object selection: two or more separate objects selected at once. A single object can't be grouped, and an existing group is already one unit (press Ctrl or Cmd and Shift and G to ungroup it instead).

I can't group objects from two different parts

A selection only ever covers one part at a time (the page, frame, slide, or board you are on), so there is no way to select objects across two parts and no way to group them together. Move the objects onto the same part first.

Reordering inside group edit mode didn't stick

Group edit mode rebuilds the group from its original member order when you exit, so stacking changes made while inside it are dropped. To change the order of items within a group for good, ungroup, reorder the loose objects, then regroup.

Decoration is left out of a group

Elements the editor adds automatically, such as the pattern behind styled text, are skipped when a group is built, so they never become stray group members.

Related

• Selecting objects for multi-select before grouping
• Move, resize, and transform to transform a group as a unit
• Properties panel for the tab that hosts the layers list
• Selection tools for how masked frames appear in the layers list