Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007 and 2010. 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: Keep Your Headings in View.

Keep Your Headings in View

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 26, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007 and 2010


2

If you work with long tables, particularly ones that involve many columns, you know it can be confusing to remember what each column is for. To overcome this problem, divide the current document window into panes. Each pane will give you a view of different parts of your document. In the top pane, display the headings for your columns. You may want to make the pane smaller so there is more room to work in the other pane. In the bottom pane, do your table work. In this way you will always be able to see your column headings.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11641) applies to Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Keep Your Headings in View.

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

Setting Default Label Formats

Setting default formats for envelopes is easy; setting them for labels is not so easy. Here are some ideas on things you ...

Discover More

Moving Cell Borders when Sorting

Sort your data and you may be surprised at what Excel does to your formatting. (Some formatting may be moved in the sort ...

Discover More

Filtering for Purchases within a Given Month

Filtering is a great tool when dealing with large data sets. Knowing how to apply a filter, though, can be a bit tricky ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Index Number for the Active Table

For some programming needs, it is important to determine the index of an object within a collection of such objects. This ...

Discover More

Placing Text in Empty Table Cells

Tables are often used to organize information into an understandable format. If your company requires that tables in ...

Discover More

Table Rows Truncated in Printout

If you have problems getting the printout of a table to look correct, it can be frustrating. This tip provides a few ...

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 one less than 8?

2015-09-03 13:09:36

Lisa Bowman

I have noticed a behavior in 2013 where if one has a table that spans several pages and has specified repeating of heading row(s), and if one has selected to break rows across pages, for those rows broken over several whole pages, the heading rows are not repeated on only those pages, and then when the row ends, the headings show up again intact. The question is, I understand maximizing content, but why doesn't Word 'break' the table with enough space to continue with the heading rows even on rows that span several pages. Any help would be sincerely appreciated. Thanks!


2012-04-30 08:12:01

Calvin Wilson

I have used the split panes approach in the past.

When I scroll the bottom pane (the table) left and right, the table columns are misaligned. This is a problem with wide tables.

Is there a way to lock the scroll of the panels so that the columns stay aligned when scrolling the table left/right in the bottom pane?

I seem to recall that in an EARLY version of Word (6 I think) that the top and bottom panes scrolled left/right together.


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.