5. Present text in tables

When you want to present a lot of data on a PowerPoint slide in an organized and easy-to-read format, a table is often your best choice. Tables provide a tidy structure for the presentation of text and numeric information in rows and columns, so that identifying categories or individual items and making comparisons is easier.

You can insert a table on any PowerPoint slide, regardless of whether it includes a content placeholder. If the information you want to present is already in a tabular format—for example, in a Microsoft Word document or a Microsoft Excel workbook—you can copy the existing table to your slide and then modify it as necessary to fit your presentation. If you want to preserve the formulas in an Excel table, it’s best to embed the worksheet as an object on the PowerPoint slide.

After you insert a table, whether blank or from another source, you can modify its structure and formatting.

This chapter guides you through procedures related to inserting tables, formatting tables, modifying table structure, and embedding and linking to Excel content.

After you specify the number of columns and rows you want in the blank table, PowerPoint creates the table structure. By default, the table matches the color scheme of the presentation theme. The first row is formatted as a header row, and the subsequent rows are banded. You can then add data, add or remove rows and columns, change the table elements that are emphasized, and change the table formatting.

If the table you want to use already exists in a Word document, or in an Excel workbook, you can copy the original table and paste it onto the slide, rather than re-creating the table. When you paste a table from another source onto a slide, a Paste Options button appears. Clicking the button displays a menu of options for pasting the table.

On the Paste Options menu for a table, you can choose from these options:

Use Destination Styles This is the default option. It applies the fonts, colors, and effects of the slide theme to the table. The table can be modified.

Keep Source Formatting This option retains the original formatting of the table. The table can be modified.

Embed This option inserts an image of the table that is linked to the original source document or workbook. Double-clicking the image opens the source file (if it’s available) in which you can make changes to the table content.

Picture This option pastes an image of the table onto the slide. The table cannot be modified other than by applying image formatting.

Keep Text Only This option inserts unformatted text.

As you point to each option, the table appearance updates to reflect what the table will look like if you choose that option.

If you’re accustomed to creating tables in Word by converting text to a table, note that you can’t do that on a PowerPoint slide. If a slide contains content you want to display in a tabular format, consider copying the text to a document, converting it to a table, and then copying the table to the slide.

To insert a blank table on a slide

1. Do either of the following to open the Insert Table dialog box:

• If the slide includes a content placeholder, click the Insert Table button in the content placeholder.

• On any slide, on the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click the Table button, and then click Insert Table.

2. In the Insert Table dialog box, specify the Number of columns and the Number or rows you want. Then click OK.

Or

1. On the Insert menu, in the Tables group, click the Table button and then point to the cell grid to indicate the size (in rows and columns) of the table you want to create.

2. Release the mouse button to insert a table of the selected dimensions.

To insert a table from a Word document on a slide

1. Open the document, and locate the table that you want to copy to the slide.

2. Click the table selector (the four-headed arrow outside the upper-left corner of the table) and then copy the table to the Clipboard by using any of these methods:

• Press Ctrl+C.

• Right-click the table, and then click Copy.

• On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click the Copy button.

3. Switch to PowerPoint and display the slide that you want to insert the table on.

4. Paste the copied table from the Clipboard to the slide by using any of these methods:

• Press Ctrl+V.

• Right-click the slide, click Paste Options, and then click the paste option you want.

• On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click the Paste button.

5. If you don’t want the table to match the slide formatting, click the Paste Options button that appears in the lower-right corner of the table, and then on the Paste Options menu, click the paste option you want.

To insert a table from an Excel worksheet on a slide

1. Open the workbook, and locate the table or data range that you want to copy to the slide.

2. Select the table or data range, and then copy the selection to the Clipboard.

3. Switch to PowerPoint, and display the slide that you want to insert the table on.

4. Paste the copied table from the Clipboard to the slide.

5. If you don’t want the table to match the slide formatting, click the Paste Options button, and then on the Paste Options menu, click the paste option you want.

To move a table on a slide

1. Click the table frame to select the table.

2. Do either of the following:

• Point to any outside edge of the table. When the cursor changes to a four-headed arrow, press and hold the mouse button and drag the table to its new location.

• Press the arrow keys to move the table in small increments, or hold down the Shift key and press the arrow keys to move the table in larger increments.

To enter text in a table cell

1. Do either of the following:

• Click the cell, and then enter your text.

• Select text that you want to paste into the table, click the cell you want to paste the text into, and then paste the text. If your original text comes from another table, you can copy and paste multiple cells of content at a time.

To move the cursor to the next table cell

1. Press Tab.

When you press Tab in the last cell in a row, PowerPoint moves to the first cell in the next row. When you press Tab after the last cell in the table, PowerPoint adds a new row to the table and places the cursor in the first cell in that row.

You work with tables in PowerPoint in much the same way as you work with tables in Word. You can format an entire table or individual cells by using the commands on the Design and Layout tool tabs, which appear when a table is active.

For example, you can use commands on the Design tool tab to switch to a different table style and apply options that change the text or cell formatting to make key information stand out. If you want, you can also format individual words and individual cells.

The available table styles reflect the color scheme of the theme that is applied to the presentation.

You might at times need or want to make part of a table look as though it isn’t there. You can do that by removing the fill color and borders from the cells that you want to disappear.

To activate a table for formatting

1. Click anywhere in the table. The Design and Format tool tabs appear on the ribbon.

To lect an entire table

1. Click anywhere in the table. On the Layout tool tab, in the Table group, click the Select button, and then click Select Table. The table does not change to indicate that it is selected.

To select rows or columns

1. Do any of the following:

• Click any cell in the row or column you want to select. On the Layout tool tab, in the Table group, click the Select button, and then click Select Row or Select Column.

• Point to the outer edge of a row or column. When the cursor changes to an arrow, click to select the row or column. Drag to select additional contiguous rows or columns.

• Drag through all the cells of a row or all the cells of a column.

The selected rows or columns are shaded.

To select multiple contiguous cells

1. Do any of the following:

• Drag through the cells.

• Click the first cell, hold down the Shift key, and then press the arrow keys to select adjacent cells.

• Click the first cell, hold down the Shift key, and then click the last cell.

The selected cells are shaded.

To select one cell

1. Click anywhere in the cell. When you select only one cell, the selected cell is not shaded.

To modify table style options

1. Activate the table. On the Design tool tab, in the Table Style Options group, do any of the following:

• Clear the Header Row check box if the first row of the table doesn’t contain column headings.

• Clear the Banded Rows check box to make all rows except the header row the same color.

• Select the First Column or Last Column check box to emphasize the content of that column.

• Select the Total Row check box to emphasize the content of the final row of the table.

As you change the table style options, the thumbnails in the Table Style group update to reflect your changes.

To change the table style

1. Activate the table. On the Design tool tab, in the Table Styles group, click the More button to display the Table Styles gallery.

2. Point to table styles to preview their effects on the table.

3. Click a thumbnail to apply the style.

To fill one or more cells with a specific color

1. Select the cell or cells you want to fill.

2. On the Design tool tab, in the Table Styles group, click the Shading arrow to display the Shading menu.

3. Do any of the following:

• In the Theme Colors palette, click a color swatch. Colors selected from this palette change with the color scheme.

• In the Standard Colors palette, click a color swatch. Colors selected from this palette are the same on all computers.

• On the Shading menu, click More Fill Colors. On the Standard tab of the Colors dialog box, click a color on the color wheel; or on the Custom tab of the dialog box, select or specify a color. Then click OK.

• On the Shading menu, click Eyedropper. When the cursor changes to the shape of an eyedropper, click any element in the Slide pane to select that color. The color appears in a Custom Colors section of the menu and you can reuse it from that section.

You also have the option of filling the cell with a picture, gradient, or texture. None of these are particularly suitable fills for most table cells, but you can explore them on your own if you’re interested.

To clear a cell fill color

1. Select the cell or cells you want to clear.

2. On the Design tool tab, in the Table Styles group, on the Shading menu, click No Fill.

To apply standard cell borders

1. Select the cell or cells you want to format.

2. On the Design tool tab, in the Table Styles group, click the Borders arrow, and then click the type of border you want to apply.

To remove cell borders

1. Select the cell or cells you want to remove the border from.

2. On the Design tool tab, in the Table Styles group, on the Borders menu, click No Border.

To customize cell borders

1. Select the cell or cells you want to format.

2. On the Design tool tab, in the Draw Borders group, do any of the following to customize the appearance of the border that you will create:

• In the Pen Style list, click the line or dot or dash pattern you want to use for the border.

• In the Pen Weight list, click the thickness of the border.

• On the Pen Color menu, select the color you want to use for the border.

3. In the Table Styles group, on the Borders menu, click the icon representing the side or sides you want to apply the custom border to.

To change the size of a table

1. Activate the table, and then do any of the following:

• Drag the sizing handles to change the height, width, or height and width of the table.

• On the Layout tool tab, in the Table Size group, set the Height or Width to a specific dimension.

To change the width of one or more columns

1. Select the column or columns you want to change, and then do any of the following:

• Double-click the right border of a column to size the column to fit its widest content.

• On the Layout tool tab, in the Cell Size group, in the Width box, enter a specific dimension, and then press Enter.

• On the Layout tool tab, in the Cell Size group, click the arrows to the right of the Width box to increase or decrease the width one unit at a time.

• On the Layout tool tab, in the Cell Size group, click Distribute Columns to make the columns equal width within the selected space.

Or

1. Point to the left or right inner border of any cell. When the cursor changes to a double-headed arrow, drag to the left or right.

To change the height of one or more rows

1. Select the row or rows you want to change, and then do any of the following:

• On the Layout tool tab, in the Cell Size group, in the Height box, enter a specific dimension, and then press Enter.

• On the Layout tool tab, in the Cell Size group, click the arrows to the right of the Height box to increase or decrease the height one unit at a time.

• On the Layout tool tab, in the Cell Size group, click Distribute Rows to make the columns equal width within the selected space.

Or

1. Point to the top or bottom inner border of any cell. When the cursor changes to a double-headed arrow, drag up or down.

To add a row to a table

1. Do either of the following:

• To insert a row at the end of the table, click in the last table cell, and then press Tab.

• To insert a row above or below the active row, on the Layout tool tab, in the Rows & Columns group, click the Insert Above or Insert Below button.

To add multiple rows to a table

1. Select the number of rows you want to insert, starting with a row that is adjacent to the insertion location.

2. On the Layout tool tab, in the Rows & Columns group, click the Insert Above or Insert Below button.

To add a column to a table

1. Click in the table adjacent to the location where you want to add the column.

2. On the Layout tool tab, in the Rows & Columns group, click the Insert Left or Insert Right button.

To add multiple columns to a table

1. Select the number of columns you want to insert, starting with a column that is adjacent to the insertion location.

2. On the Layout tool tab, in the Rows & Columns group, click the Insert Left or Insert Right button.

To remove one or more rows or columns from a table

1. Do either of the following:

• Click anywhere in the row or column that you want to remove.

• Select cells in the rows or columns you want to remove (or select the rows or columns).

2. On the Layout tool tab, in the Rows & Columns group, click the Delete button, and then click Delete Columns or Delete Rows.

To combine multiple table cells into one cell

1. Select the cells that you want to combine.

2. On the Layout tool tab, in the Merge group, click the Merge Cells button.

Or

1. Activate the table.

2. On the Design tool tab, in the Draw Borders group, click the Eraser button.

3. When the cursor changes to an eraser, click the border that separates the cells you want to merge.

4. When you finish, click the Eraser button or press the Esc key to return the cursor to turn off the eraser.

To split one table cell into multiple cells

1. Select the cell that you want to split.

2. On the Layout tool tab, in the Merge group, click the Split Cells button.

Or

1. Activate the table.

2. On the Design tool tab, in the Draw Borders group, click the Draw Table button.

3. When the pointer changes to a pencil, drag from the point on one cell border at which you want to start the split down to the point on another cell border at which you want to stop it. A dashed line indicates the split location while you’re drawing.

You must drag from a point on a cell border to another point on a cell border. When you release the cursor, a border of the currently selected line style, width, and color replaces the dashed line.

Embedded objects and linked objects differ in the following ways:

An embedded object maintains a direct connection to its original program, known as the source program. Be aware that embedding an object increases the presentation’s file size, because PowerPoint has to store not only the data itself but also information about how to display the data.

A linked object is a representation on a slide of information that is still stored in the original document (the source document). Each time you open the presentation, PowerPoint checks the source document and updates the linked content on the slide. Because PowerPoint stores only the data needed to display the information, linking to objects results in a smaller file size than embedding them.

You can open an embedded or linked Excel table in Excel by double-clicking the table. An embedded table opens on the slide. A linked table opens in Excel.

Different types of information lend themselves to linking or embedding. For example, suppose you store past sales information and future sales forecasts in Excel worksheets. It would be appropriate to embed the past sales information, because it is unlikely to change. It would be appropriate to link to the future sales forecasts so the information on the slide updates automatically with the linked worksheet.

You can’t format linked or embedded table data in the same way that you can format a live table on a slide.

To embed a table from an Excel worksheet on a slide

1. Open the workbook, and locate the table or data range that you want to embed on the slide.

2. Select the table or data range, and then copy the selection to the Clipboard.

3. Switch to PowerPoint, and display the slide that you want to embed the table on.

4. Paste the copied table from the Clipboard to the slide. Click the Paste Options button that appears, and then click the Embed icon.

Or

1. Display the slide you want to embed the table on.

2. On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click the Object button.

3. In the Insert Object dialog box, click Create from file, and then click the Browse button.

4. In the Browse dialog box, browse to and select the workbook that contains the table you want to embed. Then click OK to insert the path in the File box of the Insert Object dialog box.

5. In the Insert Object dialog box, click OK to embed the workbook and display the most recently active content.

To link to a table in an Excel workbook

1. Display the slide you want to link to the table on.

2. On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click the Object button.

3. In the Insert Object dialog box, click Create from file, and then click the Browse button.

4. In the Browse dialog box, browse to and select the workbook that contains the table you want to link to. Then click OK to insert the path in the File box of the Insert Object dialog box.

5. In the Insert Object dialog box, select the Link check box. Then click OK to link to the workbook and display a picture of the most recently active content.

To change the embedded or linked content displayed on the slide

1. On the slide, double-click the table.

An embedded table opens in an Excel window on the slide. A linked table opens in a separate Excel window.

2. Change the active worksheet, resize the window, and scroll the content as necessary to display the same content you want to display on the slide.

3. Click away from the table or close the Excel window.

To resize an embedded Excel worksheet object

1. Do either of the following:

• To change the size of the table on the slide but not change the amount of information that is visible from the source worksheet, click the embedded table to select it (but not open it) and then drag the round white sizing handles.

• To expose more or less of the source worksheet on the slide, double-click the embedded table to open it in an Excel window on the slide, and then drag the square black sizing handles.

2. Click away from the embedded object to return to PowerPoint.

Insert tables

Format tables

Modify table structure

Embed and link to Excel content

1. Display slide 3 (Temperature Range). In the content placeholder, click the Insert Table icon, and insert a table that has five columns and three rows.

2. Populate the table with the following information.

3. Center the table within the content area on the slide.

4. Click away from the table to see the results.

5. Close the presentation, saving your changes if you want to.

1. Display slide 3 (Temperature Range), and activate the table for formatting.

2. From the Table Styles gallery, apply the Medium Style 2 - Accent 4 table style.

3. Configure the table style options to emphasize the header row and the first column, and to have banded columns (but not banded rows).

4. Remove the shading and borders from the upper-left cell (the cell that doesn’t contain any information).

5. Select the cells containing the Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall headings, and fill the cells with the Orange, Accent 6 shade from the theme colors palette.

6. Select the Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall columns, and center the cell content horizontally.

7. Set the border pen color to Orange, Accent 3, and then apply an outside border to the cell that contains the highest temperature.

8. Click away from the table to see the results.

9. Close the presentation, saving your changes if you want to.

1. Display slide 3 (Temperature Range).

2. In the table, insert a row after the Minimum row.

3. Enter the following information in the new row.

4. If the cell at the intersection of the Minimum row and the Summer column has a colored bottom border, remove the bottom border from the cell.

5. Insert a new row above the headings.

6. In the second cell of the new row, enter Seasonal temperatures (Fahrenheit). Notice that the entry wraps within the cell.

7. Select the second through fifth cells of the new row, and merge them. Then center the text vertically and horizontally within the merged cell.

8. Move the table up to again center it in the content area.

9. Click away from the table to see the results.

10. Close the presentation, saving your changes if you want to.

1. Display slide 9 (Equipment Replacement).

2. Display the Lease Cost worksheet of the NewEquipment workbook on the slide by linking to it.

3. Resize the linked worksheet object window so that it is just big enough to display the Payment Schedule table.

4. Open the linked worksheet in an Excel window for editing.

5. In cell B2, change the interest rate from 5 to 6, and then press the Enter key. Notice that the calculated values change.

6. Select the merged cell that contains the Payment Schedule title, and fill the cell with a color of your choice from the top row of the Theme Colors palette.

7. Select cells A2 through A8, and fill the cells with a lighter version of the color you chose in step 5.

8. Close Excel, and redisplay the linked workbook object on the slide in PowerPoint. Notice that the linked table reflects your changes.

9. Close the presentation, saving your changes if you want to.