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: Space after a Table.

Space after a Table

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 9, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


4

Brian has set up the "body text" style in his document so that it only has "space after" and has zero "space before." This works great for laying out his document, except when it comes to tables. The paragraph following the table ends up being too close to the table, and Brian wants some space between the table and a "body text" paragraph following the table. He wonders if it is possible for Word to put "space after" a table.

Not really, in the sense of "space after" for a paragraph. This can cause some issues when it comes to vertical spacing after tables, as Brian points out. There are two things you can do to work around this problem.

First, you could define another style, perhaps called "body after table," which is based on the "body text" style. The only difference would be that the "body after table" style would have space before the paragraph, not just after. This style can then be applied to the first paragraph after any tables, with the "body text" style being used for the rest of the paragraphs.

The other option is to insert an extra row at the end of your tables. This row should have no text in it, and it should be formatted so that it has no borders. You can adjust the height of the row to reflect the amount of space you want between the main portion of the table and your following text.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13012) 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: Space after a Table.

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

Creating a Full-Page Border

Borders are easy to add around text or entire paragraphs. It may be surprising to you to learn that Word can just as ...

Discover More

Deleting Duplicate Columns

Have a worksheet in which there may be entire columns that are duplicates of each other? If you want to delete those ...

Discover More

Converting Time Notation to Decimal Notation

Want to convert an elapsed time, such as 8:37, to a decimal time, such as 8.62? If you know how Excel stores times ...

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)

Underlining Cells, Not Space Between Cells

Word provides a couple of ways you can underline information, including underlining table cells and their contents. ...

Discover More

Limiting Lines in a Table Cell

When creating tables, Word automatically sets the size of the cells. But what if you want to make sure each cell is a ...

Discover More

Adjusting Table Row Height

When working with tables, you can adjust the height of individual rows. How you go about such adjustments depends on the ...

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 nine more than 9?

2020-08-19 04:59:54

DelmaSwe

There is another Style you can use and that's the No Spacing style which is default in Word.


2020-08-11 15:58:56

Malcolm Patterson

The problem with following a table with a caption is that in most American styles, the table number precedes the table. (In contrast, captions follow figures.) I do as Kimberly suggested, assigning a *Table Follower* paragraph style to the blank paragraph. This also makes it easy to ensure that spacing after tables is consistent throughout a document--controlled by attributes of the *Table Follower* style.


2020-05-10 21:18:37

Nick Rea

Another way to do this is to have a Caption following the table - with the Table Number and Name in it and with Space Before and Space After configured however you like.


2020-05-09 06:34:03

Kimberly OGER

Hi, and thanks for all the tips.
I work work around this problem by manually inserting an empty line at the beginning of any paragraph that follows a table.
HIH,
Kim


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.