Categories
Microsoft Word

Select Table, View Gridlines, Use Table Properties

Learn how to select cell, column, row, or entire table; how to display table gridlines; and how to use table properties to set more precise table settings.

Select Cell, Column, Row, and Table

How to select table, row, column, and cell
  1. Select a cell
  • To select a cell, triple-click the cell or move mouse pointer to the left of the cell and click when cursor changes to a black arrow (pointing up-right).
    To select multiple cells, select the first cell, hold down the mouse button, and drag the mouse pointer to select more cells.
  • Click a cell in the column, and on the Table Tools > Layout tab, in the Table group, click the Select button, and then click Select Cell.
  1. Select a column
  • Move mouse pointer to the top of column and click when cursor changes to a black downward arrow.
  • Click a cell in the column, and on the Table Tools > Layout tab, in the Table group, click the Select button, and then click Select Column.
  1. Select a row
  • Move mouse pointer to the left of the row and click when cursor changes to right arrow.
  • Click a cell in the column, and on the Table Tools > Layout tab, in the Table group, click the Select button, and then click Select Row.
  1. Select Table
  • Move mouse pointer to the top-left corner of the table and click table selection icon when cursor changes to four-arrows.
  • Click a cell in the column, and on the Table Tools > Layout tab, in the Table group, click the Select button, and then click Select Table.

View Table Gridlines

It is difficult to see the individual cells in a table if it has no borders. To solve this problem you can display gridlines, which show cell outlines on the screen:

View Table Gridlines
  1. Click a cell in the table.
  2. Click Table Tools > Layout tab on the Ribbon.
  3. Click the View Gridlines button in Table group.

Table Properties

You can use the Table Properties to set more precise table settings, for example, alignment, indentation, positioning, etc. To open Table Properties dialog box:

  1. Click a cell in the table
  2. Click Table Tools > Layout tab.
  3. Click Porperties in the Table group.
    Or, just right-click on the table and choose Table Properties.
Table Properties

The Table Properties dialog box contains the following tabs:

  • Table
    On the Table tab, you can specify the alignment and width of the table, and specify the text wrapping option (the way table interacts with the surrounding text). You can also access border and shading options, including cell spacing and margin options.
  • Row
    On the Row tab, you can specify the height of the selected rows, allow rows to break across pages if the table is wider than the page, and make header row to repeat at the top of each page if the table is longer than a page.
  • Column
    On the Column tab, you can set the width of each column.
  • Cell
    On the Cell tab, you can set the width of selected cells and the vertical alignment of text within them. Click the Options button on this page to set the internal margins and text wrapping of individual cells.
  • Alt Text
    On the Alt Text tab, you can enter the alternative text that describes the table to assist people with visual impairments.

More “Working with Word Tables” Tutorials

  1. Insert Tables
  2. Insert and Delete Rows, Columns and Cells
  3. Wrap text around the table
  4. Table Borders and Shading
  5. Select Table, View Gridlines, Use Table Properties
  6. Resize tables, rows, columns, and cells
  7. Repeat heading rows on next pages
  8. Break, Split & Merge Cells, Rows, and Tables
  9. Set Table & Cell Alignment and Change Text Direction
  10. Use Formula in Tables and Paragraphs