Using Word Tables

Just as tables are a powerful feature in Word, they are equally powerful and effective in a PowerPoint presentation. For this reason, PowerPoint's Slide Layout task pane offers several options for inserting tables, and the Insert Table button appears on the Standard toolbar in your PowerPoint application window. However, if you're more comfortable using Word's table tools (and the complete Table menu found in Word) or you already have an existing Word table and don't want to duplicate efforts, you can build your table there and paste it into your PowerPoint presentation.

Inserting a Word Table

A Word table is simple to insert, and with a little forethought (how many columns and rows you need), you can add one to any slide in a matter of seconds. You'll use Word's tools to create and then bring the table into your PowerPoint presentation with the following steps:

1. Build your table in Word, using your familiar Word tools (found in the Table menu or using the Insert Table button).

2. You can enter your content after building the table, or you can wait until the table is in your PowerPoint slide.

3. Copy the table to the Clipboard using Edit, Copy or by pressing Ctrl+C.

4. Switch to or open your PowerPoint presentation, and go to the slide (in Slide view) into which you want to paste the Word table.

5. Choose Edit, Paste, or press Ctrl+V to insert the copied table.

6. Edit the content and dimensions of the table using the Tables and Borders toolbar, which appears whenever the table is active (see Figure 19.9).

   Figure 19.9. Use the Tables and Borders toolbar to format the table.

   

For more info on using PowerPoint's own table creation tools, see Chapter 4, "Working with Tables," p.85 .

TIP

If your Word table already exists and you want to use it in a PowerPoint slide, you can link it to your slide so that future updates to the table's content appear in the PowerPoint version as well.

NOTE

Like any slide component (regardless of its source), you can easily delete a table. Click the table to select it, and then click its border to disable the cursor in the table's cells . To remove the table from your slide, press the Delete key.