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Manage table, column and row size
Dan Holme
October 30, 2007
2 Min Read
To change the size of a column or row, you follow these basic steps:
Turn on gridlines if they are not currently visible. This makes it much easier to work with column and row size. Choose Table → Show Gridlines.
Position your insertion point anywhere in the table.Do not drag or do anything to select text, a cell, a column, or a row. Just click to position the insertion point. Selecting text, a cell, a column, or a row will result in changing the size only in that selection, not for the entire table.
Drag the border between two columns or two rows or drag the column or row markers in the ruler.
or
There are three ways to change the size of a column or row by dragging its border or marker.
Drag: the column (to the left) changes size. All other columns remain their original size. Therefore, the table size changes.
Ctrl+drag. The table width is maintained. The cell to the left of the border changes size. Columns to the right of the border adjust proportionally so that the table width remains the same. Press and hold the Ctrl key then click and drag the border.
Shift+drag. The table width is maintained. The cells immediately to the left and right of the border change size. All other columns remain the same width. Press and hold the Shift key then click and drag the border.
You can double-click a table border marker in the ruler to AutoFit that column or row to the content it contains.
To have full control over the size of a table, its columns, and rows:
Click in the table to position the insertion point in the table.
Right click and choose Properties
or
Choose Table ? Properties.
Use the options on the Table, Row, and Column tabs to configure size.
You can use the Distribute Columns Evenly and Distribute Rows Evenly commands to resize columns and rows in a table. These commands are available in the popup (right-click) menu, and in the Tables and Borders toolbar. If you position the insertion point in a table, the commands resize all columns or rows in the table. If you select several columns or rows, the commands affect the selection.
You can also use the AutoFit menu in the Table menu to adjust column or row size.
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