About tables

A table is made up of rows and columns of cells that you can fill with text and graphics. Tables are often used to organize and present information.

You can also use tables to create interesting page layouts, or to create text, graphics and nested tables on a Web page.

Parts of a table

It's helpful to know what the various parts of a table are called.

  Column

  Row

  Cell

Some parts of a table can only be seen if you display all formatting marks by clicking  Show/Hide   on the Standard toolbar.

  Table move handle

  End-of-row mark

  Table resize handle

  End-of-cell mark

Different ways to work with tables

• Use the Table AutoFormat command to quickly give your table a polished design.
• Move or copy a table to another place on a page, or resize a table.
• Adjust long tables to make sure that the information appears as you want it to when the table spans multiple pages.
• Make each column a fixed width, or let columns adjust based on the amount of text you type. 
• Change the orientation of text from horizontal to vertical or vice versa. 
• Add spacing between table cells, or add cell "padding" by changing cell margins.
• Insert nested tables to create page layouts.
• Sort lists inside a table.
• Use or modify the built-in table styles that come with Microsoft Word, or create your own styles to reuse later on.