Word - Converting Text Into a Table

There are two major ways you can create tables in Word. One way is to create a blank table by any of the various methods provided by Word (such as drawing the table or using the Insert Table tool). The other method is to convert existing text into a table. To convert text into a table, follow these steps:

1. Make sure the text that is to be converted into the table contains only a single tab character between each column.
2. Select the text you want converted into a table.
3. Display the Insert tab of the ribbon.
4. Click the Table tool and then click Convert Text to Table. Word displays the Convert Text to Table dialog box. (See Figure 1.) 

Figure 1. The Convert Text to Table dialog box.
5. Make sure all the table settings in the dialog box are correct.
6. Click OK.

The selected text is immediately converted into a table. In some instances, the width of columns in the resulting table may need to be adjusted. You will know if this is the case because the table will look very strange. Sometimes you can get files from programs such as a spreadsheet that use commas to separate columns. Word will also convert this comma-separated text to a table.