How to Make and Customize a Table in Microsoft Word

Insert a Table

There are several ways to insert a table in Word:

• Click the Insert tab and click the Table button. Select the number of rows and columns you want.
• Click Insert > Table > Insert Table. Specify the number of rows and columns.
• Click Insert > Table > Draw Table. Draw a table by dragging your mouse.

You can also convert existing text into a table by selecting the text, clicking Insert > Table > Convert Text to Table, and choosing your separation options.

Add and Delete Rows and Columns

To add rows or columns:

• Click in a cell next to where you want to add a row or column.
• Click the Layout tab.
• Click the Insert Above, Insert Below, Insert Left, or Insert Right buttons.

To delete rows, columns, or the entire table:

• Select the rows, columns, or table you want to delete.
• Click the Layout tab.
• Click Delete > Delete Rows, Delete Columns, or Delete Table.

Merge and Split Cells

To merge cells:

• Select the cells to merge.
• Click the Layout tab.
• Click Merge Cells.

To split cells:

• Select the cell to split.
• Click Split Cells.
• Enter the number of rows and columns to split the cell into.

Resize Rows and Columns

To adjust row height or column width:

• Select the rows or columns you want to resize.
• Click and drag the boundary on the ruler.

To auto-resize rows or columns based on contents:

• Select the table, row, or column.
• Click the Layout tab.
• Click AutoFit, then select an option.

Change Text Direction

To change text direction to vertical or rotated:

• Select the cell(s) with text.
• On the Layout tab, click Text Direction.
• Select the direction you want.

Align Text

To align text within table cells:

• Select the cells with text to align.
• On the Layout tab, click an alignment option.

Apply Table Styles

To format an entire table quickly:

• Click anywhere in the table.
• On the Design tab, select a style from the Table Styles gallery.

You can enable or disable specific elements like header rows, total rows, and banded rows.

Add Borders and Shading

To add borders:

• Select the table, rows, columns, or cells to add borders to.
• On the Design tab, open the Borders menu.
• Select the border location(s) and options.

To add shading:

• Select the cells to shade.
• On the Design tab, click the Shading button and select a color.

Create Custom Table Styles

To create a custom table style:

• Format a table how you want it.
• Right-click the table and select Save as New Quick Style.
• Give your style a name and click OK to save it.

You can then apply your custom style to new tables.

Convert a Table to Text

To convert a table to regular text paragraphs:

• Select the entire table.
• On the Layout tab, click Convert to Text.
• Choose your separation options and click OK.

The table will convert to text paragraphs separated by your chosen options.

Use Formulas in Table Cells

You can perform calculations in a Word table by using formulas:

• Select the cell to contain the formula.
• Type an equals sign (=) and enter the formula.
• Press Enter to see the calculation result.

Some examples:

• =SUM(ABOVE) sums all cells above
• =AVERAGE(LEFT) averages left column
• =COUNT(Table1) counts cells in Table1

With these tips, you can now easily create tables in Word documents and customize them to suit your needs!