Working with tables is an integral part of creating professional documents. Whether you need to organize data, compare information, or present statistics, tables allow you to display content in a structured and easy-to-digest format.
Google Docs makes inserting and formatting tables simple, even if you don’t have prior experience working with tables. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the steps for creating, editing, and customizing tables in Google Docs so you can take your documents to the next level.
Inserting a Table
Inserting a basic table in Google Docs takes just a few clicks. To add a table to your document:
- Place your cursor where you want the table to be inserted
- Navigate to Insert > Table on the menu bar. This will open the table insertion popup.
- Under the Dimensions section, enter the number of rows and columns you want your table to have. For example, entering 3 rows and 4 columns will insert a 3×4 table with 3 rows and 4 columns.
- Select OK. A blank table structured as specified will be inserted into the document.
And that’s it! Google Docs makes it just that easy to embed a simple table. But chances are you’ll want to customize and format your table. So let’s look at ways to edit tables after they’ve been inserted.
Editing and Formatting Tables
Once your table is inserted, you can edit the table structure itself or format the table appearance. Here are some key things you can do:
Resize Tables
To change the size of your table after inserting it:
- Click inside the table to select it. Resizing handles will appear around the perimeter.
- Drag the resizing handles to increase or decrease rows and columns. This allows you to quickly scale your table on the fly without having to delete and re-insert it.
Add or Delete Rows and Columns
Adding rows and columns gives you more cells to work with. To add:
- Right-click on a cell next to where you want the new row or column added.
- Choose Insert row above, Insert row below, Insert column left, or Insert column right.
- Repeat as needed to insert multiple rows or columns.
To delete rows or columns, right-click the row or column number header and select Delete row or Delete column.
Merge and Split Cells
Merging cells combines them into one larger cell that spans multiple rows and/or columns. To merge cells:
- Select the cells you want to merge.
- Right-click and choose Merge cells.
To later split a merged cell:
- Click inside the merged cell.
- Right-click and select Split cells.
Change Text Alignment
You can align text to the left, center or right within table cells.
- Select the cells you want to align text in.
- Open the Alignment options on the toolbar and pick an alignment.
This helps organize table data so it’s easier to scan and interpret.
Add Borders and Shading
Borders and shading add definition to tables. To customize:
- Select the table or specific cells to adjust.
- Open the Table options toolbar.
- Choose a border width and style under Borders.
- Pick a shading color under Shading.
Borders outline cells while shading colors the background. Use them in combination to make tables easier to read.
Adjust Cell Padding and Spacing
Cell padding controls space between cell borders and text inside cells. Cell spacing adjusts space between cells themselves. To modify:
- Right click the table and select Table properties.
- On the Table tab enter values for cell padding and spacing.
- Select OK to apply changes.
Increasing cell padding and spacing can improve readability by reducing text crowding.
Change Text Direction
By default text displays horizontally inside table cells. You can make text display vertically along the cell’s side by:
- Going to Table options on the toolbar
- Selecting the Text direction dropdown
- Choosing Vertical
This rotates text by 90 degrees. It’s useful when you have narrow columns with long text that requires wrapping.
Convert Table to Text
To convert a table back into regular body text, right click inside the table and choose Convert to text. This will remove the table structure and turn contents into separated paragraphs.
Converting to text is helpful if you want to rearrange and remix table content outside the table format. Just remember you’ll lose any table-specific formatting.
Additional Table Customizations
Beyond the basics, Google Docs provides additional ways to customize the look and functionality of your tables:
- Alternating row colors for easier readability
- Text wrapping in cells to control how content flows
- Header row formatting to visually distinguish the first row
- Sorting data to dynamically re-order rows
- Column freezing to keep certain columns visible during horizontal scrolling
And much more. Explore the full suite of table options within the Table options drop down menu to see all available formatting and layout choices.
Conclusion
With this guide, you should now feel right at home inserting, editing, and styling tables in Google Docs. Start putting tables to use within your documents. Use them to track project plans, display program statistics, layout pricing tables, analyze survey findings, compare product specs, and present all types of tabular data.
The ability to effectively communicate information through tables is a valuable skill for school, life, and business. Google Docs equips you with all the fundamental table tools you need to organize content into digestible, professional-looking layouts.