Hi
Laurie,
I understand how frustrating it can be when you can't group objects in Word. Here are some possible reasons why you can't group objects and some solutions to try:
- Objects are not selected properly: Make sure that you have selected all the objects that you want to group. To do this, click and drag your mouse over the objects to select them. You can also hold down the Shift key and click on each object to select them individually.
- Objects are on different layers: If the objects are on different layers, you won't be able to group them. To check if the objects are on different layers, right-click on each object and select "Order" from the menu. If the "Bring Forward" or "Send Backward" options are greyed out, it means that the objects are on different layers. To fix this, right-click on each object and select "Bring to Front" or "Send to Back" until they are all on the same layer.
- Objects are grouped already: If the objects are already grouped, you won't be able to group them again. To check if the objects are grouped, click on one of the objects and see if the "Ungroup" option is available in the menu. If it is, then the objects are already grouped. To ungroup them, select the grouped object and click on "Ungroup" in the menu.
- Objects are not compatible: Some objects may not be compatible with each other, which can prevent them from being grouped. For example, you may not be able to group a clipart image with a photo. To fix this, try converting the objects to the same format. For example, you can convert a clipart image to a picture format by right-clicking on it and selecting "Save as Picture".
If none of these solutions work, you may need to use the
Drawing Canvas to group your objects. While it may be a bit more work to resize and wrap text around the canvas, it can be a useful tool for grouping objects that are not compatible or on different layers.