Editing Table Structure

Tips, Tricks, and Answers

The following articles are available for the 'Editing Table Structure' topic. Click the article's title (shown in bold) to see the associated article.

Adding Table Columns to Columns with Merged Cells
If you have a table that has merged cells in the first row, and you insert a column to the right of any column underneath that merged cell, Word adds a cell to the right of the merged one. This may seem odd, but it is the default behavior of Word, as explained in this tip.

Adjusting Column Width Using Menus
If you want to resize the width of your table columns, you can do it using a mouse, but you can get more precise widths by using the menus. This tip explains how to pull up the proper dialog boxes so you can adjust the width of each column.

Adjusting Column Widths On Joined Tables
If you have two tables separated by a couple of blank lines, you can easily join the tables by simply removing those blank lines. When you do, you are still faced with the task of making the column widths of the two tables the same. How you perform the task depends on the version of Word you are using.

AutoFitting Tables
Need to adjust the width of a bunch of table columns according to what is in the columns? Word provides a tool to do this, called AutoFit. Here's how to apply it to your tables.

Copying Rows and Columns With the Mouse
Got a table where you need to duplicate rows or columns? Make quick work of it by using the mouse to drag and drop the table elements you want to copy.

Deleting Cells
You can modify the structure of a table by deleting cells. This tip shows just how easy it is to delete one (or more) cells from the middle of a table.

Deleting Table Columns with Track Changes Turned On
If you are editing a document with Track Changes turned on, Word won't let you delete a column in a table and have it marked as a change. There are ways around this problem, which are discussed in this tip.

Distributing Columns Evenly
When you want the horizontal space in a table to be divided evenly among the columns in the table, you'll love this tip. How you can accomplish this task is simple, but varies depending on the version of Word you are using.

Erasing Table Lines
When creating tables, Word provides a handy tool that you can use. Once the table is in place, you can use the table eraser to get rid of lines between cells and merge them together. This tip explains how.

Inserting Cells in a Table
You can enlarge a table by adding cells where they are needed. Just pick where you want the cells inserted, then use the commands described in this tip.

Merging Table Cells
You can increase the flexibility of tables by creatively merging cells to get just the look and layout that you need. This tip describes a couple of different ways you can perform the merging tasks. It covers using menus and the more flexible toolbar approach.

Moving Rows and Columns With the Mouse
One way you can use the mouse to edit your document is to move rows and columns in a table. This tip shows just how easy such editing is.

Moving Table Rows Quickly
Word provides a great shortcut you can use to arrange the rows in your tables. Just use the Shift+Alt keys as you press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow keys, and you'll be surprised at how easily you can rearrange your table.

Putting Tables Within Margins
When you first insert a table in your document, it extends from margin to margin. Later, after a bunch of editing and possible margin changes, you may need to again make the table fit within your margins. Here's a quick way to get the desired results.

Quickly Accessing the Column Tab
If you need to quickly display the Column tab of the Table Properties dialog box, here's some handy tricks you can use. (Two tricks are provided in this tip.)

Resizing Table Columns with the Mouse
Once a table is inserted in your document, you can use the mouse to adjust the width of columns. The effect the mouse pointer has on column widths depends, primarily, on your use of keys such as Shift and Ctrl.

Selecting a Column or Row in a Table
Selecting rows and columns in tables is a common task. Because of this, Word provides a couple of ways you can accomplish it, as described in this tip.

Spacing Table Rows Vertically
Want to get just the right amount of spacing above and below text in a table cell? A very easy way to do this is to adjust the paragraph spacing, as you do when formatting normal text.

Splitting a Table
Table getting too long? Need to move part of a table to somewhere else in your document? You can easily split an existing table into pieces by using the Table menu, as described in this tip.

Splitting Table Cells
When working with a table, Word allows you to merge adjacent cells together to form a single unit. This tip explains how to take previously merged cells and split them apart again.

Working with Table Columns and Rows
Creating a table in your document gives plenty of opportunity to add and delete columns and rows. Exactly how you perform these tasks depends, in large part, on the version of Word you are using.