diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiGraphics.cpp b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiGraphics.cpp
index f4a3928feb..0ca3ebb55c 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiGraphics.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiGraphics.cpp
@@ -296,15 +296,53 @@ void GuiGraphics::change_adaptor()
 
 void GuiGraphics::change_group(int index)
 {
-	QString const group = groupCO->itemData(
+	QString const new_group = groupCO->itemData(
 		groupCO->currentIndex()).toString();
+	
+	// check if the old group consisted only of this member
+	if (current_group_ != fromqstr(new_group)
+	    && graphics::countGroupMembers(buffer(), current_group_) == 1) {
+		if (!new_group.isEmpty()) {
+			if (Alert::prompt(_("Dissolve previous group?"), 
+				bformat(_("If you assign this graphic to group '%2$s',\n"
+					  "the previously assigned group '%1$s' will be dissolved,\n"
+					  "because this graphic was its only member.\n"
+					  "How do you want to proceed?"),
+					from_utf8(current_group_), qstring_to_ucs4(new_group)),
+					0, 0,
+					bformat(_("Stick with group '%1$s'"),
+						from_utf8(current_group_)),
+					bformat(_("Assign to group '%1$s' anyway"),
+						qstring_to_ucs4(new_group))) == 0) {
+				groupCO->setCurrentIndex(
+					groupCO->findData(toqstr(current_group_), Qt::MatchExactly));
+				return;
+			}
+		} else {
+			if (Alert::prompt(_("Dissolve previous group?"), 
+			bformat(_("If you sign off this graphic from group '%1$s',\n"
+				  "the group will be dissolved,\n"
+				  "because this graphic was its only member.\n"
+				  "How do you want to proceed?"),
+				from_utf8(current_group_)),
+				0, 0,
+				bformat(_("Stick with group '%1$s'"),
+				from_utf8(current_group_)),
+				bformat(_("Sign off from group '%1$s'"),
+				from_utf8(current_group_))) == 0) {
+			groupCO->setCurrentIndex(
+				groupCO->findData(toqstr(current_group_), Qt::MatchExactly));
+			return;
+			}
+		}
+	} 
 
-	if (group.isEmpty()) {
+	if (new_group.isEmpty()) {
 		changed();
 		return;
 	}
 
-	string grp = graphics::getGroupParams(buffer(), fromqstr(group));
+	string grp = graphics::getGroupParams(buffer(), fromqstr(new_group));
 	if (grp.empty()) {
 		// group does not exist yet
 		changed();
@@ -745,6 +783,7 @@ void GuiGraphics::applyView()
 
 	igp.groupId = fromqstr(groupCO->itemData(
 		groupCO->currentIndex()).toString());
+	current_group_ = igp.groupId;
 }
 
 
@@ -780,6 +819,7 @@ bool GuiGraphics::initialiseParams(string const & data)
 {
 	InsetGraphics::string2params(data, buffer(), params_);
 	paramsToDialog(params_);
+	current_group_ = params_.groupId;
 	return true;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiGraphics.h b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiGraphics.h
index 3f91126d4e..2fbd779898 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiGraphics.h
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiGraphics.h
@@ -81,6 +81,8 @@ private:
 	std::vector<std::string> origin_ltx;
 	///
 	InsetGraphicsParams params_;
+	/// the current graphics group
+	std::string current_group_;
 };
 
 } // namespace frontend
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/ui/GraphicsUi.ui b/src/frontends/qt4/ui/GraphicsUi.ui
index 8092f39d4b..c320f2ae71 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/ui/GraphicsUi.ui
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/ui/GraphicsUi.ui
@@ -634,7 +634,7 @@
              <string/>
             </property>
             <property name="text" >
-             <string>Assigned to grou&amp;p:</string>
+             <string>A&amp;ssigned to group:</string>
             </property>
             <property name="buddy" >
              <cstring>groupCO</cstring>
@@ -644,10 +644,10 @@
           <item row="1" column="1" >
            <widget class="QPushButton" name="newGroupPB" >
             <property name="toolTip" >
-             <string>Click to define a new graphics group</string>
+             <string>Click to define a new graphics group.</string>
             </property>
             <property name="text" >
-             <string>De&amp;fine new group...</string>
+             <string>O&amp;pen new group...</string>
             </property>
            </widget>
           </item>
diff --git a/src/insets/InsetGraphics.cpp b/src/insets/InsetGraphics.cpp
index 1116a5f96a..4c8ecad020 100644
--- a/src/insets/InsetGraphics.cpp
+++ b/src/insets/InsetGraphics.cpp
@@ -970,6 +970,24 @@ void getGraphicsGroups(Buffer const & b, set<string> & ids)
 }
 
 
+int countGroupMembers(Buffer const & b, string const & groupId)
+{
+	int n = 0;
+	if (groupId.empty())
+		return n;
+	Inset & inset = b.inset();
+	InsetIterator it = inset_iterator_begin(inset);
+	InsetIterator const end = inset_iterator_end(inset);
+	for (; it != end; ++it)
+		if (it->lyxCode() == GRAPHICS_CODE) {
+			InsetGraphics & ins = static_cast<InsetGraphics &>(*it);
+			if (ins.getParams().groupId == groupId)
+				++n;
+		}
+	return n;
+}
+
+
 string getGroupParams(Buffer const & b, string const & groupId)
 {
 	if (groupId.empty())
diff --git a/src/insets/InsetGraphics.h b/src/insets/InsetGraphics.h
index 73a5edcf99..e18d8c63cb 100644
--- a/src/insets/InsetGraphics.h
+++ b/src/insets/InsetGraphics.h
@@ -124,6 +124,9 @@ namespace graphics {
 	/// Saves the list of currently used groups in the document.
 	void getGraphicsGroups(Buffer const &, std::set<std::string> &);
 
+	/// how many members has the current group?
+	int countGroupMembers(Buffer const &, std::string const &);
+
 	/// Returns parameters of a given graphics group (except filename).
 	std::string getGroupParams(Buffer const &, std::string const &);