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: Converting Tables to Text.

Converting Tables to Text

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 21, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365


1

Tables are a great boon to users of Word. When you are working with documents that were created in a different word processor, however, tables can be a nuisance. For instance, one WordTips reader complained that his two-column text created in another word processor was converted in Word to tables. He asked for a way to automatically convert all the tables to text, without the need to process each table manually.

The following macro, AllTablesToText, will do the trick. It steps through each table in the current document and converts them all to text, with tabs between columns:

Sub AllTablesToText()
    Dim t As Table

    For Each t in ActiveDocument.Tables
        t.ConvertToText Separator:=wdSeparateByTabs
    Next t
End Sub

If you don't want tabs between columns, all you need to do is change the value assigned to the Separator parameter. You can use wdSeparateByCommas, wdSeparateByDefaultListSeparator, or wdSeparateByParagraphs.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13171) 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: Converting Tables to Text.

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

Controlling How Word Sorts Text

Word has a very orderly way in which it sorts information, but that orderly method may not meet what you need to have ...

Discover More

Ages in Years and Months

Calculating an age is a common task when working with dates. If you want to figure out the number of years and months ...

Discover More

Viewing Comments

Adding comments to a document is a normal activity when writing and editing. Once comments have been added, you may ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Cannot Set Heading Rows in a Table

Word allows you to specify which rows in a table should be considered headings. What if setting the headings doesn't work ...

Discover More

Resizing Very Large Tables

When pasting a table into your document, you might discover that it extends beyond the right margin of your page. Here ...

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
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 six minus 4?

2020-11-21 05:45:44

Ron S MVP

Related tip:
https://wordribbon.tips.net/T009227_Converting_a_Table_into_Text.html


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.