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: Distributing Table Rows Evenly.

Distributing Table Rows Evenly

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 4, 2018)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

When it is time to format a table, you may find that your overall table depth (height) is set the way you want it, but the rows within the table are not "just right." For instance, you may want the rows to be the same height as each other without disturbing the overall width of the table.

Simply follow these directions if you are using Word 97:

Make sure the insertion point is located somewhere within your table.
Choose Distribute Rows Evenly from the Table menu.

The process is slightly different if you are using Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003:

Make sure the insertion point is located somewhere within your table.
Choose AutoFit from the Table menu. Word displays a submenu.
Choose Distribute Rows Evenly from the submenu.

Word changes the row heights to reflect your selection. You should note that if you are using the Tables and Borders toolbar, you could simply click your mouse on the Distribute Rows Evenly tool after you first position the insertion point in the table.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1314) 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: Distributing Table Rows Evenly.

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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