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: Entering Tabs in a Table.
When you are entering text in a table, some of the keyboard keys don't function as they do when you are working in the body of your document. One of those keys is the Tab key. If you press Tab, the insertion point moves to the next cell in the table, or if you are at the end of the table, it creates a new row.
There may be times, however, when you want a tab character in the table's text. In order to insert a tab, you can use either of these methods:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (12932) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Entering Tabs in a Table.
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2017-08-21 16:20:07
Peter Kirkpatrick
@Keith, it's simpler than that. Just use the left and right arrows.
2016-12-27 00:00:01
Keith
Putting the tab in the cell is easy, but I want to know how to be sable to USE it! How do you advance to the tab in a cell? Tried TAB, Ctrl TAB, Ctrl Shift TAB, Alt TAB, Ctrl Alt TAB. None do it.
2015-01-15 10:25:27
Roslyn
I'm a keyboard person and appreciate the Ctrl+Tab tip, but don't forget to mention the Increase Indent command - Home tab, Paragraph Group
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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: 
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