Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 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: Splitting Table Cells.

Splitting Table Cells

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 6, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365


1

You already know how to merge cells within a table. (If you don't know, a quick search at the WordTips site will reveal the information you need.) Once cells have been merged, you can later split them apart using many of the same methods you used to merge them in the first place. Here's an easy way to do the splitting:

  1. Right-click the previously merged cell.
  2. Choose Split Cells from the resulting Context menu. Word displays the Split Cells dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The Split Cells dialog box.

  4. Using the controls in the dialog box, specify the number of columns and rows into which the merged cells should be split.
  5. Click OK.

After you split the cells, the cell widths may be off a bit from the other cells in the table, and you may need to readjust them.

You can also split previously merged cells by using the tools on the ribbon in this manner:

  1. Display the Table Design tab of the ribbon. (This tab is only visible if the insertion point is somewhere within a table.)
  2. Click the Borders tool in the Borders group and then click Draw Table. (In earlier versions of Word, click the Draw Table tool in the Draw Borders group.) This is the one that looks like a pencil. The mouse cursor now looks like a pencil.
  3. Use the mouse cursor to draw cell lines in your table. Simply click and drag to draw each new cell line. When you release the mouse button, the cells appear as you have drawn them.
  4. When you are finished drawing, click on the Draw Table tool again or press the Esc key. This turns off the drawing mode.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9387) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Splitting Table Cells.

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

Understanding Strikethrough Formatting

The strikethrough text feature in Word can be used as part of your document or to indicate that changes have been made to ...

Discover More

Printing Return Address Labels

Want an easy way to create your own return address labels? Word provides the tool as a feature of the program.

Discover More

Sizing Text Boxes and Cells the Same

Adding a text box to a worksheet is easy. Making sure that text box is the exact size of a cell in the worksheet may not ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Adding Multiple Rows to a Table

Need to add more than a single row to an existing table? Word provides an assortment of ways that you can accomplish the ...

Discover More

Moving a Table Row

Want to move a row in a table very easily? You can do so by using the same editing techniques you are already using.

Discover More

Transposing Table Contents

When you transpose information, it is essentially "rotated" in a direction. If you transpose the information in a table, ...

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.

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}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) 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 4 + 8?

2021-03-06 19:48:59

Tomek Dluzniewski

You can split cells even if they were not merged before.


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.

Videos
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.