Grouping objects together in Illustrator is a great way to keep all similar elements together as one, instead of multiples. Not only can you group objects from your artboard, but also group layers.
You can work with several items as if they were a single one. It gives us the option to choose which objects of the selected group we wish to pick, copy or paste, cut, move, or otherwise change.
My name is Aly, I am a graphic designer with more than five years of experience in Adobe Illustrator. In this article, I will be explaining how to group/ungroup in Illustrator.
How to Group Objects in Adobe Illustrator
Follow this step-by-step guide to group objects in Illustrator.
Step 1: Have your project open and all of the objects you need in your artboard. In my example today, I have three objects, a rectangle, a star, and a square. I will be grouping these three together because as of right now they are all separate objects.
Step 2: With all of your objects on the same artboard, click on the Selection Tool from your toolbar menu, and hold down the Shift key while clicking on each object until they are all in a box together.
Another method to select all of your objects at the same time is to highlight select your items by clicking on the empty space of your artboard and dragging over your objects until they are all selected in a highlighted blue box.
If you want to group everything on your artboard, you can go to the overhead menu Select > All or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl/Command + A to select all objects.
Step 3: With your objects selected, go up to Object > Group or use the shortcut Command + G for mac users or Control + G for pc users.
Another way to group your objects is to have your objects selected, right-click on your mouse and choose the Group option. For example, if you want to group objects from different layers, simply select the layers (objects), right-click, and choose Group.
How to Ungroup in Adobe Illustrator
You have figured out grouping objects, now follow the steps to learn how to ungroup.
Step 1: Select your objects with the selection tool just as we did when grouping our objects. If you only have one group of objects this will be easy as all you need to do is click on it to select.
Step 2: With your group selected, go up to Object > Ungroup. Your grouping will be ungrouped and you can now move or edit your objects individually.
You can also select your grouped object, right-click and select Ungroup or use the keyboard shortcut Shift + Command/Ctrl + G.
Pro Tip: To select an object from the group without ungrouping it, double click the group and it will take you into an “Isolation Mode” where you can edit the specific object individually. You can also do this by using the “Direct Selection Tool”.
Final Thoughts
Now you are familiar with the grouping and ungrouping of objects in Illustrator! Hopefully, this will come in handy if you work in illustrator frequently, I know learning this tool has saved me from unnecessary steps I would have to use otherwise.
Any questions about grouping and ungrouping in Adobe Illustrator? Leave a comment and let me know.
