Excel inserting a table

1. Select a cell within your data.

2. Select Home > Format as Table.

3. Choose a style for your table.

4. In the Create Table dialog box, set your cell range.

5. Mark if your table has headers.

6. Select OK.

1. Insert a table in your spreadsheet. See Overview of Excel tables for more information.

2. Select a cell within your data.

3. Select Home > Format as Table.

4. Choose a style for your table.

5. In the Create Table dialog box, set your cell range.

6. Mark if your table has headers.

7. Select OK.

To add a blank table, select the cells you want included in the table and click Insert > Table.

To format existing data as a table by using the default table style, do this:

1. Select the cells containing the data.

2. Click Home > Table > Format as Table.

3. If you don’t check the My table has headers box, Excel for the web adds headers with default names like Column1 and Column2 above the data. To rename a default header, double-click it and type a new name.

Note: You can’t change the default table formatting in Excel for the web.

Bottom Line: Learn helpful tips and keyboard shortcuts to insert and format Excel tables quickly.

Skill Level: Beginner

Video Tutorial

Download the Excel File

The file I use in the video can be downloaded here:

Creating Tables in Excel

There are two quick and easy ways to insert an Excel Table using existing data in a spreadsheet.

1. Using the Insert Tab

The first way is to go to the Insert tab in the Ribbon and select the Table icon. (First make sure your selected cell is anywhere in the data set that you want to convert into a table). The keyboard shortcut for this procedure is Ctrl + T.

This will bring up the Create Table box, which is prepopulated with the existing boundaries of the data set you’re in. Assuming you want all of that data in your table, just select OK.

Your data field has now been converted to an Excel Table, which makes it easier to sort, filter, and format the data.

Changing the Style

If you had applied formatting to your data before making it a table, the Insert Table feature does not override that formatting. If you want to change the style, you can go to the Table Design tab on the Ribbon and right-click on the selected style. This gives you an option to Apply and Clear Formatting. When you select that option, the previous formatting is replaced with the style you’ve selected.

2. Using the Home Tab

Another way to insert a table, which might be a little bit faster if you have formatting that you want to clear, is using the Home tab.

From the Home tab on the Ribbon, select the Format as Table menu. This will bring up a gallery of different styles to choose from. If, as above, you right-click on the style you want, and select Clear and Apply Formatting, you’ve combined the creating of the table with the formatting at the same time.

Keyboard Shortcuts for This Method

The keyboard shortcut to open the Format as Table menu is Alt, H, T. Then you can use the arrow keys to select the style you want and hit Enter.

This does not clear the existing formatting, but if you want to do that, you can use the keyboard shortcut above. But once you’ve highlighted the style you want, click on the Menu key to bring up the right-click menu that we’ve already seen, then press C for the Apply and Clear Formatting option. The underlined letter is the shortcut key for each option.

So the full keyboard shortcut to create a Table and Clear and Apply Formatting is: Alt, H, T, Menu, C, Enter

If you’re not sure what the Menu key looks like, or want to know more about how to use it, I’ve created these helpful posts:

Excel Keyboard Shortcuts for the Menu Key

Best Keyboards for Excel Keyboard Shortcuts

Duplicating a Style

If you always want to use the same style within a workbook, here’s a tip to quickly access the style you like. From the gallery of styles, right-click on the one you like and choose Duplicate.

This will open a box allowing you to customize the style or leave it as is. Once you kit OK, this style will appear at the top of your gallery as a Custom style.

This placement at the top simply helps save time hunting for the style you want each time you create a new table. The Alt, H, T, Enter keyboard shortcut will also apply this first style in the Custom section.

You can also follow that with the Menu, C shortcut to Clear and Apply Formatting.

Keep in mind that this custom styling is only for the workbook you are in and does not carry over to other workbooks.

Related Posts

If you are new to Excel Tables, you can learn more about them here: Excel Tables Tutorial Video – Beginners Guide for Windows & Mac

When naming your tables, it’s best to use a prefix. This tutorial explains why: Best Practices for Naming Tables

And this video will help you when you are creating pivot tables: 5 Reasons to Use an Excel Table as the Source of a Pivot Table

Conclusion

Excel Tables are a great way to work with data. I hope this post is helpful as you create them in your spreadsheets. If you have questions or tips about working with tables, I’d love to hear them in the comments.

By turning an Excel range into a table, you can work with the table data independently from the rest of the worksheet, and filter buttons appear automatically on the column headers, allowing you to filter and sort columns even faster. You can also add total rows and quickly apply table formatting.

Create a Table

If you already have an organized range of data, you can turn it into a table. Before turning a range of data into a table, remove blank rows and columns, and make sure that a single column doesn’t have different types of data within it.

1. Click a cell in the range you want to convert to a table.
2. Click the Format as Table button on the Home tab.
3. Select the table style you want to use.

   

   You can also click the Insert tab on the Ribbon and click the Table button in the Tables group.

4. Verify the data range includes all the cells you want to include in the table.

   Make sure to specify whether the table has a header row. If it doesn’t, Excel will add a header row above the table data.

5. Click OK.

   

The table is created. Filters are added to each column and the table is automatically formatted. Under Table Tools on the Ribbon, the Design tab appears.

Apply a Table Style

You can change the appearance of a table at any time by applying a preset table formatting style.

1. Click a cell in the table.
2. Click the Design tab.
3. Click the Quick Styles button from the Table Style group.

   The table styles gallery appears. Here you can select styles from the Light, Medium, or Dark categories. You may need to scroll down the list to see the Dark category.

4. Select a style.

   

Convert to a Range

If a table is no longer needed, turn it back into a normal range of data.

1. Click a cell in the table.
2. Click the Design tab.
3. Click the Convert to Range button.
4. Click Yes.

   

   Right-click a cell in the table and select Table, then Convert to Range from the contextual menu.

The table converts back to a normal range of cells, but the table formatting is still applied.

If you don’t want the table formatting to be applied, click the Quick Styles button on the Design tab and select None before converting the table to a range.

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Excel Tables are very powerful and have many advantages when using them.  You should start using them asap regardless of the size of your data set, as their benefits are HUUUGE:

1. Structured referencing;
2. Many different built in Table Styles with color formatting;
3. Use of a “Total Row” which uses built in functions to calculate the contents of a particular column;
4. Drop down lists that allows you to Sort & Filter;
5. When you scroll down from the Table, its Headers replace the Column Letters in the worksheet;
6. Remove Duplicate Rows automatically;
7. Summarize the Table with a Pivot Table;
8. Supports calculated Columns so you can create dynamic formulas outside the Table;

STEP 1: Select a cell in your table

STEP 2: Let us insert our table! To do that press Ctrl + T or go to Insert > Table:

STEP 3: Click OK.

Your cool table is now ready!

Helpful Resource:

About The Author

This tutorial demonstrates how to create a table in Excel.

Create an Excel Table

You can either create an Excel table using existing data, or you can create a blank table and fill it with data afterwards.

1. To create a table using existing data, ensure that your data is laid out in a way that is compatible with creating a table, e.g., each column should have a header row that describes the contents of that column and no blank rows or columns should exist in the middle or the data.

1. Then, in the Ribbon, go to Insert > Table.

1. Excel selects the entire range of data. Leave My table has headers ticked, and then click OK.

1. This automatically creates a table as far down as the next blank row and as far across as the next blank column.

Alternate Shading in a Table

When a table is automatically created, the table is formatted according to the default table style that exists in Excel. This means that the top row is formatted with a blue background and white writing, while the rows below are formatted alternatively with a blue or white background.

1. To change the table’s appearance, click somewhere within the table and in the Ribbon, go to Table Design > Table Styles. Choose a style.

1. The format changes according to the style you choose. There are many built-in styles available. To access a few more styles, click the “more” button as shown below.

1. The list of styles is expanded to show a variety of different table styles. Choose one.

Convert Table Back to a Range

If you have formatted your data as a table, and then wish to remove the filter options and convert your table back to a range, you can use the Table Design tab to do this.

1. Click in your table, and then in the Ribbon, go to Table Design > Tools > Convert to Range.

1. Click OK to convert your table to a range.

While the formatting is preserved, the filters are removed from the column headers indicating that the data is now a normal range and no longer a table.

Link Tables: Relationships

If you have data in two different ranges in Excel, but the data is linked together by a common column name, you can create a relationship between these two sets of data as long as both sets of data are tables in Excel.
Consider the following two tables in Excel.

One table contains the salesperson‘s name and their Sales Target, while the other table contains their order amounts. In one table, the salesperson appears only once while in the other table the salesperson can appear multiple times.

Note: the data does not have to be on one sheet and may be much larger than the example above.

For example, to create a pivot table that contains information from both tables, you can link these tables together by creating a relationship between them.
Note: Try using some shortcuts when you’re working with pivot tables.

1. In the Ribbon, go to Data > Data Tools > Relationships.

1. In the Relationships window, click New.

1. In the Table drop down, choose the first table and in the drop down below, choose the second table.

1. In the Column table, first choose the Foreign column (in this case, Salesperson as it can appear multiple times); and then in the Related Column, choose the Salesperson field from the second table. This is the Primary column where the salesperson only appears once in that table.

1. Click OK to create the relationship.

1. Click Close to return to Excel.

Benefits of Using a Table

Add Totals Automatically

Adding a total row to a table is incredibly easy.

Click in your table, and then, in the Ribbon, go to Table Design > Table Style Options > Total Row

The default function use for the Total Row is the sum function. You can, however, amend this function if you want to use a different function.

Notice that the Header Row, Banded Rows, and Filter Button are also ticked in this group of options.

• If you switch off the Header Row, then the Filter Button option is no longer available.
• If you switch off the filter option, you can’t use the filter option in your table.
• you switch off the Banded Rows option, the rows are no longer alternatively shaded.

Automatically Add Rows With Tab Key

One of the benefits of using at table is that a table will automatically expand if you enter more data into the table. Notice that in the bottom row of the table, a small, backward-L-shaped handle exists.

If you then click in this cell and press the TAB key, a new row in the table is created, and your cursor is moved to the first cell in the new row. The table has therefore automatically expanded to include this row.

This is useful since some of the benefits of using a table are the sorting and filtering options that are built into the table. If you then wanted to filter on the Salesperson, for example, the new record is automatically included in that filter. Similarly, if you sort the data, the new row(s) are included in the sort.

Consistent Formulas

If you add two more columns to the table, these would automatically be included in the table, as the new rows were above.

Then, add a formula to work out the total by multiplying the Order Amount by the Quantity. The formula is created using the field names (column headers).

When you press ENTER, the formula is copied down to all the other rows in the table.

Multiple Filters on One Sheet

In the example below, a table has been created for each year of orders, and then, each table has been filtered by region to show the orders for a single region in each individual year.

Combine Tables Into One Pivot Table

If you have created a relationship between two tables, you can create a pivot table using fields from both tables.

1. In the Ribbon, go to Insert > Pivot Table > From Data Model.

1. Select New Worksheet, and then click OK.

1. You now have the field available from both your tables to use in your pivot table where the linked fields (Salesperson) will show up identical data.

Able to Use Slicers

When you data is formatted as a table, you are able to use slicers to filter your data.

1. Click in your table and then, in the Ribbon, select Table Design > Tools > Insert Slicer.

1. Select the field or fields of the slicer you wish to insert, and then click OK.

1. You can then filter your data by selecting an individual value in the slicer, or you can hold down the CTRL key (for nonconsecutive values) or the SHIFT key (for consecutive values) to filter on multiple values.

PowerPivot and Power Query

Any data used in a Power Pivot or Power Query must be in a table format. So for users of Power Query, formatting as an Excel table is a necessity, not just a benefit.

More on Tables

Microsoft Excel is convenient for creating tables and doing calculations. Its working area is a set of cells to be filled with data. Consequently, the data can be formatted, used for building graphs, charts, summary reports.

For a beginner, working with tables in Excel may seem complicated at the first glance. It is differs considerably from the principles of table construction in Word. However, let us start from the very basics: creating and formatting tables. By the time you reach the end of this article, you will understand there is no better tool for creating tables than Excel.



Creating a table in Excel: a dummy’s guide

Working with Excel tables for dummies does not tolerate haste. There are different ways to create a table for a specific purpose, and each of them has its advantages. Therefore, let us start with assessing the situation visually.

Look carefully at the work sheet of the table processor:

It is a set of cells in columns and rows. Essentially, it’s a table. The columns are marked with letters. The rows are designated with numbers. There are no borders.

First of all, let’s learn to work with cells, rows and columns.

How to select a column and a row

To select the entire column, left-click on the letter that marks it.

To select a row, click on the number it’s designated with.

To select several columns or rows, left-click on the name, hold down the button and drag the pointer.

To select a column with the help of hot keys, place the cursor in any cell of the column and press Ctrl + Space. The key combination Shift + Space is used to select a row.

How to resize cells

If your information does not fit in the table, you need to resize the cells.

1. You can move them manually by grabbing the cell boundary with the left mouse button.



2. If the cell contains a long word, you can double-click on the boundary of the column/row. The program will expand its boundary automatically.



3. If you need to increase the height of a row preserving the column width, use the button «Wrap Text» in the tool bar.

To change the column width and the row height in a certain range, resize 1 column/row (by dragging its boundaries manually) – and all the selected columns and rows will be resized automatically.

Important note. To go back to the previous size, you can press the «Undo Typing» button or the hot-key combination CTRL+Z. However, it works only if used immediately. Later on, it will not help.

To bring the rows to their initial boundaries, open the tool menu: «HOME»-«Format» and choose «AutoFit Row Height».

This method does not work for columns. Click «Format» — « AutoFit Row Width» Memorize this number. Select any cell in the column that needs to go back to the initial size. Click «Format» — «Column Width» again and enter the value suggested by the program (as a rule, it’s 8.43 – the number of characters in the Calibri font, size 11 pt). OK.

How to insert a column or row

Select the column/row to the right of/below the place where the insertion needs to be made. That is, the new column will appear to the left of the selected cell. The new row will be pasted above it.

Right-click on the cell and select «Insert» in the drop-down menu (or hit the hot-key combination CTRL+SHIFT+»=»).

Select «Entire column» and press OK.

Hint. To insert a new column quickly, select a column in the desired position and hit CTRL+SHIFT+PLUS.

All these skills will come handy when building a table in Excel. You will need to resize the cells and insert rows/columns in the process.

Creating a table with formulas step by step

1. Fill in the header manually by entering the column headings. Fill in the rows by entering your data. Apply the acquired knowledge in practice: expand the column boundaries, adjust the row height.



2. To fill in the «Sum» column, place the cursor in its first cell. Enter «=». In such a way, we inform Excel: a formula will be here. Select the cell B2 (with the first price). Enter the multiplication symbol (*). Select the cell C2 (with the quantity). Press ENTER.



3. When you hover the pointer over the cell containing the formula, a small cross will appear in its bottom right corner. It points out the autocomplete marker. Grab it with the left mouse button and drag it to the end of the column. The formula will be copied into every cell.



4. Designate the boundaries of your table. Select the range containing your data. Click the button «HOME»-«Border» (on the main page in the «Font» menu). And click «All Borders».

Now the column and row borders will be visible when you print the table.

The «Font» menu allows you to format the data in your Excel table the way you would do it in Word.

For example, change the font size and highlight the header in bold. You may also apply center alignment, word wrap, etc.



Creating a table in Excel: a step-by-step instruction

You already know the simplest way to create tables. However, Excel can offer a more convenient variant (in terms of the subsequent formatting and work with the data).

Let us construct a smart (dynamic) table:

1. Go to the «INSERT» tab – the «Table» tool (or press the hot-key combination CTRL+T).



2. This will open a dialog window, in which you need to enter the data range. Check the box for a table with headings. Click OK. It’s no big deal if you don’t enter the proper range on the first try. The smart table is flexible, dynamic.

Important note. You can also take an alternative route: start with selecting the range of cells, then press the «Table» button.

Now enter your data into the ready framework. If you need an additional column, place the cursor in the heading cell. Make the entry and press ENTER. The range will expand automatically.

If you need additional rows, grab the autocomplete marker in the bottom right corner and drag it downward.

How to work with a table in Excel

With the release of new versions of the program, working with tables in Excel has become more interesting and dynamic. After a smart table has been formed on the spreadsheet, the tool «TABLE TOOLS» — «DESIGN» becomes available.

Here you can name the table or resize it.

Various styles are available to you, as well as the opportunity to transform the table into a regular range or a consolidated sheet.

MS Excel dynamic electronic tables offer immense opportunities. Let us begin with the basic skills of data entry and autocompletion:

1. Select a cell by clicking on it with the left mouse button. Enter the text/numeric value. Press ENTER. If you need to change the value, place the cursor in the cell again and enter the new data.
2. When you enter a value repetitively, Excel will recognize it. You will only need to enter several symbols and press enter.



3. In a smart table, to apply a formula to the entire column, enter it in the first cell. The program will copy the formula in other cells automatically.



4. To calculate the totals, select the column containing the values plus an empty cell for the future total and click the «Sum» button (the «Editing» tool group on the «HOME» tab, or press the hot-key combination ALT+»=»).

When you click on the little arrow to the right of every subheading in the header, you obtain access to the additional tools for working with the data in the table.

Sometimes the user has to work with huge tables, in which you need to scroll several thousand rows to see the totals. Deleting the rows is not an option (you will still need the data later). However, you can hide them. To this end, use number filters (depicted in the image above). Uncheck the values that need to be hidden.