Creating and Formatting Tables in Docs

Locked lesson.

Upgrade

About this lesson

How to effectively and creatively use the tables options.

Exercise files

The exercises below will open in a new tab. When signed in to your Google account, go to File --> Make a copy to get an editable copy of the file.

Creating and Formatting Tables in Docs Solution
Link Creating and Formatting Tables in Docs
Link

Quick reference

Creating and Formatting Tables in Docs

Tables are organized boxes that can hold text, images, or numbers.

When to use

Tables are useful for organizing space on a document, providing a more interesting visual style, as well as presenting data.

Instructions

Creating a table

  • Click “Insert” - “Table”
  • Click the number of rows and columns you want your table to have

Cells, Rows, and Columns

  • A box in a table is called a “cell”
  • A horizontal line of cells is called a “row”
  • A vertical line of cells is called a “column”

Adding rows or columns

  • Choose the number of rows or columns you want to add by selecting that number of rows or columns in the table
  • Right click the selected cells and click “Insert rows above/below” or “Insert columns left/right”

Deleting rows or columns

  • Select the rows or columns you want to delete
  • Right click the selected cells and click “Delete rows/columns”

Changing the width and height of cells

Option 1:

  • Click the border of any cell
  • Drag the border

Option 2:

  • Select any rows or column
  • Right click the selected cells
  • Click “Table properties”
  • Check the box next to “Column width” or “Minimum row height” and enter a length in inches

Option 3: (To make cells the same height or width)

  • Select the cells you want to be the same height or width
  • Right click the selected cells
  • Click “Distribute rows” or “Distribute columns”

Merging and Unmerging cells

  • Select the cells you want to merge or unmerge
  • Right click the selected cells
  • Click “Merge cells” or “Unmerge cells”

Changing cell color

Option 1:

  • Select the cells you want to change
  • In the toolbar, click “Background color”
  • Choose the color you want

Option 2:

  • Select the cells you want to change
  • Right click the selected cells
  • Click “Table properties”
  • Click “Cell background color”
  • Choose the color you want

Selecting borders

Option 1: (For one border)

  • Click the border of a cell you want to select

Option 2: (For multiple borders)

  • Select cells that touch the borders you want to select
  • Click the down arrow in the top right corner of the cells
  • Click which borders you want to select
    • All
    • Inside borders
    • Outside borders
    • Left or right borders
    • Top or bottom borders
    • Horizontal inside borders
    • Vertical inside borders

Changing border color, thickness, or style

Option 1:

  • Select the borders you want to change
  • In the toolbar, click the thing you want to change: color, thickness, or style
  • Click the color, thickness, or style you want

Option 2: (affects the whole table)

  • Right click the table and click “Table Properties”
  • Click the color or thickness you want

Changing the position of text

  • Select the cells you want to change
  • In the toolbar, click “Left align” “Center align” or “Right align” to position the text horizontally
  • Right click the selected cells
  • Click “Table properties”
  • Click “Cell vertical alignment” and click “Top” “Center” or “Bottom” to position the text vertically

Changing the position of the table on the page

  • Right click the table
  • Click “Table properties”
  • Click “Table alignment”
  • Click “Left” “Center” or “Right”
  • Next to “Left indent” enter a number in inches to set the width of the indent
Login to download
  • 00:04 Adding tables to your documents can be a great way to show a summary of information
  • 00:10 or just break up the monotony of so much text within a single document.
  • 00:15 To add a table to your document, place your cursor where that table should
  • 00:19 appear, then select the Insert menu > Table.
  • 00:25 Now, the Table option gives us a very visual way
  • 00:29 to input the size of the table that we like.
  • 00:32 Now, the maximum is 20 by 20, so 20 columns by 20 rows.
  • 00:38 In our example, I'm going to choose a fairly simple one,
  • 00:42 I'm gonna choose a 3 by 4 table.
  • 00:44 And you will see by default the width of the table will be the width of
  • 00:49 the margins of the document that you are using.
  • 00:52 Now, if you would like to change the size of your table, or of any of the given
  • 00:57 cells, maybe you'd like to adjust the row height or the column width.
  • 01:02 Simply hover over the line you would like to change, click, and drag, and
  • 01:07 you can change the size of that table.
  • 01:10 Now you see my middle column is quite a bit smaller than the other ones.
  • 01:14 Now, I may wish to leave it that way, but
  • 01:17 let's say I'd like all of my columns the same width.
  • 01:21 To do so, simply select your cells and right-click on your mouse.
  • 01:26 Right-click gives us a host of additional options when it comes to editing tables.
  • 01:32 In this case, I want to distribute my columns evenly, so
  • 01:36 I'm gonna select this option.
  • 01:38 And now once again, each and every column is of the same width.
  • 01:43 Another function that can be very helpful when working with tables is the ability to
  • 01:48 merge cells.
  • 01:50 That means combining two cells so that they become one new cell.
  • 01:55 Let's say I'd like these two cells to become one.
  • 01:59 I'm gonna select these two, and once again, we are going to right-click and
  • 02:04 about halfway down, in our options, is the ability to merge cells.
  • 02:09 Now, I can use this new merged cell to add a single heading for
  • 02:15 both of these columns below.
  • 02:17 Now, just like editing your regular text,
  • 02:20 you can change the position of where the text within each cell appears.
  • 02:25 By placing my cursor within this cell, I can now center this heading if I like.
  • 02:31 It can also be very helpful if we change the color of different cells or
  • 02:36 different rows.
  • 02:38 Once again, in this example, I'm gonna select the entire first row and
  • 02:43 I'm gonna bring my mouse up here to the More option.
  • 02:47 By clicking More we have a few new options.
  • 02:50 The first one giving us the ability to change the background color.
  • 02:54 In this case, I'm gonna give it a light green color.
  • 02:58 Make it stand out a little bit from the rest of the information down below.
  • 03:03 Now perhaps once I've started to set my table,
  • 03:06 I realize that I need a few more rows.
  • 03:10 To do so, put your cursor within a row and,
  • 03:13 again, we're gonna select right-click.
  • 03:17 And now we have the option to insert rows above or
  • 03:19 below or we can even add new columns to the left or to the right.
  • 03:24 In this case, I'm gonna choose insert row below.
  • 03:28 But what if I'd like to add more than just a single row.
  • 03:32 To do so, select multiple rows or multiple columns if you’d like to add more columns.
  • 03:39 Again, we’re going to right-click and
  • 03:42 now we can add as many rows or as many columns as we have selected.
  • 03:48 So, in this case, I am going to say, insert 4 rows below.
  • 03:53 And now, I have instantly doubled the number of rows here within my table.
  • 03:59 If you would like to remove a row or a column, again,
  • 04:02 we want to get familiar with right-clicking.
  • 04:05 And now we have the option to delete that row.
  • 04:09 Now, if you are looking for even more options when editing a table,
  • 04:13 you'll want to select right-click, and then select Table properties.
  • 04:18 Table properties allows us to change both the color and
  • 04:22 the width of our table border.
  • 04:24 We can change some of the minimum dimensions when it comes to our column
  • 04:28 width and our row height.
  • 04:31 And we even have the ability to change the table alignment.
  • 04:35 In our example here, you'll see it's on the left-hand side of the page.
  • 04:39 But perhaps I'd like it to be on the right.
  • 04:42 I'm gonna select right and select OK.
  • 04:45 It shifts everything over to the right and
  • 04:47 now I can add some additional text here on the left side of the screen.
  • 04:52 So get familiar with using tables and see how they can enhance your documents.

Lesson notes are only available for subscribers.

Gift this course