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: Moving Table Rows Quickly.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 4, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Word provides a handy shortcut that allows you to easily move rows around in a table. Simply follow these steps:
It is interesting to note that when you are using this method, you can even move a row (or rows, since you can select more than one row in step 1) right out of the table. In other words, the moving doesn't stop when you reach the top or bottom of the table. As you continue pressing the Up Arrow or Down Arrow keys, the rows continue to move away from the table in the direction you choose.
This technique will not work to move columns, however. You should note that when you hold down the Shift and Alt keys and press the Left Arrow or Right Arrow, the heading level of the entire row is changed.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1058) 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: Moving Table Rows Quickly.
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2021-03-07 08:19:00
ted
Did this exactly as described. Windows 10, HP zbook. Didn't work. Highlights the column and those above (not the entire row, just the column the cursor is in) and then does nothing else....
2020-11-10 13:50:32
Mark
Thank you! This will save me so much time in future. Wish I knew about it years ago!
2020-08-19 14:56:06
Fantastic! I've always fumbled around moving rows. This is really helpful.
2020-07-26 11:23:50
Ashley
Great!!! This is fantastic. Made a lot of otherwise-tedious-work easy. Thank you very much sir.
2019-12-05 11:46:03
Đuro
God , bless you. mister Wyatt!
2019-09-02 08:29:42
Gil
Works!!! I love you so much!!!
2019-08-29 23:35:42
Sabrina
THis is amazing thank you
2019-05-20 07:03:15
Jos
This is exactly what I needed to know. Little detail: I discovered that this won't work when you've merged some cells in the columns. (e.g. left column has 3 rows because of merging and the right column has 9 rows)
2019-03-08 05:58:01
Mr Richard Parker
This is brilliant. Thanks Allen
2017-11-16 13:54:11
Kim Bell
I'm using this tip lots! Thanks again!
2017-09-18 14:27:11
Kim Bell
Very useful for managing minutes!! Thank-you!
2017-01-09 01:58:05
ALI ABBAS KHAN
Its get very use ful to me
2016-04-06 09:33:58
Andy
This is grate manual. So right now, I've changed to MS Office 2016 for my Mac, and how can I move the table row in new version. Thank for your responds
2015-10-26 13:03:22
Joanne
This is awesome! I will use it quite a bit. Thank you!
2015-05-01 13:17:44
53
Thanks a lot, thanks Microsoft for the great Microsoft OFFICE
2015-04-02 15:06:44
Matt Natale
Great Tip!
Thanks a bunch!
2015-03-28 08:49:20
Fred Burg
I use this tip quite often and find it very handy.
It also works to move paragraphs not within a table.
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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:
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