Common Table Operations in Word

This guide introduces you to common table operations in Word. These basic yet essential skills will ease your table handling in Word.

COMMON TABLE OPERATIONS IN WORD

* Preparation Steps:

- Ensure your computer has a commonly used Word program, such as Word 2016 or Word 2013.
- Have a Word file with a pre-created table.

1. Merge Cells in a Table

This is a commonly used and basic operation. For instance, if you want to leave an empty space between the Phone Number and an adjacent cell -> you need to merge these two cells into one.

To merge cells, follow these steps:

Step 1: Select the cells you want to merge -> go to the Layout tab of the table -> choose Merge -> then select Merge Cells:

Step 1: The result is that the cells (Phone Number and the adjacent empty cell) have been merged as shown below (you can further align them according to step 2 below to center the text):

2. Aligning Text in a Table.

When entering text into a table, the text's position is often not aligned. To align text within a table using Word, follow these steps:

Step 1: Select (highlight) the table you want to align.

Step 2: Go to the Layout tab of the table -> in Alignment -> choose the appropriate alignment type:

Step 3: One result after choosing center alignment:

3. Creating Background Color for the Table

You can use one of the two methods introduced below to add a background color to your table:

Method 1: Highlight the cells you want to add a background color to -> use the paint bucket icon or Shading in the quick toolbar -> finally, select the desired colors:

The result after applying the background color:

Method 2: You can also select the cells for the background color -> Go to the Design tab -> choose Shading -> then pick the desired color -> and you'll get a background color similar to Method 1.

4. Creating Borders for the Table

To create borders for the table, meaning adding Border and Shading, you can follow one of the two methods below:

Method 1: Select the table you want to add borders to -> go to the Home tab -> choose Paragraph -> then click on the Border icon -> here, you can choose from the available default styles or click on Border and Shading:

Method 2: You can also select the table to add borders -> then go to the Design tab -> choose Borders -> then select Borders -> here you can make similar choices as in Method 1.

For both methods, you need to select Border and Shading -> now the Border tab appears with the following options:

- Setting Section:
+ None: Removes table borders.
+ Box: Displays the outer border without inner borders.
+ All: Changes both inner and outer border styles.
+ Grid: Modifies the outer border while keeping the inner default.
+ Custom: Adjusts the inner border while keeping the outer default.
- Style Section: Allows you to choose the border style.
- Color Section: Lets you select the color for the border.
- Width Section: Allows you to choose the width for the border.

Assuming you choose a double solid line border, select All to change both inner and outer borders as shown below:

And you'll see the result with the table borders changed:

So, I've just introduced and guided you through Table Operations in Word. These are basic knowledge you need to master for proficient and professional use of Word.

Additionally, when creating a table in Word, you'll notice cells and columns have equal sizes initially, but these sizes change as you start entering text. To adjust them evenly, follow the method of adjusting cell sizes in Word tables that Mytour has shared. Wishing you success!