Multi-select lets you select several elements at the same time and work on them together. You can select elements on the canvas or in the Layers panel, then move, copy, delete, lock, or group them in one go. With several elements selected, the settings panel switches to bulk editing, so you can change a color, a font, or a preset for all of them at once instead of opening each element one by one.
Throughout this article, Cmd refers to the Command key on a Mac and Ctrl to the Control key on Windows. When you see "Cmd / Ctrl", use Cmd on a Mac and Ctrl on Windows.
Select multiple elements on the canvas
You can combine two kinds of clicks to build a selection:
Cmd / Ctrl + click - Adds a single element to the selection, or removes it if it's already selected. Use it to pick non-adjacent elements.
Shift + click - Selects a range of elements. Click the first element, then Shift + click the last one, and Divi selects every element in between.
Cmd / Ctrl + A - Selects every element in the same container as the element you're hovering over.
Each selected element keeps its outline, so you can see at a glance what's included. Hold Shift + click to create a selection of all modules between the first and last module clicked.
You can mix different kinds of elements in one selection, such as a few modules and a row.
Notes:
Shift + click range selection works only between elements inside the same parent, for example, modules in the same column or rows in the same section. If you Shift + click an element in a different container, Divi adds just that element.
In the Theme Builder, a selection can't span more than one template area. If you have elements selected in the header and click an element in the body, Divi starts a new selection.
Select multiple elements in the Layers panel
Multi-select also works in the Layers panel, which makes it easier to pick elements in crowded or nested layouts. It uses the same clicks as the canvas:
Cmd / Ctrl + click a layer to add or remove it.
Shift + click a layer to select a range of layers inside the same parent.
The canvas and the Layers panel share the same selection. Anything you select in Layers is also selected on the canvas, and right-click menus and keyboard shortcuts act on it the same way.
You can drag several selected layers at once to move them to a new place in the layout. They stay selected after you drop them.
Deselect elements
To remove one element from the selection, Cmd / Ctrl + click it (or Shift + click it) again.
To clear the whole selection, press Cmd / Ctrl + D.
A normal click on any element without holding a key also clears the selection and opens that element's settings.
Move, copy, and organize multiple elements
Drag and drop
Click and hold any selected element, then drag it. The whole selection moves together and stays selected after you drop it.
Note: You can't drag a selection that includes a locked element.
Right-click menu
Right-click any selected element to open a menu that acts on the whole selection. Where an action normally names the element, it now uses the plural, such as Duplicate Modules or Delete Rows. From this menu, you can:
Duplicate or Delete every selected element.
Move the selection up, down, to the top, to the bottom, or to its parent.
Copy, Cut, and Paste the selection.
Lock or Unlock every selected element.
Paste Attributes onto every selected element. For example, copy the attributes of one Button, then paste its design onto five others.
Reset Attributes on every selected element.
Add Element above, inside, below, or around the selection. Add Element Around wraps the whole selection in a new element, and only appears when all selected elements share the same parent.
Detach Component for every selected component.
Check the Divi 5 Visual Builder Right-Click Contextual Menus article for more information.
Note: Copy and Cut only appear when every selected element is the same type, such as all modules or all rows.
Keyboard shortcuts
Most element shortcuts now act on every selected element:
Cmd / Ctrl + C, Cmd / Ctrl + X, Cmd / Ctrl + V - Copy, cut, and paste the selection.
Cmd / Ctrl + Shift + D - Duplicate every selected element.
Cmd / Ctrl + Backspace - Delete every selected element.
Cmd / Ctrl + Shift + K - Lock every selected element.
Cmd / Ctrl + Shift + U - Unlock every selected element.
Cmd / Ctrl + Up Arrow and Cmd / Ctrl + Down Arrow - Move the selection up or down.
Cmd / Ctrl + Shift + V - Paste all copied attributes onto every selected element.
Cmd / Ctrl + Shift + 0 - Reset all attributes on every selected element.
Cmd / Ctrl + D - Deselect all elements.
Cmd / Ctrl + G - Group the selected modules.
To see the full list, press Shift + ? in the Visual Builder. The Keyboard Shortcuts tab now has a search box, so you can type "select" or "group" to find the shortcut you need. Check the Divi 5 Visual Builder Keyboard Shortcuts article for more information.
Group selected modules
Select two or more modules and press Cmd / Ctrl + G to wrap them in a new Group module. Divi places the new Group module containing the selected modules in the place of the first selected module.
Note: Grouping only works with modules. If the selection includes a section, row, column, Group, or child item, nothing is grouped.
Bulk edit elements in the settings panel
When you select two or more elements, the settings panel switches to bulk editing and its title changes to Elements.
You get the usual Content, Design, and Advanced tabs, along with the settings search bar and the responsive and state controls.
Any change you make applies to every selected element at once. This also works for responsive values and hover states: pick a breakpoint or state, then edit as usual.
Editing different types of elements
You don't have to select elements of the same type. If you select a Text module and a Button, the settings panel shows the option groups from both. Common option groups, such as Spacing or Border, appear once and update both elements. A setting that only exists on one type only changes the elements of that type.
The Elements option group
If you select several container elements, such as rows or Group modules, the Elements option group on the Content tab lists the children of every selected element. Click the Add Element button to add the same element to all of them at once.
Mixed values
When all selected elements share the same value for a setting, the field shows that value. When they don't, the field shows Mixed instead of picking one of the values at random:
Text and number fields - Show an empty field with a Mixed placeholder.
Dropdowns - Read Mixed, with no option highlighted.
Color pickers - Show a gray swatch. A global color chip reads Mixed.
Previews, such as a background image - Show a Mixed label in place of the preview.
Toggles - Show neither on nor off.
Button options and checkboxes - Show every value used by any selected element in gray, with none marked as active.
Type or pick a new value in a mixed field, and it's applied to every selected element.
Inherited values and set values
Checkbox and button option fields now show where a value comes from:
Blue - The value is set directly on this element, at the breakpoint and state you're editing.
Gray - The value is inherited, for example from a preset, a default, a larger breakpoint, or the normal state when you're editing hover.
This makes it easier to see which settings you've changed and which ones you'd override by clicking. It applies whether you're editing one element or several.
Presets
You can also manage Element Presets for all selected elements from the settings panel header:
The preset chips show every preset used by any selected element. Remove a chip to take that preset off every element that has it.
Click a preset in the preset menu to add it to every selected element that doesn't have it yet. If every element already uses it, clicking it removes it from all of them.
Click Default Preset to clear the presets from all selected elements.
Click New Preset From Current Styles to create a preset from the styles of the selected elements and assign it to all of them.
If the selection includes different types of elements, the preset menu lists the presets under a heading for each element type, and each preset only applies to elements of its own type. In this case, you can't create a new preset from the menu.
Option Group Presets work the same way across every selected element with that option group. This includes elements of different types, so you can apply one border preset to a Text module and an Image module at once.
Right-click actions on fields and option groups
Right-click a field, an option group, or an option group tab in the settings panel to act on every selected element:
Reset the field or option group on every selected element.
Paste copied attributes onto every selected element.
Convert to Variable - Turns the field's values into Design Variables. Divi creates one variable for each different value and links each element to its matching variable.
Copy and Extend attributes. These only appear when all selected elements are the same type.
Find & Replace a value.
Use the Inspector with multiple elements
The Style Inspector supports multi-select too. Select your elements, then click the Inspector icon in the builder toolbar. The Inspector lists the styles, content, and presets used by the selected elements and everything inside them. When you change a value there, it replaces it only in the selected elements, not across the rest of the page.
Note: The Inspect option in the right-click menu only appears when a single element is selected. To inspect a selection, use the Inspector icon in the toolbar.
Scope the Divi AI Agent to multiple elements
When you open the Divi AI Agent with several elements selected, each one appears as a chip above the message box. The Agent applies your request to all of them, so you can ask it to "make these buttons match" or "add more spacing to these rows" in one message.
To remove an element from the chat's scope, click the X on its chip. This doesn't change your selection on the canvas.
Things to know
Locked elements are skipped. Bulk edits, resets, moves, and pastes leave locked elements untouched, and you can't drag a selection that includes one.
Some actions only work on one element. Copy Attributes, Extend Attributes, Inspect, and Save To Library don't appear in the right-click menu when more than one element is selected. Save as Component isn't available in the settings panel header either.
Editing a preset or a component returns to single-element editing. While you're editing a preset or a component, the settings panel edits one element at a time. Your selection is kept, so bulk editing returns when you're done.
Attributes, Interactions, and Conditions. The Attributes, Interactions, and Conditions option groups don't show mixed values yet, so what you see there may only reflect one of the selected elements. To avoid overwriting different settings, edit these one element at a time.