This tutorial shows three ways to insert tables in Microsoft Word.
Hello, my name is Erin.
I’m a professional copy editor who shares writing tips for the real world on this channel
and on my blog at erinwrightwriting.com.
Today's tutorial shows three ways to insert tables in Microsoft Word so you can choose the method
that is most appropriate for your content.
First, we’re going to create a table from the Table menu.
This method works well for general use.
Next, we’re going to create a table from the Table dialog box.
This method offers the most sizing options.
Then, we’re going to insert a Quick Table.
This method offers the 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.
At the end of this tutorial, we’ll quickly walk through five tips for working with tables:
How to delete a table. How to resize an entire table
How to resize individual rows and columns. How to add rows and columns.
And, how to add color to a table.
I’ll be using Word for Office 365, which is currently the same as Word 2019.
The steps are the same in Word 2016 and similar for Word 2013 and Word 2010.
However, your interface may look slightly different in those older versions of the software.
Creating a table from the table menu is an appropriate method for most users who want
to create a basic table for general use.
To begin, place your cursor where you want to insert the table.
Then, select the Insert tab in the ribbon.
Followed by Table in the Tables group.
Now, 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.
Then, click the selected part of the grid
or press Enter on your keyboard to insert the table.
Now we’ll look at the Table dialog box method, which provides advanced sizing options.
To begin, place your cursor where you want to insert the table.
Then, select the Insert tab in the ribbon.
Next, select Table in the Tables group.
Followed by Insert Table from the drop-down menu.
Enter the number of rows and columns in the Insert Table dialog box.
Then, select an AutoFit behavior:
Fixed column width can be set to Auto or a specific width up to 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 size of the viewer’s Word window or browser window.
If you want to create the same size table in the future,
check Remember dimensions for new tables
Finally, select the OK button to close the Insert Table dialog box and insert your new table.
Quick Tables are prebuilt tables and calendars you can modify for your own use.
To begin, place your cursor where you want to insert the table.
Then, select the Insert tab in the ribbon.
Next, select Table in the Tables group.
Followed by Quick Tables from the drop-down menu.
Choose the table you want from the gallery.
And then add your own content by typing over or deleting the table’s example text.
The following tips cover the basics of working with tables.
We will dive into this topic in much greater detail in a separate tutorial.
To delete a table, select the table selector, which looks like crossed arrows.
It will select the entire table.
Note that you may have to hover your pointer over the table to reveal the table selector.
Then, right-click the table and select Delete Table from the shortcut menu.
To resize an entire table, 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.
Then, drag the table to the size you want and release the handle.
To resize an individual row or column, hover your pointer over a border
until your pointer becomes two lines with two arrows.
Then, click and hold as you drag the border to resize the row or column.
To add a row or column, right-click inside a cell.
Then, select Insert from the shortcut menu.
And choose the location of your new row or column.
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.
To add color, select the table selector, which looks like crossed arrows, to select the entire table.
Then select the Table Design tab in the ribbon.
Note that this tab only appears in the ribbon when a table is selected.
Next, select the scrolling down arrow in the Table Styles group.
Choose one of the styles from the gallery.
Alternatively, you can use the shading menu to add custom colors to individual rows and columns.
I have created many other videos and blog posts about using figures and tables in Word,
including “How to Insert Figure Captions and Table Titles in Microsoft Word.”
Please see the Related Resources section in the description box below
for the complete list with links.
The companion blog post for this video listing all the steps we just performed appears on
erinwrightwriting.com, which is linked below.
Feel free to leave me a comment if there’s a specific topic related to Microsoft Word
or Adobe Acrobat that you would like me to talk about in the future.
And please subscribe to my channel and give this video a thumbs-up if you found it helpful.
Thank you so much for watching!