Creating Tables

Learning Outcomes

  • Create and edit a table.

Inserting tables into your Word document can help organize and display data.

To create a table, click Insert>Table. A small menu will open with a grid that represents table cells. Mouse over and select how many rows and columns you would like in your table.

A blank Microsoft Word document is open. There are three red numbers on display. The first number indicates where the "Insert" button is located on the ribbon menu. The second number shows the "Table" option which has a dropdown menu. The third number comes from the dropdown menu from the table and allows you to select the heigh and width go your table.

You can also choose the Insert Table… option below the grid instead. This will take you to a dialog box where you can choose how many rows or columns you want, as well as the column width. Using the Insert Table… option is also a good choice if you need more cells than the grid provides.

An insert table dialog box is open.

If you ever want to change the dimensions of your table, you can right-click in the table and choose to insert more columns and rows, as shown below.

A Microsoft Word document is open with a table on it. The design tab on the ribbon menu has been selected and underneath that a new dropdown menu has bee opened. The option to insert has been selected opening up a new dropdown menu with 5 options on how to insert a table available.

You can select multiple cells or even entire rows or columns by clicking and dragging your mouse across the cells. Right-click on selected cells for more options to insert or delete cells.

A Microsoft Word document is open with a table on it. One column has been highlighted in gray and a new dropdown menu is open. The option to delete parts of the table is now available.

To enter data into the table, simply select a cell and start typing.

Practice Question