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: Deleting a Table.

Deleting a Table

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 19, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


If you create a table in a Word document and later want to delete, the way in which you do so depends largely on the version of Word you are using. To delete an entire table regardless of the version you are using, follow these steps:

  1. Select the entire table you want to delete.
  2. Choose Delete Rows from the Table menu.

You can also use the Cut option from the Edit menu to remove the table. Pressing Del will have no effect, however, other than to clear the contents of the cells in the table. (You should note that pressing Del will actually delete a table if you select at least one paragraph in addition to the table.)

If you are using Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003 you can also delete a table by following these steps:

  1. Place the insertion point anywhere within your table.
  2. Choose the Delete option from the Table menu, then choose 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 (1905) 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: Deleting a Table.

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. ...

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