How to Delete All Groups in Illustrator?

Understanding how to manage groups is fundamental in Adobe Illustrator. When you ask how to "delete" all groups, it can mean one of two things: either you want to remove the grouping structure itself, leaving the individual objects intact (which is called ungrouping), or you want to remove the actual objects that are currently organized into groups. Let's explore both possibilities.

Understanding "Delete Groups" in Illustrator

Illustrator groups are not like standalone objects you can select and delete separately from their contents. A group is essentially a container or an organizational link between selected objects.

• Interpretation 1: Removing Grouping Structure (Ungrouping)
  This means you want to dissolve the groups so that all objects become independent elements again, without deleting any artwork. This is the most common task users perform when they want to break apart grouped items.
• Interpretation 2: Deleting Grouped Objects
  This means you want to select all artwork that is currently within any group and remove it entirely from your document.

The process differs significantly depending on which action you intend.

Interpretation 1: Removing Grouping Structure (Ungrouping Everything)

If your goal is to make all artwork individual objects by removing the group structure, you need to use the ungroup function. While there isn't a single command to magically ungroup everything across your entire document in one go, especially with nested groups, you can achieve this systematically.

The fundamental action for removing a group is Ungroup. As noted in our reference:

To un-group click Shift + Ctrl + G (or choose Ungroup from the Object menu)

(On macOS, the shortcut is Shift + Cmd + G)

To apply this to all groups in your document:

1. Select All Artwork: Press Ctrl + A (Windows) or Cmd + A (macOS) to select everything on your artboards.
2. Ungroup Repeatedly: While everything is selected, repeatedly apply the Ungroup command using the shortcut Shift + Ctrl + G (Windows) or Shift + Cmd + G (macOS). Since groups can be nested within other groups, you might need to press the shortcut multiple times. Keep pressing it until the option "Ungroup" under the Object menu is greyed out, indicating that no selected items are currently grouped.
3. Check Layers Panel: You can verify in the Layers panel that group entries (<Group>) have been replaced by individual object types (e.g., <Path>, <Rectangle>, <Text>).

This method effectively removes all levels of grouping from all selected objects.

Interpretation 2: Deleting Grouped Objects

If your intention is to remove the artwork itself that is currently organized into groups, you can use Illustrator's selection tools to target only grouped items.

Here's how you can quickly select and delete all grouped objects:

1. Go to the Select Menu: Navigate to the menu bar at the top of your screen.
2. Choose Object: From the dropdown, select Object.
3. Select Groups: In the Object submenu, choose Groups. This action will select all instances of groups throughout your document.
4. Delete Selected Objects: With all groups selected, simply press the Delete key on your keyboard. This will remove all the artwork contained within those selected groups.

This method deletes the contents of all groups, effectively "deleting the groups" in the sense of removing the artwork they contain.

Summary of Methods

Here's a quick comparison of the two interpretations:

Action Desired	What It Does	Primary Tool/Method	Effect on Artwork
Remove Grouping	Breaks group structure, keeps objects.	Ungroup (Shift + Ctrl/Cmd + G)	Artwork remains, but is now individual
Delete Grouped Items	Removes the actual artwork within groups.	Select > Object > Groups followed by Delete key	Artwork within groups is removed

Choose the method that aligns with your specific goal in Illustrator.