Mastering tables in Word

For any substantial amount of data, you will be leveraging the power of Excel or even Access for your needs. If you only need a small amount of tabular data, with minimal calculations involved, then tables in Word will suffice. You can of course opt to do the work in Excel and then embed the spreadsheet data in your Word document in several different ways.

1. Create

1.1 Insert table

If you are working from scratch, and have yet to enter your data digitally, simply insert a table. Don’t worry too much about the size you require as it is simple to add more rows and columns as you go.

1. Select the Insert ribbon
2. Click on the Table command button
3. Use your mouse to select the number of rows and columns you require, clicking on the bottom right cell to insert
4. The table is inserted at the location of the cursor
5. Alternatively, use the Insert Table… command
6. The Insert Table dialog opens
7. Select the number of columns and rows you require
8. Select AutoFit behavior
9. Save the new settings as defaults if you wish
10. Click the OK button

2. Convert

If you already have data and you want to format it as a table, you have numerous options.

2.1 Delimited data

In the Word’s Convert Text To Table tutorial, I demonstrate the conversion of tab-delimited data to a table. This will work for any other delimited data that you have in Word or can paste into Word.

2.2 Draw

Another option is to use the Draw Table command which allows you to use a pencil tool to draw a table around existing content.

2.3 Excel

If you already have your data in Excel, or if you need to be able to do more than just the basics in your table, you will want to work in Excel and then copy to or embed in Word.

See the tutorial Embedding Excel Charts in Word.

3. Edit

Most important here is that you can easily select the different elements of the table you are formatting.

3.1 Add a row

If you have filled the rows on your table and your cursor is active in the last cell of the table, simply pressing the Tab key will create a new row and place your cursor in the first cell of that new row.

3.2 Add a column

4. Format

Formatting tables has the dual purpose of making them easier to read and look more attractive.

4.1 Repeat header row

If a table spans multiple pages, set the column heading row(s) of the table to repeat. This is done for the same reason as using freeze panes in Excel.

1. Left-click in the top row of your table, then right-click at the cursor.
2. Select Table Properties from the menu.
3. Select the Row tab.
4. Activate the Repeat as header row at the top of each page checkbox.
5. Click the OK button.

4.2 Prevent a row from splitting over 2 pages

The screenshot for the above section includes the setting that allows or presents a row from splitting across pages. As a rule, I recommend deselecting this option.

4.3 Prevent a table from splitting over 2 pages

With a small table, you may not want the table to be split between pages. The Keep lines together paragraph setting will prevent a table from being split into separate pages:

1. Left-click on the table selector to select the table & its contents
2. Open the Paragraph Settings dialogue
3. Select the Line and Page Breaks tab
4. Check the Keep lines together option
5. Click OK