Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Changing Cell Alignment.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 19, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365
If you desire, you can independently specify the alignment of every cell in a Word table. Originally, the cell alignment matches the alignment of the paragraphs from which the table was created. You can override this, however, by using the tools that Word provides. Actually, there are two places you can locate the appropriate tools. Before accessing the tools, however, make sure you place the insertion point within the cell you want to affect, or select a group of cells.
The first place you can look is on the Home tab of the ribbon. Within the Paragraph group are tools normally used to align paragraphs—left, center, right, and justify. These can be used to align the text within your table cells, as well.
The second place you can look is on the Table Layout tab of the ribbon. Within the Alignment group there are nine tools that allow you to both vertically and horizontally align the text within the cells.
Note that you should choose the tools you use based on what you want to do. If you want to justify the text in the cell, then you should use the tools on the Home tab of the ribbon. If you want to vertically align text, then you should use the tools on the Table Layout tab of the ribbon.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6027) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Changing Cell Alignment.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2021 or Microsoft 365. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word Step by Step today!
When you have a long table that extends over multiple pages, Word allows you to specify one or more rows to be repeated ...
Discover MoreIf you've got a table that spans multiple printed pages, you probably want to repeat a row or two of that table as a ...
Discover MoreOne of the most common ways to format information in a table is to apply some sort of alignment to the contents of table ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here:
Comments