Microsoft Word 2007

Tables: Adding Borders and Shading

Word automatically applies a ½ point border and a white background (i.e., no shading) to all tables and table cells. However, to emphasize certain aspects of your table, you might want to add, remove, or modify table borders, or to add shading to certain cells, rows, or columns in your table.

Adding Borders and Shading: Ribbon Option
Adding Borders and Shading: Dialog Box Option

Adding Borders and Shading: Ribbon Option

Word's Ribbon provides quick access to the table borders and shading features. To enhance table borders, you have the option of drawing or using buttons.

Adding Borders: Drawing Option

From the Ribbon, select the Design command tab
NOTE: Your table must either have the insertion point in it or be selected in order to view the Design command tab.
In the Draw Borders group, click LINE STYLE» select the desired line style
Your cursor turns into a pencil.
In the Draw Borders group, click LINE WEIGHT» select the desired border thickness
In the Draw Borders group, click PEN COLOR» select the desired border color
In your table, click and drag along the existing border with the style you would like to change
The new border/style is applied.
OPTIONAL: To remove individual border lines
1. In the Draw Borders group, click LINE STYLE» Select No Border
2. Click on the border line you want to remove
To turn off the drawing pencil, click DRAW TABLE
OR
Click outside the table
OR
Press [Esc]

Adding Borders: Button Option

Select the cell(s) you want to apply borders to
HINTS:
To select multiple contiguous cells, click in one cell and hold the mouse button while dragging across the desired cells.
To select multiple non-contiguous cells, press and hold [Ctrl] while clicking each desired cell.
To select the entire table, click the TABLE MOVE handle.
From the Ribbon, select the Design command tab
In the Draw Borders group, click LINE STYLE» select the desired line style
In the Draw Borders group, click LINE WEIGHT» select the desired border thickness
To change the border color, from the Draw Borders group, click PEN COLOR» select the desired color
HINT: For the color change to take effect, it may be necessary to select No Borders before selecting the desired cell borders (e.g., top, bottom, left, right, all).
From Table Styles group, click theon BORDERS» select the cell borders (e.g., top, bottom, left, right, all) you want to apply the border style to
The border style is applied to the selected borders of the selected cell(s)

Adding Shading

Select the cell(s) you want to add shading to
HINTS:
To select multiple contiguous cells, click in one cell and hold the mouse button while dragging across the desired cells.
To select multiple non-contiguous cells, press and hold [Ctrl] while clicking each desired cell.
To select the entire table, click the TABLE MOVE handle.
From the Ribbon, select the Design command tab
In the Table Styles group, click theon SHADING» select a color from the palette
The color is applied to selected cells.

Adding Borders and Shading: Dialog Box Option

The Borders and Shading dialog box provides another way to add borders and shading to your table.

Adding Borders

Select the cells you want to apply borders to
HINTS:
To select multiple contiguous cells, click in one cell and hold the mouse button while dragging across the desired cells.
To select multiple non-contiguous cells, press and hold [Ctrl] while clicking each desired cell.
To select the entire table, click the TABLE MOVE handle.
From the Ribbon, select the Design command tab
In the Table Styles group, click theon BORDERS» select Borders and Shading...
The Borders and Shading dialog box appears.
NOTE: The Setting section of the Borders and Shading dialog box displays different options depending on what is selected in the Apply to: pull-down menu.
Select the Borders tab
In the Setting, Style, Color, and Width sections, select the desired border options
OPTIONAL: To apply additional border settings
1. In the Preview section, select or deselect the desired borders by clicking the diagram or the surrounding buttons
2. From the Apply to pull-down menu, select where you want the border styles applied:
Text
Applies border style only to text (i.e., a text border is created inside the cell border)

Paragraph
Applies border style based on selected paragraph breaks within selected cells and/or throughout the table

Cell
Apples border style to selected cell(s)

Table
Applies border style to the entire table
Click OK
The changes are applied.
HINT: If any border changes made from the Preview section overlap existing border settings, the updated settings will take precedence only where the overlap occurs. All other previous settings will remain the same.

Adding Shading

Select the cells you want to apply shading to
HINTS:
To select multiple contiguous cells, click in one cell and hold the mouse button while dragging across the desired cells.
To select multiple non-contiguous cells, press and hold [Ctrl] while clicking each desired cell.
To select the entire table, click the TABLE MOVE handle.
From the Ribbon, select the Design command tab
In the Table Styles group, click theon BORDERS» select Borders and Shading...
The Borders and Shading dialog box appears.
Select the Shading tab
To select a shading color, under Fill, select the desired shading option
OPTIONAL: Under Patterns, from the Style pull-down list, select the desired shading pattern
From the Apply to pull-down list, select where you want the color applied

Paragraph
Applies color to the text area in selected cell(s); color does not fill the entire cell

Cell
Fills selected cell(s) with color

Table
Applies color to entire table

Click OK
The changes are applied.