Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. 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: Converting a Table into Text.

Converting a Table into Text

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated April 12, 2014)

1

There may be times when you want to convert an existing table into text. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Select the entire table you want to convert to text.
  2. Make sure the Layout tab of the ribbon is displayed.
  3. In the Data group, click the Convert to Text tool. Word displays the Convert Table to Text dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

    4. Figure 1. The Convert Table to Text dialog box.

  4. Select the appropriate character that Word should use to separate the columns of text.
  5. Click on OK.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9227) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Converting a Table into Text.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Missing Page Break Indicator

Enter a page break in Word, and that page break may not appear on the screen as you expect it to appear. This has to do ...

Discover More

Sheets for Days

Need a quick way to have a worksheet for each day in a month? Here's a macro that makes the worksheet creation a snap.

Discover More

Turning Off Gridlines

The purpose of gridlines is to make it easy to identify and select cells in a spreadsheet. If you find the gridlines to ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Resizing Table Columns with the Mouse

Once a table is inserted in your document, you can use the mouse to adjust the width of columns. The effect the mouse ...

Discover More

Merging Table Cells

Want to create cells that span multiple columns or multiple rows? You do this in Word by merging cells together. Here's ...

Discover More

Turning Off the Insert Column and Insert Row Tools

Word's new Insert Column and Insert Row tools can be a timesaver when adding table rows and columns. They can be a ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 5 + 2?

2015-06-19 01:03:00

Marm

THankyou. This instruction to change a table to text was very helpful. I find it works for me to start with a chart to collect my ideas. To put the thoughts into a report it was necessary to convert to text without retyping or cutting and pasting. It was good to know of this option in Work.

This Site

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.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2018 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.