Grouping objects in PowerPoint is beneficial while making a presentation. It helps to avoid aligning several objects singly, which will buy you more time. Plus, you can move objects by maintaining the same position.
But sometimes, for specific reasons, grouping objects becomes an impossible task. So, what are the core reasons, and how to resolve this issue?
To know all the facts and solutions, read this article till the end.
Without further ado, let’s begin!
How to Fix Unable to Group Objects in PowerPoint
If you want to group all the objects, move all the objects, such as images, shapes, etc., outside the placeholder. Then select the moved object and go for the Group option by right-clicking. You can copy all the text inside the placeholders and paste it into a newly created textbox.
Then you can delete the placeholder and select all the textboxes to group them. You can also press the Ctrl + G keyboard shortcut to group objects in PowerPoint.
Let me show you how to group objects in PowerPoint if you want to avoid selecting the placeholder.
Here are the steps to fix unable to group objects in PowerPoint:
- Select all the text from the placeholder by pressing Ctrl + A.
- Press Ctrl + X to cut all the text.
- Hover the cursor over the placeholder, and you’ll see a four-arrow cursor.
- Left-click to select the entire placeholder.
- Press the Delete button from the keyboard.
- Insert a text box in the slide by going to the Insert tab from the ribbon.
- Right-click on the text box and choose the Keep source formatting under the Paste source option.
- Go to the Insert tab and select the Pictures option.
- Insert a picture inside the text box.
- Right-click inside the text box and select Group > Group.
Now, drag the text box and move around. The image will move along with the text box because it’s now part of it as a group.
After creating an entire presentation, you can always export the presentation as Video. But problems may arise anytime, and you can face errors while exporting videos. If you’re facing this, keep worries aside because you can fix errors while exporting video in PowerPoint.
If you want to group any tables or worksheets in a PowerPoint slide, there is a brilliant workaround you can follow.
Read the below procedures to select tables or worksheets as a group in PowerPoint:
- Go to Windows search and search for the snipping tool.
- Click on the Snipping Tool to launch it.
- Open the table or worksheet from Word or Excel.
- Take a screenshot of that table or worksheet.
- Save it as a .png or .jpg file format.
- Insert the saved image into the slide.
Now, you can customize the table image as you want. However, you can add a text box and manually type in the table or worksheet contents if the contents are short & simple.
After fixing this issue, you may want to set automatic slide timings in PowerPoint to avoid mouse click to move to the next slide. Just enable it, and set the stay timer for each slide individually.
Why you Failed to Group Objects in PowerPoint
Placeholders are part of a layout, so grouping other objects with placeholders is impossible. Grouping all the placeholders is easy, but when you add other objects like images, the group option will get grayed out. Similarly, you can’t group with tables and worksheets too.
PowerPoint doesn’t allow grouping other objects inside the placeholder in the slides.
There is a difference between a placeholder and a text box. Placeholders, by default, come with a layout. You will see two boxes to add titles when you add a new layout. Those are not text boxes that you insert later. So, it’s not possible to select both and group them.
Here is the list of reasons why you failed to group objects in PowerPoint:
- Select placeholders with other objects like images to make a group.
- The Group button becomes unavailable if you select tables, worksheets, GIF images, and other objects.
- You can’t group SVG icons unless you convert the image to a shape.
Let’s discuss mentioned three reasons briefly.
Below are the detailed causes behind grayed-out group option in PowerPoint:
Placeholders
You can’t select and group placeholders with other objects. After adding or inserting a new slide, you’ll see two boxes with dotted corners. One states Click to add title, and another Click to add text. Both of these are placeholders of a layout.
Worksheets & Tables
Like placeholders, you can’t also group objects with worksheets and tables. The reason is simple, after creating a table in Word, you simply copy and paste it into the slide. Then, you select other objects with the pasted table and go for the group option.
That’s when you find the grayed-out Group option. PowerPoint doesn’t support grouping with tables and worksheets. So, this is another reason you cannot group objects in PowerPoint.
SVG Images
You’ll find the Group button is unavailable when you want to group SVG icons. The thing is, you must convert the SVG icons to shapes. Then you can move the icons pieces separately or as groups.
Along with these significant factors, selecting only one object for the Group option counted as a silly mistake because you can’t select only one object and group it. So, ensure you have selected more than one object before grouping them.
Follow our guide on how to add or load a PowerPoint Add-in.
FAQs
What is the shortcut key to group objects in the PowerPoint slide?
Select all the objects to be grouped and press Ctrl + G to select & mark those as a group.
How to ungroup objects in PowerPoint using the shortcut key?
Press Ctrl + Shift + G from the keyboard to ungroup all the grouped objects in the slides.
Why can’t I group images in PowerPoint?
Check whether the images you inserted are not inside the placeholders. If so, move the images outside the placeholder and try grouping them now.
Does PowerPoint allow object grouping?
PowerPoint supports object grouping to format all the objects at the same time. It helps to move objects by keeping the same aspect and margin without aligning those separately.
Bottom Line
Creating a presentation is time-consuming, and moving several objects separately to align them will cost you more time. That’s why PowerPoint supports object grouping to format multiple objects simultaneously.
But for some reason, you won’t be able to use the Group option, and you’ll find it grayed out. In this article, I have pointed out all the reasons and shown how to fix the grayed-out group option in PowerPoint.
I hope you already resolve the issue by reading till the end. For more guidance, knock me in the comment box. All the best!
