Microsoft Word 2003/2004
Navigating and Selecting within a Table
Making selections and moving your insertion point within a Word table requires unique key combinations. Within a table, the Tab key is used to move between cells, rather than its traditional Word function of inserting tabs. Other helpful keyboard shortcuts for moving around and selecting within a table are explained in this document.
Using the Tab Key for Alignment
Within a table, the Tab key is used to move between cells, rather than its traditional function of inserting tabs in Word documents. To use tabs for alignment within a table cell, use the following:
-
Windows: To insert tabs within cells, press [Ctrl] + [Tab]
Macintosh: To insert tabs within cells, press [control] + [tab]
To Move To... Keys
You can use the keyboard to navigate through your table. The following table illustrates these keyboard shortcuts and their functions.
| To Move to... | Press... |
|---|---|
| next cell | [Tab] or right arrow until you are in the cell |
| previous cell | [Shift] + [Tab] or the left arrow until you are in the cell |
| next row | [Down Arrow] |
| previous row | [Up Arrow] |
| end of cell | [End] |
| tab stop within a table cell | [Ctrl] + [Tab] (after setting the tab stop) |
| first cell in a row | Windows: [Alt] + [Home] Macintosh: [control] + [home] |
| last cell in a row | Windows: [Alt] + [End] Macintosh: [control + [end] |
| first cell in a column | Windows: [Alt] + [Page Up] Macintosh: [control] + [page up] |
| last cell in a column | Windows: [Alt] + [Page Down] Macintosh: [control] + [page down] |
To Select...
You can use the keyboard and mouse to select data in your table. The following table illustrates these steps.
| To Select... | Steps |
|---|---|
| next cell | Tab] |
| previous cell | [Shift] + [Tab] |
| entire row | Drag the I-beam across the row OR Hold your cursor to the left of the row and when an arrow  appears, click |
| entire column | Drag the I-beam down the column OR Hold your cursor at the top of the column and when a down arrow  appears, click |
| entire table | Windows: On the 10-key pad with the number lock off, press [Alt] + [5] Macintosh: Press [command] + [option] + [T] |
| multiple contiguous cells, rows, or columns |
Drag across the cells |
| multiple non-contiguous cells, rows, or columns |
Windows: Make your first selection; then [Ctrl] + drag across additional cells, rows, or columns Macintosh: Make your first selection; then [command] + drag across additional cells, rows, or columns |
