Layer, group, and lock objects

You can work with and arrange the objects on a sheet in a number of ways:

Layer objects

  1. Drag an object so it overlaps with one or more other objects.

  2. In the Format  sidebar, click the Arrange tab at the top of the sidebar.

  3. With the object selected, do one of the following:

    • Move the object one increment at a time: Click Forward or Backward.

    • Move the object to the very top or bottom of the stack: Click Front or Back.

You can select multiple objects to layer them all at once.

Tip: You can open the Arrange controls in a separate window that you can move anywhere. Choose View > Show Arrange Tools (from the View menu at the top of your screen, not from the View menu in the toolbar). You can also add buttons to the toolbar for Forward, Backward, Front, and Back.

Group or ungroup objects

Tip: You can add buttons to the toolbar for grouping and ungrouping objects.

Lock or unlock objects

When an object is locked, you can’t move, delete, or modify it in any way until you unlock it.

Locked objects with dimmed selection handles.
  1. Click an object to select it or select multiple objects.

  2. Do either of the following:

    • Lock: Choose Arrange > Lock (from the Arrange menu at the top of your screen).

    • Unlock: Choose Arrange > Unlock.

Alternatively, select one or more objects. In the Format sidebar, click the Arrange tab, then click Lock or Unlock (near the bottom of the sidebar).

Tip: You can add buttons to the toolbar for locking and unlocking objects.

See alsoPosition and align objectsChange the transparency of an objectAdd a text boxAdd text inside a shape