How to Create and Format a Table in Word

Tables are one of the most useful things in a Word document — and one of the most frustrating to format if you don't know what you're doing. This guide covers everything from inserting a basic table to merging cells, adjusting column widths, styling borders and keeping your table readable on any page.

How to insert a table in Word

There are several ways to insert a table. The quickest is the grid picker:

  1. Click in your document where you want the table to appear.
  2. Open the Insert menu and find the Table option.
  3. Hover over the grid to select the number of rows and columns you want, then click to insert.
  4. The table appears at your cursor position. Click in any cell to start typing.

Resizing columns and rows

Word's default tables divide width equally between columns, which is rarely what you want. Here's how to adjust them:

  • Drag column borders — hover over a vertical border until your cursor shows a double-headed arrow, then drag left or right.
  • Drag row borders — hover over a horizontal border and drag up or down to change the row height.
  • AutoFit to contents — right-click the table and choose AutoFit > AutoFit to Contents. Columns will shrink or grow to fit the text inside them.
  • AutoFit to window — makes the table span the full page width, with columns split proportionally.
  • Set a specific width — right-click a column, choose Table Properties, and enter an exact measurement.

Adding and removing rows and columns

Tables rarely stay the right size throughout a document. Adding and removing rows and columns is something you'll do regularly:

  • Add a row at the bottom — click in the last cell of the last row and press Tab.
  • Add a row anywhere — right-click a row and choose Insert > Insert Rows Above or Insert Rows Below.
  • Add a column — right-click a column and choose Insert > Insert Columns to the Left or Right.
  • Delete a row or column — select it by clicking the margin (a small arrow appears), right-click and choose Delete Rows or Delete Columns.
  • Delete the entire table — click in the table, right-click and choose Delete Table (or select all cells and use the Delete Table option in the Layout menu).

Merging and splitting cells

Merged cells are useful for header rows that span multiple columns, or for summary rows that pull together data from several fields.

  1. Select the cells you want to merge — click the first cell and drag to the last, or hold Shift and click.
  2. Right-click the selection and choose Merge Cells, or find the Merge Cells button in the Table Layout toolbar.
  3. To split a merged cell back into individual cells, click inside the merged cell and choose Split Cells. You'll be asked how many rows and columns to split into.

Formatting table borders and shading

The default table style has simple black borders. For professional documents you'll often want something cleaner — lighter borders, header row shading, or a borderless table that uses spacing to create structure.

  • Apply a table style — click in the table, open the Table Design or Table Styles menu, and choose from the gallery. Styles apply borders, shading and fonts consistently.
  • Change border colour or weight — select the table or specific cells, open Table Design, and adjust the borders from there.
  • Add shading to a header row — select the top row, open the shading option and choose a background colour. Light grey or a brand colour are common choices.
  • Remove all borders — select the table, open Table Design, and choose 'No Border'. Cells will still show faint dotted guides while editing but won't print borders.
  • Alternate row shading — this is often called 'banded rows' and is included in many table styles. It makes long tables much easier to read.

Keeping tables readable across pages

Long tables that span multiple pages can be hard to read if the header row doesn't repeat on each page. To fix this, select the header row, right-click, choose Table Properties, go to the Row tab and check 'Repeat as header row at the top of each page'.

For tables with a lot of text in cells, avoid breaking a single row across two pages — it looks odd and is hard to read. Right-click the row, choose Table Properties, go to the Row tab and uncheck 'Allow row to break across pages'.

If your table is too wide for the page, the AutoFit to Window option (right-click > AutoFit) is the quickest fix. For tables that genuinely need more space, consider switching the page to landscape orientation.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a table without visible borders?

Select the table, go to Table Design and apply the 'No Border' style, or set all borders to 'None' manually. The table structure stays intact — you just won't see the lines. Dotted guides show while editing but don't print.

How do I centre a table on the page?

Click in the table, right-click and choose Table Properties. On the Table tab, set Alignment to Centre.

Why does my table look different when someone else opens it?

Table formatting can shift if the other person uses a different page size (A4 vs Letter), different margins, or a different font. For documents that need to look identical everywhere, export as PDF before sharing.

How do I sort table data alphabetically?

Click in the table, open the Layout tab (Table Tools), and find the Sort button. You can sort by any column in ascending or descending order.

Can I convert a table back to plain text?

Yes. Select the table, go to the Layout tab, and choose Convert to Text. You'll be asked what character to use to separate the columns (usually a tab or comma).