How to Convert Text to a Table in Word

If you’ve ever tried to keep text aligned in Microsoft Word—especially for things like lists of items or data—you know how frustrating it can get. Manually adjusting spacing and using the tab key just doesn’t cut it when you’re dealing with quantities, prices, or other details. Luckily, there’s a built-in way to handle this effortlessly: converting text to a table.

In this guide, I’ll walk through exactly how to convert text to a table in Word, which will help you keep everything neat, easy to read, and, most importantly, organized.

Watch the tutorial below to see how it’s done:

Why Convert Text to a Table in Word?

When you have text that needs structure—think of a list of fruits, their quantities, and prices—a table is the perfect way to keep that information aligned. Trying to line things up with just tabs or spaces often leads to things getting out of place.

By converting your text into a table, you:

Align Data Automatically: No more messy manual spacing.
Easily Add More Rows: Need to add another item? Just add a row.
Make It More Readable: Data is much easier to read in a structured table format.
Format Tables: Add borders, change row heights, and more.

Step-by-Step Guide: Converting Text to a Table in Word

Here, we’ll show you exactly how to convert text to a table in Word. The process is quick and easy, and it will save you a lot of time in formatting.

Step 1: Enter Your Data

First, type out the data you want to convert. For example, let’s say you’re listing out fruit, quantities, and costs like this:

Fruit     Quantity     Cost
Apple     5            2.99
Banana    8            1.99

Typing it like this might look fine at first, but it can get misaligned very easily as soon as you start adding more data, like “Watermelon.” Here’s where you would convert this text to a table.

Step 2: Highlight the Text

Click and drag to highlight the entire block of text you want in the table. In this example, you would highlight everything — “Fruit” through “Cost.”

Step 3: Insert a Table

With the text highlighted:

Go to the “Insert” tab at the top of your Word document.
Click on the “Table” dropdown menu.
Select “Convert Text to Table…”

Step 4: Adjust Settings

When you select “Convert Text to Table,” a window will pop up with some options.

Make sure the number of columns is correct. Word will automatically detect how many columns you should have based on your data (in this case, 3 columns: Fruit, Quantity, and Cost).
Adjust the number of rows if needed. Word will also detect the number of rows, but you can change this later as you add more information.

Click “OK” to convert your text into a table.

Formatting Your Table

Now that you’ve got your data in a table, you can start formatting it.

Adding More Rows

One of the huge benefits of tables is how easy it is to add more rows as you go. Let’s say you want to add “Watermelon” to your little list:

Click into the last row of the table.
Press the “Tab” key, and Word will automatically create a new row.
Type in your data!

Example:

Watermelon 10 3.99

Adjusting Table Properties

Tables in Word give you a lot of control when it comes to customization. Here are a few things you might want to do:

Change the Width of Columns: Right-click anywhere in the table and select “Table Properties.” From here, you can manually adjust the preferred width of your columns to make them fit perfectly.
Adjust the Height of Rows: You can also change the height of each row under the same “Table Properties” window.
Move the Table: If you need your table to be in a different spot on the page, you can easily move it by dragging it or by selecting a different table alignment option in the “Table Properties” window.

Adding Borders

Sometimes you’ll want to make the table stand out by adding borders. Here’s how to do it:

Highlight your entire table.
Right-click and choose “Borders and Shading.”
From here, you can decide how thick or thin the borders should be. You can also decide whether to apply them to the whole table or just specific rows or columns.

Once you’ve made your selections, click “OK” to apply the changes. Now your table will have professional-looking borders.

Conclusion

Converting text to a table in Word is a simple yet effective way to keep data organized and easy to read. Using a table helps you align your content perfectly without the frustration of manually adjusting spacing. Plus, with all the formatting options available, you can make your table look exactly the way you want.

Next time you’re working with lists or data that needs structure, give this method a try and see how much smoother your workflow becomes.

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How to Convert Text to a Table in Word

Why Convert Text to a Table in Word?