Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Putting Tables within Margins.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 17, 2017)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Need to know a quick way to make sure a too-wide table fits within the margins of your page? Here's a really easy method, available if you are using Word 2000 or a later version:
If you are using Word 97, follow these steps:
The result is that each of the column widths of the table is set evenly, with the entire table fitting from margin to margin.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (81) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Putting Tables within Margins.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!
Word's table editor allows you to modify the structure of tables in a wide variety of ways. If you want to add columns to ...
Discover MoreEach table in a document can have different numbers of columns and different widths for columns. If you want to join two ...
Discover MoreNeed to adjust the width of a bunch of table columns according to what is in the columns? Word provides a tool to do ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here:
Comments