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: Getting Rid of Background Color in All Tables.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 23, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Debbie receives documents that routinely have multiple tables in them, and those tables are usually shaded with a background color. She has to remove the shading individually, for each table, so she can print the documents correctly. Debbie wonders if there is a way she can get rid of the background colors in one pass.
There are a couple of ways that you could try. First, you could define your own table styles that reflect how you want the tables to appear. Then all you'd need to do is select each table and apply the styles. This method would also have the benefit of being a solution that is "distributable" to others in your organization so that, perhaps, they would format the tables correctly in the first place.
Another way of handling the problem is to create a simple macro that steps through each table and reset the table's shading. Here's an example:
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:
Sub ClearTableBGColor()
Dim t As Table
For Each t In ActiveDocument.Tables
With t.Shading
.Texture = wdTextureNone
.ForegroundPatternColor = wdColorAutomatic
.BackgroundPatternColor = wdColorAutomatic
End With
Next
End Sub
You can run the macro at any time and all the tables in the document are affected. If you need to change the formatting for tables in lots of documents, you may want to assign the macro to a toolbar button or to a shortcut key.
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11021) 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: Getting Rid of Background Color in All Tables.
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!
Formatting tables can be very time consuming. When you get a document from another person, you can spend a lot of time ...
Discover MoreNeed to align numbers around their decimal point within a table? It's easy to do by using the three simple steps provided ...
Discover MoreWord can adjust the height of individual rows in a table based on the information you put in each row. This may not ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2018-11-07 15:57:03
The macro works BUT...
Whoever shaded the cells also changed the font to white, so now the text and the background are the same color.
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.
Comments