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How to select, move, copy and remove a table in Word, with it can't be moved

Lionsure 2021-11-23 Original by the website

A table is a whole, you can select the entire table at once, including the content in the table. After the entire table is selected, it can be moved, copied, and deleted. As far as movement is concerned, it can be moved only within this page, or it can be moved from one page to another. Copying a table is also like copying ordinary text. It can be copied within this document or from one document to another. For deleting a table, you can only delete all the contents of the table, or delete the contents and the table together.

Requirements are ever-changing. Sometimes it is required to delete the table but keep its content, and sometimes it is required to delete the text and keep the table in turn. How to realize these two requirements in Word? Users who often use Word to edit documents, especially those who frequently manipulate tables, may have found answers in normal operations.

In the case of requesting to delete the reserved text of the table in Word, you only need to set the table to have no borders; for the case that requires the removal of the text to keep the form, you can select the table, and then press the Delete key, so that only the text is deleted, but the table is not deleted.

 

I. How to select a table in Word

Move the pointer to the table, a small square appears immediately in the upper left corner, and there is a cross composed of double arrows in the small square, click this icon, the entire table is selected, the demonstration is shown in Figure 1:

How to select a table in Word

Figure 1

 

 

II. How to move a table in Word

(I) How to move a table down in Word (i.e. how to move a table in word without losing formatting)

Move the pointer  to the small icon in the upper left corner, it becomes a cross with four arrows, hold down the left button of mouse and move it down, the table is moved. The dashed box in the figure is the outer border of the table after it has been moved. After reaching the target position, release the left button and the table will be moved here. The demonstration is shown in Figure 2:

How to move a table in Word

Figure 2

 

Note: If the table exceeds the width of the document page, the table will not be moved to the target position when it is moved for the first time, but it will be moved slightly in Word 2016 and below. The whole table will be moved to the page while moving, and it will be moved to the target location when it is moved again. 

 

(II) Can't move table in word

Example 1: Can't move table up in word

Right-click the table, select Table Properties in the pop-up menu, open the Table Properties window, select the Table tab, select Around under Text Wrapping , click OK, the table can be moved up. The demonstration is shown in Figure 3:

Can't move table in word

Figure 3

 

Example 2: Cannot move table down in Word

When the table is spread across pages, even if its property is set to Text Wrapping, it cannot be moved down with the mouse, and you need to press Enter on your keyboard. The demonstration is shown in Figure 4:

 Cannot move table down in Word

Figure 4

Tip: For more questions about the inability to move the table, please refer to the article How to repeat header row in word table and make across part retract to previous page.

 

 

III. How to copy a table in Word (i.e. how to duplicate a table in Word)

(I) How to copy and paste a table in Word

Move the pointer to the table, click the small icon in the upper left corner of the table, select the table to be copied, press Ctrl + C to copy, go to the target location (for example, another document), press Ctrl + V to paste, the entire table is pasted to the target location, the demo is shown in Figure 5:

How to copy a table in Wor

Figure 5

 

(II) How to copy only text from table in Word

Move the pointer to the table, click the small icon in the upper left of the table, select the entire table, press Ctrl + C to copy, position the cursor to the target position, click Paste, and select Keep Text Only, only the text of the entire table is pasted to the target location, the operation steps are shown in Figure 6:

How to copy only text from table in Word

Figure 6

 

 

IV. How to Remove table in Word

1. only remove table text in Word

Select the table you want to remove, press the Delete key, and all the contents of the table will be deleted. The demonstration is shown in Figure 7:

How to Remove table in Word

Figure 7

 

2. How to remove table borders in Word (How to delete table in word without deleting text)

Select the table, click the Down Arrow next to the Border icon, and select No Border. The table line no longer exists, and only the text is left. The demonstration is shown in Figure 8:

How to remove table borders in Word

Figure 8

Word 2003: Select Table → Table Properties → Border and Shading → No Border.

 

3. How to delete a table in Word

method one:

Right-click the table you want to delete, and select Delete Table in the pop-up menu, the entire table will be deleted, as shown in Figure 9:

How to delete a table in Word

Figure 9

Method Two:

When the table is selected, a small window is popped up, click Delete, select Delete Table in the pop-up drop-down menu, and the entire table will be deleted. The demonstration is shown in Figure 10:

How to delete a table in Microsoft Word

Figure 10

Method three:

After selecting the table, click the Layout tab, click Delete, select Delete Table in the pop-up drop-down menu, and the entire table will be deleted. The demonstration is shown in Figure 11:

How to delete a table in Ms Word

Figure 11

 

4. How to remove table formatting in Word

After selecting the table, select the Home tab, click the Clear All Formatting icon in the Font group in the Ribbon, and the styles of table will be cleared, as shown in Figure 12:

How to remove table formatting in Word

Figure 12