Insert Rows and Columns in Tables: MS Word

You've already learned how to add a new row to the bottom of a table by pressing Tab from the bottom-right cell in a table [refer to this article]. You can also insert rows and columns between existing ones, using the methods below.

• Choose Table | Insert and specify where to insert the new row or column. The menu has a number of choices.
   
• To insert a row, first select the row that will move down to make room for the new row. (One way to do this is to move the mouse pointer to the far-left side of the table and click once.) Then click the Insert Row button that appears where the Insert button used to be.
   
• To insert a column, first select the column that will move to the right to make room for the new one. (One way to do this is to move the mouse pointer to the top gridline until it turns into a small down arrow). Then click the Insert Custom button that appears where the Insert Table button used to be.

A new row appears above the selected row, or to the left of a selected column (unless you used the menu to specify differently). Notice that the column widths become narrower so the new column will fit.

Move Rows and Columns

Use the drag-and-drop (or just cut and paste) method to move rows and columns, just as you do to rearrange regular text.

1. Select the row or column.
    
2. Place the mouse pointer arrow over the selected item and drag, watching the location of the gray insertion point.
    
3. When you release the mouse button, the row is moved just above the row where the gray insertion point was located; the column is moved just to the left of the column where the gray insertion point was located.

When the table is rearranged, the column widths may adjust themselves slightly to fit the text.

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