How to insert tables in word

Insert a table

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For a basic table, click Insert > Table and move the cursor over the grid until you highlight the number of columns and rows you want.

Insert a table by dragging to select the number of cells

For a larger table, or to customize a table, select Insert > Table > Insert Table.

Insert Table option on the Word ribbon

Tips: 

  • If you already have text separated by tabs, you can quickly convert it to a table. Select Insert > Table, and then select Convert Text to Table.

  • To draw your own table, select Insert > Table > Draw Table.

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This tutorial shows three ways to insert tables in Microsoft Word so you can choose the method that is most appropriate for your content:

  1. Create a table from the Table menu (best for general use)
  2. Create a table from the Table dialog box (offers the most sizing options)
  3. Insert a Quick Table (fastest setup)

Note that you can also draw a custom table and create a table by importing a spreadsheet from Excel. We will cover those advanced topics in separate tutorials.

Don’t miss the five tips for working with tables at the bottom of this tutorial:

  1. How to delete a table
  2. How to resize an entire table
  3. How to resize individual rows and columns
  4. How to add rows and columns
  5. How to add color to a table

This tutorial is also available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.

Watch more than 200 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.

The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365.The steps are the same in Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016 and similar for Word 2013 and Word 2010. However, your interface may look slightly different in those older versions of the software.

This method is appropriate for most users who want to create a basic table for general use.

  1. Place your cursor where you want to insert the table.
  2. Select the Insert tab in the ribbon.

Insert tab in Word 365

Figure 1. Insert tab
  1. Select the Table button in the Tables group.

Table option in the Tables group of Word 365

Figure 2. Table button
  1. Move your pointer across and down the grid to select the number of cells (organized as rows and columns) needed in your table.

The selected cells will turn orange.

Table grid in Word 365

Figure 3. Table grid
  1. Click the selected (orange) part of the grid or press Enter on your keyboard to insert the table.

Method 2: Create a Table from the Table Dialog Box

This method provides advanced sizing options.

  1. Place your cursor where you want to insert the table.
  2. Select the Insert tab in the ribbon (see figure 1).
  3. Select the Table button in the Tables group (see figure 2).
  4. Select Insert Table from the drop-down menu.

Insert Table option in Word 365

Figure 4. Insert Table option
  1. Enter the number of rows and columns in the Insert Table dialog box.

Number of columns and rows in the Insert Table dialog box in Word 365

Figure 5. Number of columns and rows
  1. Select an AutoFit behavior:
    • Fixed column width can be set to Auto or a specific width between 1/100 inch and twenty-two inches using the increment arrows.
    • AutoFit to contents adjusts cell sizes to the content.
    • AutoFit to Window adjusts the width of the table to the viewer’s Word window or browser window.

AutoFit behaviors in the Insert Table dialog box in Word 365

Figure 6. AutoFit behaviors
  1. (Optional Step) Check Remember dimensions for new tables if you want to create the same size table in the future.

"Remember dimensions for new tables" in the Insert Table dialog box in Word 365

Figure 7. “Remember dimensions for new tables” option
  1. Select the OK button to close the Insert Table dialog box and insert your new table.

OK button in the Insert Table dialog box in Word 365

Figure 8. OK button

Method 3: Insert a Quick Table

Quick Tables are prebuilt tables and calendars you can modify for your own use.

  1. Place your cursor where you want to insert the table.
  2. Select the Insert tab in the ribbon (see figure 1).
  3. Select the Table button in the Tables group (see figure 2).
  4. Select Quick Tables from the drop-down menu.

Quick Tables option in Word 365

Figure 9. Quick Tables option
  1. Select a table from the gallery.

Quick Tables gallery in Word 365

Figure 10. Quick Tables gallery
  1. Add your own content by typing over or deleting the table’s example text.

Now let’s look at some tips for working with tables.

Five Tips for Working with Tables in Word

The following tips cover the basics of working with tables. We will dive into this topic in much greater detail in a separate tutorial.

Tip 1: How to Delete a Table

  1. Select the table selector, which looks like crossed arrows, to select the entire table. You may have to hover your pointer over the table to reveal the table selector.

Table selector in Word 365

Figure 11. Table selector
  1. Right-click the table.
  2. Select Delete Table from the shortcut menu.

Delete Table option in Word 2019

Figure 12. Delete Table option

Tip 2: How to Resize an Entire Table

  1. Click and hold the resizing handle in the bottom right of the table. You may need to hover your pointer over the table to reveal the handle.

Table resizing handle in Word 365

Figure 13. Resizing handle
  1. Drag the table to the size you want and then release the handle.

Tip 3: How to Resize Individual Rows and Columns

  1. Hover your pointer over a row or column border until your pointer becomes two lines with two arrows.

Note that the pointer in figure 14 is enlarged to make it easier to see. Your pointer will be smaller.

Table resizing pointer in Word 365

Figure 14. Resizing pointer
  1. Click and hold as you drag the border to resize the row or column.

Tip 4: How to Add Rows and Columns

  1. Right-click inside a cell.
  2. Select Insert from the shortcut menu.

Table Insert shortcut option in Word 365

Figure 15. Insert option
  1. Select the location of your new row or column:
    • Insert Columns to the Left
    • Insert Columns to the Right
    • Insert Rows Above
    • Insert Rows Below
    • Insert Cells

Insert columns and rows menu in Word 365

Figure 16. Insert columns and rows menu

If you select Insert Cells, a dialog box will appear asking where you want to insert your new cells. Note that regardless of your answer, you will be inserting an entire row or column, not an individual cell.

Insert Cells dialog box in Word 365

Figure 17. Insert Cells dialog box

Tip 5: How to Add Color to a Table

  1. Select the table selector, which looks like crossed arrows, to select the entire table (see figure 11). You may need to hover your pointer over the table to reveal the table selector.
  2. Select the Table Design tab in the ribbon. (Note that this tab only appears in the ribbon when a table is selected.)

Table Design tab in Word 365

Figure 18. Table Design tab
  1. Select the down arrow in the Table Styles group.

Table Styles menu arrow in Word 365

Figure 19. Table Style down arrow
  1. Select one of the styles from the gallery.

Table Styles gallery in Word 365

Figure 20. Table Styles gallery

Alternatively, you can use the shading menu to add custom colors to individual rows and columns.

Table Shading in Word 365

Figure 21. Shading menu

Pro Tip: For even more customization, add a background image to your table. Then, save your customized table as a template for reuse in future documents, as shown in “How to Save Tables as Templates in Microsoft Word.”

Related Resources

How to Create and Customize Charts in Microsoft Word

How to Save Tables and Figures as Images in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac)

How to Insert Figure Captions and Table Titles in Microsoft Word

How to Change the Style of Table Titles and Figure Captions in Microsoft Word

How to Update Table and Figure Numbers in Microsoft Word

How to Create and Update a List of Tables or Figures in Microsoft Word

How to Export PDF Tables from Adobe Acrobat to Excel (PC & Mac)

How to Write Table Titles

How to Write Figure Captions for Graphs, Charts, Photos, Drawings, and Maps

How to Reference Tables and Figures in Text

Updated February 27, 2023

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Insert and Edit a Table with Multiple Columns and Rows in Word

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated August 23, 2022

Applies to: Microsoft® Word® 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)

You can create a table in a Word document in 4 easy ways using the Ribbon. A table is a grid made up of columns and rows that intersect to form cells. You can insert text, numbers and images in a table. Once you have inserted a table, you can easily add and resize columns and rows and change table formatting.

It’s best to avoid using Draw Table to create a table since the table may not be created in a consistent way.

Note: Buttons and Ribbon tabs may display in a different way (with or without text) depending on your version of Word, the size of your screen and your Control Panel settings. For newer versions of Word, Ribbon tabs may appear with different names. For example, the Table Design tab may appear as Table Tools Design.

In the following example, a table with 4 columns and 5 rows has been inserted in a Word document:

Example table in Word with 4 columns and 5 rows.

Recommended article: 10 Microsoft Word Shortcuts for Moving Around in Tables

Do you want to learn more about Microsoft Word? Check out our virtual classroom or in-person classroom Word courses >

Create a table using the Table Grid

To insert a table using Insert Table and select columns and rows in the Table Grid:

  1. Click in the Word document where you want to insert a table.
  2. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
  3. Click Table in the Tables group. A drop-down menu appears with a Table Grid.
  4. Hover over the grid until the number of columns and rows you want is selected.
  5. Click in the highlighted area of the grid to insert a table.

To insert a table, select cells in the Table Grid as follows:

Create a table in Word using the table grid.

Create a table using the Insert Table dialog box

To insert a table using the Insert Table dialog box:

  1. Click in the Word document where you want to insert a table.
  2. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
  3. Click Table in the Tables group. A drop-down menu appears.
  4. Select Insert Table. A dialog box appears.
  5. Enter the number of columns and rows you want to create.
  6. Select the desired options below AutoFit behavior (typically Fixed column width: Auto).
  7. Click OK.

The Insert Table dialog box appears with options to select the number of columns and rows:

Create a table in Word using the Insert Table dialog box and enter number of columns and rows.

Create a table using Quick Tables

To insert a table using Quick Tables:

  1. Click in the Word document where you want to insert a table.
  2. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
  3. Click Table in the Tables group. A drop-down menu appears.
  4. Select Quick Tables. A gallery appears.
  5. Click the table you want to insert.

Quick Tables appear in the Table drop-down menu:

Create a table in Word using Quick Tables.

Create a table by converting text to a table

If you have used tabs or other delimiters in paragraphs, you can convert the data into a table (if the delimiters are entered consistently). Wherever you have pressed Enter or Return to create a new paragraph, Word will create a new table row. You can use various delimiters to separate data but the most common are tabs, spaces or commas.

To convert delimited data to a table:

  1. Select the text that you want to convert.
  2. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
  3. Click Table in the Tables group. A drop-down menu appears.
  4. Select Convert Text to Table. A dialog box appears.
  5. Enter the number of columns if necessary and ensure a delimiter is selected in the Separate text at area.
  6. Under AutoFit behavior, choose how you want your table to appear. Word chooses a width for the table columns by default. If you want a different column width, choose AutoFit to contents or AutoFit to window.
  7. Click OK.

In the Convert Text to Table dialog box, enter the number of columns as well as the delimiter:

Create a table in Word by using Convert Text to Table dialog box.

Show table gridlines

Gridlines show the cell boundaries of a table on screen if table borders are not applied. Gridlines appear only on the screen and are not printed.

Gridlines are not visible when you view a document in a Web browser or in Print Preview.

To show table gridlines in a Word document:

  1. Click in a table.
  2. Click the Table Layout or Table Tools Layout tab in the Ribbon.
  3. In the Table group, check View Gridlines.

View Gridlines appears on the Table Tools Layout or Table Layout tab in the Ribbon:

View gridlines command in the Table Layout tab in the Ribbon.

Move around in a table

You can use the following keys to move from one cell to another in a table:

  • Tab to move to the next cell to the right.
  • Shift-Tab to move to the cell to left.
  • Ctrl-Tab to tab within a cell.

Add a row or a column

To add a row in a table:

  1. Click in a cell that is located above or below where you want to add a row.
  2. Click the Table Layout or Table Tools Layout tab in the Ribbon.
  3. To add a row above the cell you clicked in, click Insert Above in the Rows and Columns group. To add a row below the cell you clicked in, in the Rows and Columns group, click Insert Below.

The commands to insert rows or columns appear on the Table Tools Layout or Table Layout tab in the Ribbon:

Insert rows or columns commands in Ribbon in Word.

You can also right-click in a row and choose Insert from the drop-down menu and insert options from the sub-menu.

If you click in the last cell in a table and press Tab, Word will automatically add a row.

To add a column in a table:

  1. Click in a cell that is located to the right or left of where you want to add a column.
  2. Click the Table Layout or Table Tools Layout tab in the Ribbon.
  3. To add a column to the left of the cell you clicked in, click Insert Left in the Rows and Columns group. To add a column to the right of the cell you clicked in, in the Rows and Columns group, click Insert Right.

You can also right-click in a row and choose Insert from the drop-down menu and insert options from the sub-menu.

Delete a column or row

To delete a row or column:

  1. Select the row or column (drag over the cells or click to the left of a row or above a column when the arrow appears).
  2. Click the Table Layout or Table Tools Layout tab in the Ribbon.
  3. In the Rows & Columns group, click Delete. A drop-down menu applears.
  4. Click Delete Rows or Delete Columns as appropriate.

You can also right-click in a row or column and choose Delete from the drop-down menu and delete options from the sub-menu.

Change column width

To change column width:

  1. Select the column or columns you want to change.
  2. Click the Table Layout or Table Tools Layout tab in the Ribbon.
  3. Click Properties in the Table group. You can also right-click and choose Properties from the drop-down menu. A dialog box appears.
  4. Click the Column tab.
  5. Check Preferred Width.
  6. Type the new measurement for the column width. For example, typer 1.0″ or click the up and down arrows.
  7. Click OK.

The Table Properties dialog box appears as follows with the Column tab selected:

Table Properties dialog box in Word with Column tab selected to change column width.

You can also drag the right line of a column to resize it.

Change row height

To change row height:

  1. Select the row or rows you want to change.
  2. Click the Table Layout or Table Tools Layout tab in the Ribbon.
  3. Click Properties in the Table group. You can also right-click and choose Properties from the drop-down menu. A dialog box appears.
  4. Click the Row tab.
  5. Check Specify Height.
  6. Type the new measurement for the row height. For example, type 1.0″ or click the up and down arrows.
  7. Specify row height as At Least or Exactly.
  8. Click OK.

The Table Properties dialog box appears as follows with the Row tab selected:

Table Properties dialog box in Word with Row tab selected to change row height.

You can also drag the bottom line of a row to resize it.

Distribute rows and columns evenly

To distribute rows and columns evenly:

  1. Select the entire table by clicking the four-arrows that appear on the top left of the table.
  2. Click the Table Layout or Table Tools Layout tab in the Ribbon.
  3. Click Distribute Rows and / or Distribute Columns in the Cell Size group.

Apply a table style

To apply a table style:

  1. Click in the table.
  2. Click the Table Design or Table Tools Design tab in the Ribbon.
  3. Click a table style or click the More arrow to display the Table Styles gallery and click a style.

Table Styles gallery appears on the Table Tools Design or Table Design tab in the Ribbon:

Table Styles gallery in Word document to apply a table style.

To learn more about working with table styles, check out the article How to Format Microsoft Word Tables Using Table Styles (Ultimate Guide).

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More resources

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A good table in your document can help make your data stand out to your readers, and adding a table in Word is a snap. You have a variety of options for customizing your table’s look at functionality, and you can even choose from existing templates to make inserting tables completely painless. Follow this guide to learn how.

Steps

  1. Image titled Insert a Table in a Microsoft Word Document Step 1

    1

    Open Word or the document where you wish to put a table. You can insert tables into any version of Word.

  2. Image titled Insert a Table in a Microsoft Word Document Step 2

    2

    Position the cursor on the area where you want the table to be inserted. Click the “Table” button that is located under the “Insert” tab. In Word 2003, click the “Insert” menu and then select “Table”.

    • For best formatting results, place the table between paragraphs or on its own line.

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  3. Image titled Insert a Table in a Microsoft Word Document Step 3

    3

    Choose your method of inserting your table. In Word 2007, 2010, and 2013, you have a few different choices when it comes to inserting a table into your document. A dialog box appears when you click the “Insert” button which allows you select from the following methods:

    • Use the Grid to make a table. You may insert the table by using the grid where the squares represent the number of rows or columns you can have on your table. Simply drag your mouse over the grid and click after highlighting the number of squares needed.
    • Open the “Insert Table” menu. This menu allows you to specify the number of rows and columns that you want your table to have, as well as the width of the columns. You can set the width to AutoFit to your cell’s contents or have a fixed width. Click “OK” to insert the table.
    • Insert an Excel spreadsheet. Click on Excel Spreadsheet if you want to insert a table which allows you to manipulate data like Excel (for example: formulas and filters). Click outside the table if you want to work on the document itself.
    • Use prebuilt table templates. On newer versions of Word you can click “Quick Table” if you want to use built-in table templates. Simply replace the sample data with your own.

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Add New Question

  • Question

    Why do I need bullets and numbering?

    Community Answer

    To simplify points and paragraphs, bullets are used. If you are writing a long passage, numbering comes in handy. They are also used to make a document look neat.

  • Question

    What is the use of table?

    Community Answer

    Mainly to display data in a neat, organized way. You may or may not have any personal use for a table, but they are often used in scientific papers or business documents to list a set of data.

  • Question

    How do I change the size of the columns?

    Community Answer

    Hover your mouse over the bars separating columns, and your mouse cursor should change into a double arrow symbol (↔) or similar. Click on the bar, and drag it to the left or right. You can also right-click on the same, and select «Table Properties» from the menu that comes up. You should be able to change the size of the columns in the new window that comes up.

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  • Additionally, you may draw a table by clicking “Table” on the “Insert” tab and then selecting the “Draw Table” command.

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How to Insert a Table in Microsoft Word

Organize, display, and format information with this handy feature

Updated on February 4, 2022

What to Know

  • Select the Insert tab > Table > drag over the cells to select the desired number of columns and rows.
  • For a large table, go to Insert > Table > Insert Table, select the number of columns and rows, and choose AutoFit to Window.

This article explains how to insert and modify a table in Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010.

Insert a Small Table

A table consists of rows and columns of cells where you place text. Using the simplest method to insert a table in Word, you may create a table consisting of up to 10 columns and 8 rows.

  1. Place the cursor where you want the table to appear.

  2. Go to Insert.

  3. In the Tables group, select Table, then drag over the cells to select the desired number of columns and rows.

  4. A table is inserted into the Word document with evenly spaced columns and rows, and the Table Design tab is displayed. Place the cursor in any cell to type text into it. Use the commands on the Table Design tab to format the table.

Insert a Larger Table

You aren’t limited to inserting a 10 x 8 table. You can insert larger tables into a document.

  1. Place the cursor where you want the table to appear.

  2. Go to Insert.

  3. In the Tables group, select Table, then choose Insert Table.

  4. In the Insert Table dialog box, select the number of columns and rows you want.

  5. In the AutoFit behavior section, select AutoFit to window.

  6. Select OK.

  7. A table is inserted into the Word document with evenly spaced columns and rows, and the Table Design tab is displayed. Place the cursor in any cell to type text into it. Use the commands on the Table Design tab to format the table.

Insert a Quick Table

Microsoft Word has many built-in table styles, including calendars, a tabular-styled table, a double table, a matrix, and a table with subheadings. When you insert a Quick Table, Word creates and formats the table automatically.

  1. Place the cursor where you want the table to appear.

  2. Go to Insert.

  3. In the Tables group, select Table.

  4. Select Quick Tables, then choose a table style.

  5. A pre-formatted table is inserted into the Word document, and the Table Design tab is displayed. Replace the text with your content. Use the commands on the Table Design tab to format the table.

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