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Grouping layers

Last updated on 23 Aug 2023
2 min read

Grouping layers

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Grouping layers

Grouping multiple layers makes it easier to move and resize them all at the same time, toggle their visibility together, or adjust their properties.

To create a group, select two or more layers on your Canvas and press G. Alternatively, open the Menu Bar and select Arrange > Group Group.

Different layers being grouped and dragged around the Canvas

Ungrouping layers

Select the group you’d like to ungroup and press G. You can also choose Arrange > Ungroup Ungroup from the Menu Bar.

Selecting a layer in a group

Groups of layers Folder closed are treated as a single layer when you select them. To select an individual layer in a group, double-click on the group, then click on the layer you want to select. You can also hold down while hovering over the group and click on a specific layer.

Different layers being selected within a group

If you’d prefer to automatically select layers without first double-clicking on a group, head to Sketch > Settings > Layers and uncheck Select group’s content on click for new groups.

You can also enable this for individual groups by selecting a group and checking the Select group’s content on click option in the Inspector.

For groups with multiple nested layers, you can double-click once on the group and then quickly follow up with single clicks to dive deeper and select the layer you want.

How to dive deep into groups by single-clicking

To select additional elements to a layer or group already you’ve already selected, press and click on the elements to add them.

How to add extra elements to your layer selection

If you want to select a layer within a group while maintaining your original selection, hold and double-click on the layer you want to select in the group.

How to select a layer within a group while maintaining your previous selection

When you delete a layer within a group, we’ll automatically select the layer that comes after it in the Layer List’s hierarchy. If you then insert a new layer it will be automatically added to the group — and in the same order as the layer you previously deleted.

In this example we automatically select the next layer in a group after deleting the layer above it