Create a table

Microsoft Word offers a number of ways to make a table. The best way depends on how you like to work, and on how simple or complex the table needs to be.

  1. Click where you want to create a table.
  2. Click Insert Table on the Standard toolbar.
  3. Drag to select the number of rows and columns you want.

You can also do any of the following:

Use the Insert Table command

Use this procedure to make choices about the table dimensions and format before the table is inserted into a document.

  1. Click where you want to create a table.

  2. On the Table menu, point to Insert, and then click Table.

  3. Under Table size, select the number of columns and rows.

  4. Under AutoFit behavior, choose options to adjust table size.

  5. To use a built-in table format, click AutoFormat.

    Select the options you want.

Draw a more complex table

You can draw a complex table ù for example, one that contains cells of different heights or a varying  number of columns per row.

  1. Click where you want to create the table.
  2. On the Table menu, click Draw Table.

    The Tables and Borders toolbar appears, and the pointer changes to a pencil.

  3. To define the outer table boundaries, draw a rectangle. Then draw the column and row lines inside the rectangle.

    Drawing a table

  4. To erase a line or block of lines, click Eraser on the Tables and Borders toolbar, and then click the line you want to erase.
  5. When you finish creating the table, click a cell and start typing or insert a graphic.

Note   Hold down CTRL to automatically apply text wrapping while you draw the table.

Create a table inside another table

Create nested tables to design Web pages. Think of a Web page as one big table that holds other tables ù placing text and graphics inside different table cells helps you to lay out the different parts of your page.

  1. On the Table menu, click Draw Table.

    The Tables and Borders toolbar appears, and the pointer changes to a pencil.

  2. Position the pencil in the cell where you want the nested table (or a table inside another table).
  3. Draw the new table. To define the table boundaries, draw a rectangle. Then draw the column and row lines inside the rectangle.
  4. When you finish creating the nested table, click a cell, and start typing or insert a graphic.

Note   If you have an existing table, you can copy and paste it inside of another table.