Preventing a Frame when Converting a Table to Text

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 12, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021


When Peg has a table with the text wrapping set for Around, and then she converts the table to text, that text ends up being in a frame. She doesn't want it in a frame; she just wants it as plain, in-line with text. Peg wonders if there is a setting to prevent the converted table from ending up in a frame.

There is no setting that controls this behavior. Word does it because it doesn't know where to put the table text relative to the regular document text, so it places it in a frame. The only way around this manually is to change the text wrapping so that the table is inline, and then do the conversion to text. You could automate this a bit by using a simple macro:

Sub ConvertTable1()
    If Selection.Information(wdWithInTable) Then
        Selection.Tables(1).Rows.WrapAroundText = False
        Selection.Rows.ConvertToText Separator:=wdSeparateByTabs, _
          NestedTables:= True
    Else
        MsgBox "Insertion point must be in a table."
    End If
End Sub

Of course, if you choose to go the "macro route," you could use the macro to convert the table to text (which would place it in a frame) and then delete the frame. Here's the way to do that:

Sub ConvertTable2()
    If Selection.Information(wdWithInTable) Then
        Selection.Rows.ConvertToText Separator:=wdSeparateByTabs, _
          NestedTables:= True
        ActiveDocument.Frames.Delete
    Else
        MsgBox "Insertion point must be in a table."
    End If
End Sub

Either macro produces the same result. All you need to do is make sure the insertion point is within the table and then run the macro.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (2358) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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