After inserting a table, you can quickly improve its appearance using the Table Design and Table Layout tabs that appear when the table is selected.
Table Formatting and Customization
1. Apply a Table Style
Step 1: Click anywhere inside the table.
Step 2: Go to the Table Design tab.
Step 3: In the Table Styles gallery, hover over the styles to preview them.
Step 4: Click a style to apply it.
To see more styles, click the More arrow at the bottom-right of the gallery.
2. Customize Table Style Options
On the Table Design tab, in the Table Style Options group, you can turn these features on or off:
- Header Row: Formats the top row as a header (usually darker or bold).
- Total Row: Formats the bottom row for totals.
- Banded Rows: Alternates row colors for better readability.
- First Column: Emphasizes the first column.
- Last Column: Emphasizes the last column.
- Banded Columns: Alternates column colors.
3. Change Colors, Borders, and Effects
On the Table Design tab you can also:
- Shading: Apply a fill color to selected cells or the entire table.
- Borders: Add, remove, or change border styles and colors.
- Effects: Add subtle shadows or reflections (use sparingly).
4. Adjust Alignment and Text Formatting
Step 1: Select the cells you want to format.
Step 2: Use the Home tab tools for:
- Font style, size, and color
- Bold, italic, or underline
- Text alignment (left, center, right)
Step 3: On the Table Layout tab, use Align tools for vertical alignment (top, middle, bottom).
5. Resize Rows and Columns
- Drag the row or column borders to resize manually.
- On the Table Layout tab, use Cell Size options for precise height and width.
- Use Distribute Rows or Distribute Columns to make them equal.
