Insert & Format Table and Create Formula in MS Word

By Fares Solution, 12 October, 2023

Microsoft Word offers powerful tools for creating, formatting, and working with tables. In this guide, we will explore how to insert and format tables, create formulas within the tables, and manage table headers.

Insert Table:

  1. Open your Microsoft Word document.

  2. Place the cursor where you want to insert the table.

  3. Navigate to the "Insert" tab in the Word ribbon.

  4. Click on "Table."

  5. Select the number of rows and columns for your table in the grid.

Table Style:

  1. After inserting a table, you can format it using predefined styles. Highlight the table.

  2. Go to the "Design" tab in the Word ribbon.

  3. Choose a table style from the available options to change the appearance of your table.

Table Shading & Border:

  1. To change the shading and border of your table cells:

  2. Highlight the cells you want to format.

  3. Go to the "Design" tab.

  4. Click "Shading" to change the cell background color.

  5. Click "Borders" to adjust the border style and thickness.

Eraser:

  1. If you need to merge cells within your table:

  2. Click on "Layout."

  3. Then, select "Eraser."

  4. Highlight the cells you want to merge.

  5. Click "Merge Cells" to combine them.

Split Cells:

  1. To divide a cell into multiple cells:

  2. Highlight the cell you want to split.

  3. Click "Layout."

  4. Choose "Split Cells."

  5. Specify the number of cells you want to create.

Split Table:

  1. To split an entire table into multiple tables:

  2. Highlight the table.

  3. Click "Layout."

  4. Select "Split Table."

Insert Formula:

  1. To perform calculations within a table:

  2. Click within the cell where you want to insert the formula.

  3. Navigate to the "Layout" tab.

  4. Select "Formula."

  5. Write your formula in the formula field. For example, "SUM(ABOVE)" sums the values in the column above the selected cell.

  6. Click "OK" to apply the formula.

Repeat Header:

  1. To repeat the header row on each page when your table spans multiple pages:

  2. Click within the header row.

  3. Navigate to the "Layout" tab.

  4. Choose "Repeat Header Rows."

Update Field:

  1. To keep the formulas within the table up-to-date:

  2. Right-click the cell containing the formula.

  3. Select "Update Field" to recalculate the formula based on the current data.

By following these steps, you can efficiently insert, format, and manage tables in Microsoft Word, including creating and updating formulas and repeating headers when your table extends across multiple pages. These features will help you work with tables effectively and make your documents more organized and visually appealing.