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Benefits of using tables in Microsoft Word 2010:

Creating a Basic Table

  1. In your document, put your cursor at the point where you would like to insert a table.
  2. From the Insert tab, select Table.
  3. Select your table dimensions and properties by highlighting your mouse over the boxes in the Tables window.

    4. Tip:

    You can also select Insert Table from the Table dropdown. This will allow you to create a larger table with more columns and rows.

  4. Microsoft Word has some basic table styles defined. To view these, first insert your table with the number of rows and columns defined. Word 2007 will then default to the Table Tools > Design tab.
  5. Customize your table using the available styles or create your own style by clicking More Styles.
  6. Begin adding text or graphics to your table cells the same way you would add text or graphics to a plain Word document. You can also modify the table’s size or appearance using the instructions below.

Modifying an Existing Table

Table Borders

  1. Click in any cell on your table so that the Table Tools ribbon appears.
  2. Select the Design tab.
  3. Select the Borders dropdown and Borders and Shading.

    4. Tip:

    You can also right-click in any cell in your table, and select Borders and Shading.

  4. From the Borders tab, select a border style, and color, if any.
  5. When you are finished selecting your border properties, click OK. Your table displays its new border settings.

Table Shading

  1. Click in any cell on your table so that the Table Tools ribbonappears.
  2. Select the Design tab.
  3. Highlight the cells you would like to shade.
  4. Select the Shading dropdown and a color.

    5. Tip:

    You can also right-click in any cell in your table, select Borders and Shading, and navigate to the Shading tab.

Resizing Table Cells

  1. Click in any cell on your table so that the Table Tools ribbon appears.
  2. Click the Layout tab.
  3. You can customize by cell, row, column, or table. Select what you would like to resize under the Select dropdown and then enter in a customized size.

    4. Tip:

    You can also resize individual table rows or columns by simply dragging the row/column dividers. If you hover your mouse over a divider, you see the resize indicator. Click and drag the resize indicator to resize your row or column divider.

    Adding More Rows or Columns

    1. Select a cell in your table closest to the location where you would like to insert a new row or column.
    2. From the Table Tools ribbon, navigate to the Layout tab.
    3. In the Rows and Columns box, select whether you would like to add a row or column and its location (rows = above/below, columns = left/right). 
    4. Your new rows or columns should appear in the desired location.

    Related Word 2010 Resources:

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