WD2000: How to Create and Manipulate a Word Table (281503)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 2000
This article was previously published under Q281503

MORE INFORMATION

How to Create a Table

Method 1: Create a Table by Using the Standard Toolbar

  1. Click where you want to create a table.
  2. On the Standard toolbar, click Insert Table.
  3. Drag to select the number of rows and columns that you want.
  4. When you finish creating the table, click into a table cell, and then either start typing or insert a graphic.

Method 2: Create a Table by Using the Table Menu

  1. Click where you want to create a table.
  2. On the Table menu, point to Insert, and then click Table.
  3. In the Insert Table dialog box, change Number of columns and Number of rows to the size that you want for your table, and then click OK.

    For example, change Number of columns to 5, and change Number of rows to 2.
  4. When you finish creating the table, click into a table cell, and then either start typing or insert a graphic.

Method 3: Draw a Table by Using the Tables and Borders Toolbar

  1. On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click to select Tables and Borders to display the Tables and Borders toolbar.
  2. On the Tables and Borders toolbar, click Draw Table (the pencil icon). The mouse pointer changes to a pencil.
  3. To draw your table, position the pencil in the document where you want the insert the table, and then click and drag to draw a line from one corner of the table to the corner that is diagonally opposite. This action defines the boundary of the entire table.
  4. To add columns and rows, click where you want to insert the column or row, and then drag to draw your new column or row.
  5. To turn off the table drawing tool, click Draw Table (the pencil icon) on the Tables and Borders toolbar.
  6. When you finish creating the table, click into a table cell, and then either start typing or insert a graphic.



How to Create a Table Inside Another Table (Nested Tables)

  1. On the Tables and Borders toolbar, click Draw Table.
  2. Position the pencil in the cell where you want the nested table (a table inside another table).
  3. Draw the new table. To define the table boundaries, draw a rectangle. Then draw the column and row lines inside the rectangle.



How to Change the Width and Height of Table Columns and Rows

Change the Column Width in a Table

Rest the pointer on the column boundary that you want to move until the pointer becomes a horizontal two-pointed arrow, and then drag the boundary until the column is the width that you want.

NOTES:
  • To change a column width to a specific measurement, click a cell in the column. On the Table menu, click Table Properties, and then click the Column tab. Choose the options that you want.
  • To make the columns in a table automatically fit the contents, click to select the table, point to AutoFit on the Table menu, and then click AutoFit to Contents.
  • To display column width measurements, click a cell and then hold down ALT as you drag the markers on the ruler.

Change the Row Height in a Table

Rest the pointer on the row boundary that you want to move, until the pointer becomes a vertical two-pointed arrow, and then drag the boundary.

NOTES:
  • To change a row height to a specific measurement, click a cell in the row. On the Table menu, click Table Properties, and then click the Row tab. Select the options that you want.
  • To display row height measurements, click a cell, and hold down ALT as you drag the markers on the vertical ruler.

Make Multiple Rows or Columns the Same Size

  1. Select the columns or rows that you want to make the same size.
  2. On the Tables and Borders toolbar, click Distribute Columns Evenly or Distribute Rows Evenly.



How to Add Columns and Rows to an Existing Table

Do one or more of the following:
  • To add a new row above or below an existing table row, click into the table row. On the Table menu, point to Select, and then click Row. On the Table menu, point to Insert, and then click Rows Above or Rows Below.

    -or-
  • To add a row at the end of a table, click into the last cell of the last row of your table, and then press the TAB key to create a new table row.

    -or-
  • To add a new column to the left or right of an existing column, click into a table cell of the column. On the Table menu, point to Select, and then click Column. On the Table menu, point to Insert, and then click Columns to the Left or Columns to the Right.

    -or-
  • To add a column to the right of the last column in a table, click just outside the rightmost column. On the Table menu, point to Insert, and then click Columns to the Right.



How to Add and Remove Borders and Shading from Tables

NOTE: When you insert a table, it has a black, one-half point, solid, single-line border by default. The following methods discuss how to add a different border or delete the existing border.

Method 1: Use the Eraser Tool

  1. Click Eraser (eraser icon) on the Tables and Borders toolbar.
  2. Click to select one of the borders of the table.
  3. After you click and release the mouse, the table border will be erased.
  4. Continue this procedure until each border of the table is erased.
NOTE: The Eraser tool can only be used to remove borders or merge cells, not to apply borders. For additional information about what to do if text is removed from a table when you use the Eraser, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

224659 WD2000: Text Is Deleted from Cells When Using Eraser Tool

Method 2: Automatically Format Table Borders and Shading by Using Table AutoFormat

  1. Click the table.
  2. On the Table menu, click Table AutoFormat.
  3. In the Formats box, click to select the format that you want.
  4. Click to select the options that you want.
NOTE: AutoFormat Table is also located in the Insert Table dialog box (on the Table menu, point to Insert and then click Table).

Method 3: Create Table Borders and Shading by Using the "Borders and Shading" Dialog Box

  1. Do one of the following:
    • To add a border to a table, click anywhere in the table.

      -or-
    • To add a border to a specific cell, select the cell that you want, including the end-of-cell marker.
  2. On the Format menu, click Borders and Shading, and then click to select the Borders tab.
  3. Use the Setting, Style, Color, and Width options to add a different border. Make sure the appropriate option (Table or Cell) is selected in the Apply to box.
  4. To specify that borders are applied only to specific sides, click Custom under Setting. Under Preview, click the diagram's sides, or use the buttons to apply and remove borders.
  5. To specify the exact position of the border relative to the text, click Paragraph under Apply to, click Options, and then select the options that you want.

Method 4: Create Table Borders and Shading by Using the "Tables and Borders" Toolbar

  1. Display the Tables and Borders toolbar by pointing to Toolbars on the View menu, and then clicking Tables and Borders.
  2. Click anywhere in the table.
  3. On the Tables and Borders toolbar, use the options that you want:
    • Click the Borders button to select the border that you want. By default, the Borders button displays the Outside Borders ScreenTip, but it may display the most recently used border instead.

      NOTE: Borders is also located on the Formatting toolbar.
    • Change the Line Style box to the line style that you want.
    • Change the Line Weight box to the line weight that you want.
    • Change the Border Color box to the color that you want.
    • Change the Shading Color box to the color that you want to apply to the cells or to the entire table.



How to Change the Position or Direction of Text in a Table

Change the Text Orientation of a Table Cell

  1. Click the table cell that contains the text that you want to change.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • On the Format menu, click Text Direction.

      -or-
    • On the Tables and Borders toolbar, click Change Text Direction.
  3. Click the orientation that you want.

Change the Text Alignment of a Table Cell

  1. Click the table cell that contains text that you want to align.
  2. On the Tables and Borders toolbar, select the option for the horizontal and vertical alignment that you want (for example, Align Bottom Center or Align Top Right).



How to Position a Table on the Page

Change the Alignment of a Table by Using Table Properties

  1. Click to select the table.
  2. On the Table menu, click Table Properties.
  3. On the Table tab, under Alignment, select the option that you want. For example, to indent a left-aligned table, type a number in the Indent from left box.

    TIP: To quickly align a table on a page, select the table, and then use the alignment buttons on the Formatting toolbar.

Move a Table by Using the Table Move Handle

  1. Rest the pointer on the table until the table move handle appears on the upper-left corner of the table.
  2. Rest the pointer on the table move handle until a four-headed arrow appears.
  3. Drag the table to the new location.

REFERENCES

For additional information about creating, formatting, and manipulating tables, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

211893 WD2000: Inserted Table Automatically Formatted with All Border

209737 WD2000: Can't Draw Diagonal Table Borders with Certain Borders

For more information about the Table feature in Word, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type tables in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

To review a tutorial about how to format a Word document with tables, browse to the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/education/tutorial/classroom/o2k/word.asp

Then click Creating and Formatting Documents, and go to the Formatting with Tables section.

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:11/15/2005
Keywords:kbinfo KB281503
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.