Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: Working with Table Columns and Rows.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 29, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
As you work with tables in Word, there will be times when you need to add columns to a table. To insert a column or row, follow these steps:
Another way to add rows is simply to move the insertion point to the very last cell marker on a row. (This is the marker to the right of the last column. It is clearly visible if you have non-printing characters displayed.) You can then press Enter and a new row appears.
To delete a column or row in a table, start by selecting the row or column you want to delete. Then, display the Layout tab of the ribbon and click the Delete tool in the Rows & Columns group. From the resulting submenu, choose the deletion option you want applied to the selected rows or columns.
You can also use the Cut tool on the Home tab of the ribbon to remove the column or row you selected.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9258) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Working with Table Columns and Rows.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!
Tired of Word changing the dimensions of table cells to accommodate what you place in those cells? You can instruct Word ...
Discover MoreWord allows you to do quite a few editing tasks using the mouse. If you want to copy rows or columns in a table, you can ...
Discover MoreIf you make structural changes to your table by adding new columns here and there, you could easily end up with a table ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2021-05-30 18:56:30
PETER V THOMAS
Woops, Sorry Allen, I didn't read your instructions carefully enough. In the situation you explained Enter certainly works.
2021-05-29 21:40:39
PFL
Enter does it for me. Tab does a different change, but I did not take the time to note the details.
2021-05-29 19:56:06
PETER V THOMAS
Allen, in the section on using the last cell to add a row, don't you mean , press the TAB key rather than the Enter key?
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 © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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