Tables are a powerful tool in Microsoft Word, allowing you to organize and present data in a visually appealing manner.
However, there may be instances where you need to convert a table into plain text.
Whether you want to remove the table structure or extract data for analysis, converting a table to text is a straightforward process in MS Word.
In this tutorial, you'll learn how to convert a table to text in Word following some simple steps.
Let's get started.
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How to Convert a Table to Text in MS Word?
Here is the step-by-step method to convert a table to text in Microsoft Word.
Step 1: Open Your Microsoft Word Document
First, you need to open your Word document containing the table you want to convert into text.
If your document doesn't have a table yet, you can add one from the Insert menu. Go to Insert >> Table >> Insert Table.
Below is an example of the Word document that I have created. You can see that it contains a table with 5 columns and 6 rows.
I have also filled the table with some dummy data. Now, in the next step we will convert this table into text format.
Step 2: Convert Table to Text
When you convert a table to text in Word, please keep in mind the fact that your table won't contain any borders to separate the text content of the table.
So, while converting a table into text, you would need to select the separator such as comma or tab to use in place of the column boundaries
Let's first see how to convert a table to text in Word using the separator - Comma.
Convert Table to Text Using Comma Separator
First, you need to select your table as shown below.
After selecting the table, click on Layout from the top menu and then click on the option - Convert to Text (see the above screenshot).
Now, a popup will open with option to select the Separator. By default, Tabs will be selected but since we will be using comma separator, we will select Commas as shown below.
After selecting Commas as the separator, click on Ok to finish converting the table to text.
Below is an example of the table that I have converted into text using the comma as a separator.
In the above screenshot, you can see that I have successfully converted a table into text.
Next, we will see how to convert a table to text in MS Word using the Tab separator.
Also Read: Best Fonts in Microsoft Word
Convert Table to Text Using Tab Separator
Now, we will again select our table as we did in the previous step.
After selecting the table, click on Layout and then again click on Convert to Text as shown below.
Again, a popup will appear with Tabs separator selected by default (see the below screenshot).
Keeping the tabs separator selected, click on the Ok button.
It will convert your table into text using the tabs as a separator. In the below screenshot, you can see that I have converted my table into text using the tabs option and all the items of the table columns are separator by tabs.
This is how, you can easily convert a table to text in MS Word.
Remember, converting a table to text doesn't mean losing your original data. It simply rearranges the information in a plain text format while preserving the content.
So, next time you encounter a situation where the table structure is hindering your work, give the "Convert to Text" feature in MS Word a try and see the difference it can make.
Also Read: How to Insert a Table in Gmail
Wrapping Up
Become a master of MS Word by unlocking its vast array of features and enhancing your productivity.
Stay tuned for more insightful articles that will help you make the most out of this popular word processing software.
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