Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Grouping Drawing Objects.

Grouping Drawing Objects

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 17, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


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:

  1. Make sure the Drawing toolbar is displayed.
  2. Select all the objects that belong in the group.
  3. Choose the Group option from the Draw menu on the Drawing toolbar.

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:

  1. Make sure the Drawing toolbar is displayed.
  2. Select the grouped object.
  3. Choose the Ungroup option from the Draw menu on the Drawing toolbar.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1332) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) 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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Converting Time Notation to Decimal Notation

Want to convert an elapsed time, such as 8:37, to a decimal time, such as 8.62? If you know how Excel stores times ...

Discover More

Copying to Very Large Ranges

Using the mouse to select a large cell range can be frustratingly slow. If you want to make copying to a large range of ...

Discover More

Dynamically Changing Worksheet Tab Color

Excel makes it easy to change the color of a worksheet's tab. If you want that color change to be dynamic, one way to do ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! An easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field with this in-depth resource. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to quickly access the features you need. Check out Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

Using Callouts

If you want to put comments in your document, you can use Word's built-in comment feature. Another way is to use callout ...

Discover More

Keeping Callouts Positioned

Using graphics to add callouts to your graphics is a common occurrence in Word. Here's how to stop all those graphics ...

Discover More

Flipping a Drawing Object

Place a drawing object in your document, and it doesn't have to stay that way. You can flip a drawing object in either of ...

Discover More
Subscribe

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.

What is 8 - 1?

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 menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

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

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.