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: Keeping Tables on One Page.

Keeping Tables on One Page

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 10, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

As you develop more complex Word documents, it is inevitable that you will add tables. Most tables are relatively short and can easily fit on a page. Because of this, it can be disconcerting to have a page break occur in the middle of a table. Here's an approach that has always worked for me:

Select all the rows in the table.
Choose Format | Paragraph. Word displays the Paragraph dialog box.
Make sure the Line and Page Breaks tab is selected. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Line and Page Breaks tab of the Paragraph dialog box.

Make sure the Keep Lines Together check box is selected.
Click on OK.

Now you need to repeat the same steps, with two minor variations. First, in step 1 select all the rows except the last one. Then, in step 4, make sure the Keep With Next check box is selected. This is necessary (performing this step with the last row not selected) so that the table stays together as a unit, rather than the table staying with the paragraph that follows it.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (864) 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: Keeping Tables on One Page.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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What is two more than 7?

2020-08-11 01:05:44

Jim Harris

I found that the "Keep with next" only works when the text wrapping around the table is set to above and below and not around.

2020-02-09 12:33:57

Willy P

It worked! Willy in PA, Feb 2020

2020-01-31 15:49:18

Isaac

Another day saved Sir Wyatt. Thank you.

2019-11-19 20:35:09

Seriously I've referred to this article at least three times. huge help!

2019-09-21 01:43:08

sumendra sahu

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