Grouping objects in Word 2007

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In Word 2003 I was used to selecting several items such as a picture and some overlays on the picture and then Grouping them so they would all move together. If I remember right I did this by holding the Shift key down to perform a multiple selection. However, I can’t find any way to multi-select objects in Word 2007. Any suggestions on how to do this?

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It should still work exactly the same way in Word 2007, so there must be something else going on to prevent you from multi-selecting.

One possibility is that one or more of the objects is inline with text – for instance in Word 2007 by default inserted pictures come in inline with text rather than floating. You can’t use Shift to multi-select inline objects.

It’s harder to tell the difference between floating objects and inline objects in Word 2007, just by looking at the selection handles of the object – the selection handles on inline objects look a lot like the way selection handles for floating objects appeared in earlier versions . One way to tell for sure is to right-click on an object and see if there’s a Text Wrapping option – inline objects will have a Text Wrapping option, set to Inline with Text.

Gary

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It doesn’t work for me. I insert a picture, set it to Text Wrap Square, then insert a shape on top of the picture. I select the picture then hold the Shift key down and select the shape and nothing happens. If I select the shape the picture becomes unselected and vice versa. What I did find is that first inserting a text box, then converting it to a frame then inserting the picture and several shapes and I can then move the frame and its contents all move with it.

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Chuck

This sounds like your shapes are each sitting in different drawing canvases. Have you had a look in your options to see whether the drawing canvas is automatically created when you add a shape. I think you need your shapes to not be on a drawing canvas if you want to group them.

Alternatively, if the shapes are in the same canvas then you don’t need to group them.

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This looks similar to this thread from a while ago.

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You are right John, I had forgotten about that query (I tend to forget a lot of things lately!!)

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Unfortunately it looks like the drawing canvas isn’t going to help if you need to group a picture with other objects in Word 2007.

First off: Chuck, I was wrong in saying it should work the same way in 2007 as in 2003 – just did a test and confirmed that in Word 2003 I can group multiple floating objects, including a picture.
However when I try exactly the same thing in Word 2007, it won’t let me group the picture with the other objects – when I Shift+Click to add the picture to the other already-selected objects, it deselects the other objects, and selects only the picture. So it looks like something did change in Word 2007 in terms of how pictures behave.

Next, I just tried putting a few shapes plus a picture onto a drawing canvas, and trying to multi-select and group them. This works fine in Word 2003, but doesn’t work in Word 2007 – same problem where it won’t let you add the picture to the multi-selection.

It seems like a step backward that Word 2007 took away the ability to group pictures with other objects. The workaround you came up with using frames, may be the best way to go.

Gary

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Next, I just tried putting a few shapes plus a picture onto a drawing canvas, and trying to multi-select and group them. This works fine in Word 2003, but doesn’t work in Word 2007 – same problem where it won’t let you add the picture to the multi-selection.

I just tried the instructions in the post I linked to, and they still worked OK for me. As long as the various items were on a drawing canvas I could group them by shift clicking.

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John,

Thanks for prompting me to try it again – it is working now. What I was doing wrong was taking the picture that I had previously inserted for the first test, outside of the drawing canvas, and dragging it onto the drawing canvas – that didn’t work.

But if I cut/copy and paste the picture onto the drawing canvas, it definitely does work. Alternatively, if I select the drawing canvas and then do Insert > Picture, the picture comes into the drawing canvas and can then be part of a multi-selection.

Gary

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Thanks for all the help. I’ll give the drawing canvas a try. It has always been a mystery to me, but it seems to solve the problem.

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