How to Change Layer Order in Google Slides

To change layer order in Google Slides, select the object, click Arrange > Order, and choose Bring to front, Bring forward, Send backward, or Send to back. You can also right-click the object and use Order, or press Ctrl + Up arrow or Ctrl + Down arrow (⌘ on a Mac) to move it one layer at a time.

These steps are for Google Slides in a web browser on a computer, with shortcuts from Google’s Keyboard shortcuts for Google Slides page. The Android, iPhone, and iPad apps have fewer choices, covered in their own section below.

How layers work in Google Slides

Every picture, shape, text box, line, chart, and video on a slide sits in a stack. Each new item you add goes on top. When two objects overlap, the one higher in the stack covers the one below it. Changing the order moves an object up or down in that stack without moving it on the slide.

Changing the order doesn’t change an object’s size; to make a box bigger or smaller, resize a text box in Google Slides.

Two kinds of items aren’t part of the stack. The slide background, set in Slide > Change background, always sits behind everything. Anything placed on the theme’s master or layouts in Slide > Edit theme also stays behind the content you add to a slide. You need edit access to change order, so the commands don’t appear if the file was shared with you as view-only or comment-only.

How to change layer order with the Arrange menu

1. Click the picture, shape, or text box you want to move. A blue box with handles appears around it.
2. Click Arrange in the menu bar, then point to Order. Four commands appear, each with its shortcut beside it.

3. Choose Bring to front to put the object on top of everything, Bring forward to move it up one layer, Send backward to move it down one layer, or Send to back to put it behind every other object (it still stays in front of the slide background).

The object moves in the stack right away. If nothing seems to change, the object may not overlap anything at the layer you moved past. Repeat Bring forward or Send backward until it lands where you want.

Which command to pick

Use Bring to front or Send to back when there are only two objects, or when one item, such as a background photo or a logo, should always be at the bottom or top. Use Bring forward and Send backward when you have three or more overlapping items and want to slide one between two others. For example, to put a tinted box between a photo and a headline, send the photo to the back, then nudge the box backward until it sits under the headline.

How to change layer order with a right-click

1. Right-click the object.
2. Point to Order.
3. Choose Bring to front, Bring forward, Send backward, or Send to back.

This gives the same four commands as the Arrange menu, with one fewer click.

Layer order keyboard shortcuts

Select the object first, then press:

Command	Windows and ChromeOS	Mac
Bring forward (up one layer)	Ctrl + Up arrow	⌘ + Up arrow
Send backward (down one layer)	Ctrl + Down arrow	⌘ + Down arrow
Bring to front (top layer)	Ctrl + Shift + Up arrow	⌘ + Shift + Up arrow
Send to back (bottom layer)	Ctrl + Shift + Down arrow	⌘ + Shift + Down arrow

Some guides list Ctrl + Shift + Up arrow as “bring forward.” Google’s list shows it moves the object all the way to the front, and the shortcut without Shift moves it one layer.

The same keys do something else when a slide is selected in the filmstrip on the left: they move the whole slide up or down in the presentation. If a slide jumps to a new position, press Ctrl + Z (⌘ + Z) to undo, click the object on the slide, and try again.

How to select an object hidden behind others

• Use Tab. Click any object on the slide, then press Tab to select the next object or Shift + Tab to select the previous one. Keep pressing until the blue box surrounds the one you want. Nothing moves while you do this.
• Send the top object back. Click the object that’s covering it and press Ctrl + Shift + Down arrow. The hidden object is now on top and easy to click.
• Select everything, then deselect. Click an empty spot on the slide and press Ctrl + A (⌘ + A), or click Edit > Select all. Then Shift-click the items you don’t want.

How to change the order of several objects at once

1. Hold Shift and click each object you want to move.
2. Click Arrange > Order and choose a command.

The selected objects move together and keep their order relative to each other.

Group layered objects

If a set of objects should always stay together, group it.

1. Hold Shift and click each object.
2. Click Arrange > Group, or press Ctrl + Alt + G (⌘ + Option + G on a Mac).

The group now moves, resizes, and changes order as one unit. To separate the objects, select the group and choose Arrange > Ungroup, or press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + G (⌘ + Option + Shift + G).

Example: put readable text over a photo

This is the most common reason to change layer order.

1. Click the photo and press Ctrl + Shift + Down arrow to send it to the back.
2. Draw a rectangle over the area where the text will go. With the rectangle selected, click Fill color > Custom and lower the transparency slider so the photo shows through.
3. Click your text box and press Ctrl + Shift + Up arrow to bring it to the front.

The order is now photo, tinted box, then text. If you’d rather fade the photo itself, select it, click Format options, and use the Transparency slider under Adjustments. For a faint “Draft” stamp or logo that sits behind everything, add it, lighten it the same way, and send it to the back.

On a phone or tablet

The Google Slides app has two order choices instead of four. Google’s help for the Android app describes the steps:

1. Open the presentation and tap the object.
2. In the menu that appears, tap More. On an iPhone or iPad, tap the right arrow if you don’t see the options.
3. Tap Move to front or Send to back.

For one-layer moves, open the presentation in a web browser on a computer.

Troubleshooting

• Order is grayed out or missing. Make sure an object is selected and that you aren’t typing inside a text box. Press Esc and click the object’s edge. If none of the editing menus work, ask the owner for edit access.
• A background picture won’t come forward. It’s probably the slide background or part of the theme. Change it in Slide > Change background, or click Slide > Edit theme and edit the master or layout. To layer it with other items, add the picture with Insert > Image instead.
• Text stays hidden behind a shape. Select the shape and choose Send to back, or select the text box and choose Bring to front. Text typed inside a shape belongs to that shape, so it moves with the shape and can’t be layered on its own.
• The object jumps when you try to line it up. That’s snapping, not layering. Click View > Snap to and uncheck Grid or Guides, then drag again.
• You moved the wrong thing. Press Ctrl + Z (⌘ + Z) to undo the last change.

Frequently asked questions