Grouping lets you move, resize, and align multiple elements as one unit

When you have several shapes, images, or text boxes that belong together—like a logo with a tagline, or a cluster of icons—grouping them saves you from moving each piece separately every time you adjust your design. Once grouped, those elements move, rotate, and resize as a single object. You can still ungroup them later if you need to edit one piece individually.

Grouping works the same way whether you're designing a social media post, a flyer, or a presentation slide. The process takes seconds and prevents the frustration of accidentally nudging one element out of alignment when you meant to move the whole thing.

Key Takeaways

  • Select multiple elements by clicking the first one, then holding Shift and clicking each additional element you want to group.
  • Right-click on any selected element and choose "Group" from the menu, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+G (Windows) or Cmd+G (Mac).
  • A grouped set moves, rotates, and resizes as one unit, but you can still click inside the group to edit individual text or change a single element's color.
  • Ungroup elements by right-clicking the group and selecting "Ungroup" when you need to move or edit pieces separately again.

Select all the elements you want to group together

Start by clicking on the first element—a shape, image, or text box—that you want to include in the group. You'll see selection handles (small squares) appear around it.

Now hold down the Shift key and click on each additional element you want to add to the group. As you click each one while holding Shift, it joins the selection. You'll see all selected elements highlighted with their own selection handles. If you accidentally click the wrong element, Shift-click it again to remove it from the selection.

A faster alternative: click and drag to draw a selection box around all the elements at once. Start from an empty area above and to the left of your elements, then drag down and to the right until the box touches all the pieces you want grouped. This selects everything inside the box in one motion.

Right-click and choose Group from the menu

With all your elements still selected, right-click anywhere on one of the highlighted pieces. A context menu appears with several options. Look for the word "Group" and click it.

On Windows, you can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+G instead of right-clicking. On Mac, press Cmd+G. Either method groups the selected elements when ready. You'll notice the selection handles now surround the entire group as a single unit rather than individual elements.

Move and resize the grouped elements together

Once grouped, you can click anywhere on the group and drag it to a new position. All the elements inside move together, maintaining their exact spacing and alignment. This is the main benefit of grouping—you don't have to nudge each piece individually to keep them lined up.

You can also resize the entire group by dragging any corner handle outward or inward. All elements inside scale proportionally. If you grab a side or top handle instead of a corner, you'll stretch the group in one direction, which sometimes distorts the elements inside, so corners usually work better.

To rotate the grouped elements, click the group once more after it's selected. Rotation handles (curved arrows) replace the resize handles. Drag any of these curved arrows to spin the entire group.

Edit individual elements without ungrouping

You don't always have to ungroup to make small changes. Double-click directly on a text box inside the group to edit the words. The text cursor appears and you can type normally. Click outside the group when you're done editing.

To change the color of a single shape inside the group, double-click that shape. Its color options appear in the toolbar. Adjust the fill or stroke color as needed, then click outside the group. The group stays intact and all elements remain linked.

This approach works for any element inside the group—you can change an image, adjust text formatting, or modify a shape's properties without breaking the group apart.

Ungroup when you need to move pieces separately

If you later decide that one element needs to move to a different position or be deleted, right-click the group and select "Ungroup." All the elements inside separate and become individual objects again. Each one now has its own selection handles and can be moved, resized, or edited independently.

You can regroup the same elements later by selecting them again and using Ctrl+G or Cmd+G. Ungrouping doesn't delete anything—it just breaks the link between the elements so you can work with them separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I group elements that are on different layers?

Yes. Grouping works regardless of which layers the elements are on. When you group them, they move together as one unit, but they don't change layers. If you need elements on specific layers for other reasons, grouping doesn't interfere with that.

What happens if I group a group?

You can select multiple groups and group them together into a larger group. This creates a nested structure. You can ungroup the outer group to separate the inner groups again, or double-click into a nested group to edit elements inside without ungrouping everything.

Does grouping affect how my design exports?

No. Grouping is only for organizing your work inside Canva. When you read or share your design, the grouping doesn't appear in the final file—only the visual design itself exports. Grouping is purely a tool to make editing easier.

Can I copy a grouped element and paste it elsewhere?

Yes. Right-click a grouped element and select "Copy," then click where you want it and select "Paste." The entire group pastes as one unit with all elements intact and still grouped together.