Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 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: Deleting a Table.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 23, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365
If you create a table in a Word document and later want to delete, the way in which you do so depends largely on the version of Word you are using. To delete an entire table regardless of the version you are using, follow these steps:
You can also use the Cut option from the Clipboard group on the Home tab of the ribbon to remove the table. Pressing Del will have no effect, however, other than to clear the contents of the cells in the table. (You should note that pressing Del actually deletes a table if you select at least one paragraph in addition to the table.)
You can also delete a table by hovering the mouse pointer over the table so that the table's handle (a small box with a four-headed arrow in it) appears at the upper-left corner of the table. Click on this handle to select the entire table, and then press the Backspace key.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11624) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Deleting a Table.
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!
Tables are a great way to organize information in a document. For some editing needs, you may want to create a new ...
Discover MoreInsert a picture into a table cell, and you may quickly find that the table is no longer the size you expected. Here's ...
Discover MoreWhen you press the Tab key while entering info into a table, Word dutifully moves to the next table cell. If you don't ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2023-12-26 10:22:02
Andrew
With reference to "Del will have no effect, however, other than to clear the contents of the cells in the table."
Can I say that maybe the BEST tip I ever got here was that while Del deletes contents of cells, Backspace deletes the spells themselves!
Andy.
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, 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