How to Group Steps in Zapier Canvas

Zapier Canvas lets you visually design and organize automated workflows, and grouping steps is one of the most useful tools for keeping complex processes clear and manageable. By creating groups, you can collapse or expand related steps, simplify branches, and understand your automation logic at a glance.

This guide explains exactly how to create, use, and manage groups in Canvas so you can design cleaner and more scalable workflows.

What Are Groups in Zapier Canvas?

In Zapier Canvas, a group is a visual container that holds one or more steps in your workflow. Instead of viewing a long chain of individual steps, you can organize them into labeled sections that you can collapse or expand.

Groups are especially useful when you build large workflows that include:

Multiple branching paths
Conditional logic and filters
Several related actions that always run together
Sections owned by different teams or departments

Key Benefits of Using Zapier Groups

Using groups in Zapier Canvas offers several advantages for planning and maintaining your automations.

Improved readability: Collapse complex branches into manageable blocks.
Faster navigation: Jump quickly between sections of your workflow.
Better collaboration: Label groups for specific use cases or teams.
Clear logic: See how conditional paths and actions relate to each other.

How to Create Groups in Zapier Canvas

You can create groups in two main ways: from scratch or using suggested groups that Canvas identifies for you.

Create a Blank Zapier Group

Use this method when you already know which steps you want to organize together.

Open your workflow in Canvas within your Zapier account.
Click the point in the canvas where you want the group to appear.
Select the option to add a Group. This creates an empty group box.
Drag existing steps from your workflow into the new group area, or add new steps directly inside the group.
Give the group a clear name so others can understand its purpose.

Blank groups are ideal when you are planning sections of a new automation or restructuring an existing workflow for clarity.

Use Suggested Groups in Zapier Canvas

Canvas can automatically highlight parts of your workflow that would benefit from being grouped. These suggestions help you quickly organize related steps without manually selecting each one.

After building or editing your workflow, look for suggested group hints in the Canvas interface.
Click the suggestion to preview which steps will be included.
Confirm to create the suggested group, or cancel if it is not what you need.
Rename the group so it accurately describes the steps it contains.

Suggested groups are particularly helpful when your workflow grows over time and becomes harder to follow.

Managing Zapier Groups in Your Workflow

Once your groups are in place, you can manage them to keep your Zapier Canvas organized.

Rename a Group in Zapier Canvas

Descriptive names make groups easier to understand and maintain.

Click the group header in Canvas.
Edit the group name field.
Use a name that reflects the purpose, such as “Lead Qualification”, “Billing Updates”, or “Internal Notifications”.

Collapse or Expand Zapier Groups

Collapsing groups is useful when you want a high-level overview of a complex automation.

Click the collapse or expand icon in the group header.
When collapsed, the group shows only its name and connection points to the rest of the workflow.
When expanded, you can see and edit all individual steps inside the group.

Move or Reorganize Zapier Groups

You can rearrange groups as your workflow evolves.

Select the group container in Canvas.
Drag it to a new position to adjust the visual layout.
Ensure that incoming and outgoing connections remain correct so data flows properly between groups.

Add or Remove Steps from a Group

As your process changes, you may need to adjust what each group contains.

To add steps: Drag a step into the group area, or create a new step while the group is selected.
To remove steps: Drag the step out of the group boundary to return it to the main canvas.

This flexibility lets you refine your structure without rebuilding the entire automation.

Best Practices for Zapier Canvas Grouping

Follow these recommendations to get the most from grouping in Zapier Canvas.

Use Clear, Action-Oriented Names

Give each group a name that reflects what it does, not just the app it uses. For example:

“New Lead Intake and Tagging”
“Customer Onboarding Emails”
“Invoice Creation and Follow-Up”

This helps teammates quickly understand each section of your Zapier workflow.

Group by Function, Not Just by App

Instead of creating one group per app, group steps that belong to the same business process. For example, a single group might contain CRM, email, and spreadsheet steps if they all support the same stage of your pipeline.

Limit Group Size

If a group becomes very large, consider splitting it into smaller, logical segments. Multiple focused groups are easier to maintain than one oversized group that does everything.

Use Groups for Branches and Conditions

For workflows with conditional paths, use separate groups for each branch. This makes it simpler to see which steps run under specific conditions and helps avoid confusion when troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting Groups in Zapier Canvas

If something does not look right after you group steps, review the following checks.

Confirm that every group has a clear incoming and outgoing connection.
Expand groups when testing to verify that all steps receive the correct data.
Ensure that filters and paths within a group are still aligned with the overall workflow logic.
Reorganize or split large groups if you struggle to understand them at a glance.

You can always ungroup or move steps to refine the layout without changing the underlying automation logic.

Where to Learn More About Zapier Canvas

For full technical details on Canvas groups and the latest updates, review the official documentation on the Zapier help center at Groups steps in Canvas.

If you need strategic guidance on designing scalable automations or improving your overall workflow architecture, you can also explore expert automation and optimization services at Consultevo.

By using groups effectively in Zapier Canvas, you create workflows that are easier to read, faster to improve, and more reliable as your automation needs grow.

Need Help With Zapier?

Work with ConsultEvo — a

Zapier Certified Solution Partner

helping teams build reliable, scalable automations that actually move the business forward.

Get Zapier Help

Master Zapier Canvas Groups