Summary

You have a block of names, dates or figures that reads as a mess in a paragraph and belongs in rows and columns instead. This guide covers inserting the table, adding and removing rows and columns, applying a style in one click, resizing to fit your content, and sorting what is already in there.

Before You Start

• Microsoft Word (desktop or web app).
• No admin rights required.

Instructions

1. Insert a Table

Add a new table to your document.

1. Place your cursor where you want the table to appear.
2. Click the Insert tab on the ribbon.
3. Click Table.
4. Hover over the grid to select the number of rows and columns (e.g., 4x3 for 4 columns and 3 rows).
5. Click to insert the table.
6. Alternatively, click Insert Table below the grid to type exact row and column counts.

2. Add or Remove Rows and Columns

Modify the table structure after creation.

To add:

1. Click inside the table where you want the new row or column.
2. Go to the Layout tab (under Table Tools).
3. Click Insert Above, Insert Below, Insert Left, or Insert Right.

To remove:

1. Click inside the row or column you want to remove.
2. Go to the Layout tab.
3. Click Delete > Delete Rows or Delete Columns.

3. Apply a Table Style

Format the table with professional styling in one click.

1. Click anywhere inside the table.
2. Go to the Table Design tab (under Table Tools).
3. Browse the Table Styles gallery.
4. Hover over a style to preview it — click to apply.
5. Use the checkboxes in the Table Style Options group to toggle:
   • Header Row — Highlights the first row.
   • Banded Rows — Alternating row colours.
   • First Column — Highlights the first column.
   • Total Row — Highlights the last row.

4. Resize Columns and Rows

Adjust the table dimensions to fit your content.

1. Hover over a column border until the cursor becomes a resize arrow (↔).
2. Click and drag to resize the column.
3. To resize a row, hover over a row border and drag vertically.
4. To auto-fit columns to content, go to Layout > AutoFit > AutoFit Contents.

5. Sort Data in a Table

Organise table data alphabetically or numerically.

1. Click anywhere inside the table.
2. Go to the Layout tab.
3. Click Sort.
4. In the Sort dialog, choose the column to sort by.
5. Select Ascending (A–Z, smallest to largest) or Descending (Z–A, largest to smallest).
6. Click OK to apply the sort. Sorting replaces the original row order and Word keeps no record of it — Ctrl + Z reverses it while the document is still open, so save a copy under a new name first if that order carries meaning.

Select Header row under My list has before you click OK, or Word treats your column titles as data and files them alphabetically into the middle of the table. How to Sort a List Alphabetically in Word covers that option, sorting by a second column as a tiebreaker, and sorting by number or date rather than text.

Troubleshooting

TIP

To quickly convert existing text into a table, select the text, go to Insert > Table > Convert Text to Table. Use commas, tabs, or other characters as column separators.

Symptom / Error	Potential Cause	Solution
Table extends beyond page margins	Columns too wide	Select the table, go to Layout > AutoFit > AutoFit Window to resize the table to fit the page.
Cannot see table borders when printed	Borders are set to "None"	Select the table, go to Table Design > Borders and select All Borders.
Text is cut off inside cells	Row height is fixed	Right-click the row, select Table Properties > Row, and uncheck Specify height or set to At least.

Related Articles

• How to Sort a List Alphabetically in Word
• How to Use Find and Replace in Office
• How to Co-author Documents in Office
• How to Recover an Unsaved Document in Office

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