Delete a Table in Microsoft Word
by Avantix Learning Team | Updated September 25, 2022
Applies to: Microsoft® Word® 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)
You can delete a table in a Word document in 4 simple ways – using the Ribbon, using the context menu, using the Backspace key or by selecting a paragraph and a table and pressing Delete.
Note: Buttons and Ribbon tabs may display in a different way (with or without text) depending on your version of Word, the size of your screen and your Control Panel settings. For newer versions of Word, Ribbon tabs may appear with different names. For example, the Table Design tab may appear as Table Tools Design.
Recommended article: 4 Ways to Create a Table in Word
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It's a good idea to display table gridlines if you are working with tables.
To show table gridlines in a Word document:
- Click in a table.
- Click the Table Layout or Table Tools Layout tab in the Ribbon.
- In the Table group, check View Gridlines.
Delete a table using Delete Table in the Ribbon
To delete a table using Delete Table in the Ribbon:
- Click in the table you want to delete.
- Click the Table Layout or Table Tools Layout tab in the Ribbon.
- Click Delete in the Rows and Columns group. A drop-down menu appears.
- Select Delete Table.
Delete Table appears in the Ribbon as follows:
Delete a table using the context menu
To delete a table using the context menu:
- Click in the table you want to delete.
- Click the four arrows on the top left of the table to select the table. You can also click in the first cell and Shift-click in the last cell to select the table.
- Right-click in one of the the selected rows. A drop-down menu appears.
- Select Delete Table.
Delete Table appears as follows in the drop-down menu when you right-click in a table (where you have selected the entire table):
Delete a table using the Backspace key
To delete a table using the Backspace key:
- Click in the table you want to delete.
- Click the four arrows on the top left of the table to select the table. You can also click in the first cell and Shift-click in the last cell to select the table.
- Press the Backspace key.
Delete a table by selecting a paragraph and a table
To delete a table by selecting a paragraph and a table:
- Select a paragraph before or after the table as well as the table.
- Press the Delete key.
In the following example, the paragraph before a table as well as the table have been selected:
If you select only the table and press the Delete key, Word will delete the content in the cells.
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More resources
How to Make Columns in Word (Newspaper-style)
How to Double Space in Word (4 Ways + Shortcut)
10 Microsoft Word Shortcuts for Moving Around in Tables
How to Keep a Microsoft Word Table Together on One Page
How to Insert, Format and Update Cross-References in Word
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