How to create and modify tables in Word

Many documents present some data in the form of figures or tables. Creating tables is often more efficient than describing the data in the paragraph text, especially when the data is numerical or large. The tabular data presentation makes it easier to read and understand.

A table is a collection of information or data, usually represented by horizontal rows and vertical columns. Each column and each row can have a header. Some tables have only column headings or only row headings. The box at the junction of each column and row is a cell that contains data such as text, numeric information, or images. Some cells can be merged or split (see more about formatting tables). E.g.:

Microsoft Word has many features that make working with tables simple and convenient.

Create a table

There are several ways how to insert or create a table:

• Create a blank table of up to 10 columns and 8 rows,
• Create a blank table with more than 10 columns or more than 8 rows,
• Create a blank table manually (Draw a table),
• Create a table using predefined templates (Quick Tables),
• Create a table from the existing data (Convert Text to Table),
• Insert a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

To create a blank table in a Word document, do the following:

1. Place your cursor where you want to insert the table.

2. On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click the Table button:

3. Do one of the following:

Create a blank table of up to 10 columns and 8 rows

• To create a table of up to 10 columns and 8 rows, move the cursor right (to select columns) and down (to select rows) the grid to select as many cells as you need. E.g., the table of 5 columns and 3 rows (selected cells will turn orange):

Click on a cell in the grid with the expected number of rows and columns (or press Enter) to insert an empty table to fit the width of the text (paragraph). The table has the specified number of single-line text rows in the current paragraph and equal-width columns. E.g., the table of 3 rows and 5 columns:

Create a blank table with more than 10 columns or more than 8 rows

• To create a table with more than 10 columns or more than 8 rows, do one of the following:
  • Create a table with exactly 10 columns or 8 rows, then add as many columns or rows as you need (see below how to customize table).
  • Click the Insert Table. option:

  

  In the Insert Table dialog box:

  

  • In the Table size group, specify the number of columns and rows,
  • In the AutoFit behavior group, specify the width of the table and its columns:
    • Select the Fixed column width option to customize width in the appropriate field: select Auto (used by default) or specify width. E.g., 0.75":

    

    • Select the AutoFit contents option to adjust cell sizes to the document content. E.g.:
    • Select the AutoFit to window option to adjust the table's width to the document content width. E.g.:

    

    Create a blank table manually

    • To manually create an empty table, click the Draw Table option:

    

    After clicking that option, the cursor changes to the pencil that allows drawing cells directly in the Word document to create a table:

    

    To draw additional lines, select a table, then on the Table Layout tab, in the Draw group, click the Draw Table button:

    Create a table using predefined templates

    To create a table using predefined Word templates of tables and calendars, do the following:

    1. Place your cursor where you want to insert the table.

    2. On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click the Table dropdown list, then select Quick Tables list:

    

    3. From the Quick Tables gallery, select the template you prefer.

    

    Create a table from the existing data

    To create a table from the existing data in a document data (either as regular text or as a tabbed list), do the following:

    1. Select the document data you want to shape into a new table.

    2. On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click the Table dropdown list, then select Convert Text to Table. :

    

    3. In the Convert Text to Table dialog box:

    

    • In the Table size group, specify the number of columns,
    • In the AutoFit behavior group, specify whether the width of the columns should be fixed (see details above),
    • In the Separate text at group, select the character that separates text into columns in the selected text: paragraph marks, commas, tabs, or some other character.

    

    Insert a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet

    Note: It is possible to insert a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet in a document. To do so, on the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click the Table dropdown list, then select Excel Spreadsheet:

    

    Word opens the Excel spreadsheet where you can enter the data. You can use Excel features such as functions and formulas to create or manipulate the data. Note that it is not a Word table.

    Add rows and columns

    To add a row and a column to a table, do the following:

    1. Position the cursor:

    • to a cell in a row above or below which you need to insert a row,
    • to a cell in a column left or right which you need to insert a column.

    2. Do one of the following:

    Click the Insert dropdown list in the Mini toolbar:

    

    

    • Click the Insert Above button to insert a row above the row with the cursor,
    • Click the Insert Below button to insert a row below the row with the cursor,
    • Click the Insert Left button to insert a column left to the column with the cursor,
    • Click the Insert Right button to insert a column right to the column with the cursor.

    

    Notes:

    To insert rows or columns, move the mouse over the table or left of the table until you see the Insertion indicator, then click the icon:

    and

    

    Delete a table element

    To delete a table element, do the following:

    2. Do one of the following:

    Click the Delete dropdown list in the Mini toolbar:

    

    

    3. Select one of the proposed options:

    • Delete Cells. opens the Delete Cells dialog box, in which select the option you need:

    

    Note: You can select the element you want to delete, right-click on the selection and select the appropriate item in the popup menu. For example, if the entire table is selected or the column is selected:

    and

    Convert a table into text

    To convert a table into text in Word, follow the next steps:

    1. Click anywhere in the table.

    2. On the Layout tab, in the Format group, click the Convert to Text button:

    

    3. In the Convert Table to Text dialog box, select the charter to separate cells data in the text:

    

    4. Click OK.

    See also this tip in French: .

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    How to create and modify tables in Word

    Many documents present some data in the form of figures or tables. Creating tables is often more efficient than describing the data in the paragraph text, especially when the data is numerical or large. The tabular data presentation makes it easier to read and understand.

    

    Select and format table elements in Word

    After creating a table and filling it, the main task is to format the data and the table itself. The data in a table is formatted like any other text in Word by changing the font, aligning the text, etc.

    

    Calculations in the table

    You can add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers in Word table cells. Also, you can calculate averages, percentages, and minimum as well as maximum values.