Tables organize text into rows and columns, which can make it easy to type, edit, and format text while spacing it correctly in your document. Tables organize text in cells, where a cell is the intersection of a row and a column. Word provides four ways to create a table:  Click the Insert tab, click the Table icon, and then highlight the number of rows and columns for your table (up to a maximum of eight rows and ten columns).

 Use the Insert Table dialog box.

 Draw the size and position of the table with the mouse.  Convert existing text (divided by a delimiter character such as a Tab or comma).

Creating a table by highlighting rows and columns

Creating a table by highlighting rows and columns can be fast, but it limits the size of your table to a maximum of eight rows and ten columns. To create a table by highlighting rows and columns, follow these steps:

1. Click the Insert tab.

2. In your document, move the cursor where you want to insert a table.

3. Click the Table icon.

4. Move the mouse pointer to highlight the number of rows and columns you want to create for your table.

When you highlight rows and columns, Word displays your table directly in your document so you can see exactly what your table will look like.

5. Click the left mouse button when you’re happy with the size of your table.

Creating a table with the Insert Table dialog box

Creating a table by highlighting the number of rows and columns can be fast, but it limits the size of your table to a maximum of eight rows and ten columns. To create a table by defining a specific number of rows and columns (up to a maximum of 63 columns) and a column width, follow these steps:

1. Click the Insert tab.

2. Move the cursor where you want to insert a table.

3. Click the Table icon. A pull-down menu appears.

4. Click Insert Table.

5. Click in the Number of Columns text box and type a number between 1 and 63, or click the up/down arrows to define the number of columns.

6. Click in the Number of Rows text box and type a number or click the up/down arrows to define the number of rows.

7. Select one of the following radio buttons in the AutoFit Behavior group:

• Fixed Column Width: Defines a fixed size for the column widths, such as 0.3 inches

• AutoFit to Contents: Defines the width of a column based on the width of the largest item stored in that column

• AutoFit to Window: Expands (or shrinks) the table to fit within the current size of the document window.

8. Click OK.

Word draws the table in your document.

Creating a table with the mouse

Drawing a table can be especially useful when you want to place a table in the middle of a page and create rows and columns of different sizes.

To draw a table in your document, follow these steps:

1. Click the Insert tab.

2. Click the Table icon. A pull-down menu appears.

3. Click Draw Table. The mouse pointer turns into a pencil icon.

4. Move the mouse pointer where you want to draw your table, hold down the left mouse button, and drag (move) the mouse to draw your table.

Word draws a rectangular dotted box to show you where your table will appear.

5. Release the left mouse button when you’re happy with the size and position of your table.

6. Move the mouse pointer to the top/bottom or left/right side of the table, hold down the left mouse button, and drag (move) the mouse up and down (or right and left) to draw the boundaries for your table’s rows and columns.

7. Press Esc or double-click to turn the mouse pointer from a pencil icon back to an I-beam pointer.

Creating a table from existing text

If you have existing text that you’d like to turn into a table, you need to first separate text into chunks so Word knows how to place the text into individual cells in a table. To define how text appears in a table, Word uses the following criteria:  Paragraphs appear in separate rows. You can change the delimiter character to commas, tabs, or any other character, such as # or *.

 Tabbed text appears in separate columns.

To convert existing text into a table, follow these steps:

1. Click the Insert tab.

2. Select the text that you want to convert into a table.

3. Click the Table icon.

A pull-down menu appears.

4. Click the Convert Text to Table command.

The Convert Text to Table dialog box appears.

5. (Optional) Select a radio button in the Separate Text At group, such as

Paragraphs, Tabs, or Commas.

You must choose the option that corresponds to the way you divided your text. So if you divided your text by tabs, you would click the Tabs radio button.

6. Click OK.

Word converts your text into a table.

You can also convert a table into text. To convert a table into text, follow these steps:

1. Click anywhere inside the table you want to convert into text.

The Layout tab appears.

2. Click the Layout tab.

3. Click Convert to Text.

4. Select a radio button to define how you want to divide your table into text, such as by Commas, Tabs, Paragraph Marks, or other symbol.

5. Click OK.

Formatting and Coloring a Table

After you create a table, you can format individual cells (the intersection of a row and column) or entire rows and columns by aligning text in cells, resizing columns and rows, and adding borders, shading, or colors, all of which can make the text inside easier to read.

Selecting all or part of a table

To format and color a table, you must first select the table, row, column, or cell that you want to modify. To select all or part of a table, follow these steps:

1. Click in the table, row, column, or cell you want to modify. The Table Tools tab appears.

2. Click the Layout tab.

3. Click Select in the Table group.

4. Choose an option, such as Select Row or Select Column.

Word highlights your chosen item in the table.

Aligning text in a table cell

You can align text in a table cell in nine different ways: Top Left (the default alignment), Top Center, Top Right, Center Left, Center, Center Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Center, and Bottom Right.

To align one or more cells, follow these steps:

1. Click in the cell that contains text that you want to align.

The Table Tools tab appears.

2. Click the Layout tab.

3. Click an alignment icon in the Alignment group such as Top Right or Bottom Center.

Word aligns your text. If you changed the alignment of blank cells, any new text you type in those blank cells will appear according to the alignment you chose.

Coloring all or part of a table

Colors can make the text inside rows and columns easier to read, such as coloring every other row. To color all or part of a table, follow these steps:

1. Select a table, row, column, or cell that you want to modify by following the steps in the earlier section, “Selecting all or part of a table.”

Word highlights your chosen table, row, column, or cell.

2. Click the Design contextual tools tab that appears under the Table Tools tab.

3. Click Shading.

4. Move the mouse pointer over a color.

Word automatically displays your chosen color in the selected part of your table. Each time you point to a different color, Word displays a different color in the table.

5. Click a color in the palette when you’re happy with a particular color.

Adding borders

Borders can emphasize parts of your table, such as a particular row or column. To add a border to a table, you need to define the following:  Where you want the border to appear (on the bottom of a row, on the left of a cell, on the top of a column, and so on)

    The border color
    The border line style
  The border line thickness

To add a border, follow these steps:

1. Move the cursor to the row, column, cell, or table where you want to add borders.

2. Click the Design contextual tools tab that appears under the Table Tools tab.

3. Click Pen Color.

A color palette appears.

4. Click a color for your border.

5. Click the Line Style list box.

6. Click a line style.

7. Click the Line Weight list box.

8. Click a line weight (thickness).

9. Click Borders.

10. Click a border, such as All Borders or Right Border.

Word displays your chosen border in the color and thickness (weight) you chose.