Mergagin table cells allow you to join two or more cells into one larger cell.
Here is an example of a table with merged cells.
Word makes it easy to merge cells in a table.
3 Ways to Merge Table Cells in MS Word
- Using the Layout Tab in the Ribbon
- Using the Context Menu
- Using the Table Eraser Tool
Important note: Merging cells will combine and delete the data of certain cells. By default, the top-left most cell’s information will be retained and used in the new merged area. Keep this in mind as this may delete the information of some cells without you meaning to do so.
Method 1: Using the Layout Tab in the Ribbon
Step 1: Open up your MS Word document.
Step 2: Select the cells that you want to merge.
In your table, select the cells that you want to merge. You can do this by highlighting multiple rows or columns or both. Please do make sure though that you are selecting adjacent cells.
For this example, we will merge the cells in the top row to make a table heading.
Step 3: Go to the Layout Tab in the Ribbon.
Whenever the table is on focus, or when your cursor is anywhere inside your table, the Layout tab will be visible in the Ribbon. Once activated, you’ll find the Layout tab at the end of the Ribbon. You should also notice the Design tab right next to it. Both are under the Table Tools heading.
Step 4: Select the Merge Cells button.
Hover over the middle part of the Ribbon. Under the Merge group, click the Merge Cells button.
Your document should now look something like the image below.
Method 2: Using the Context Menu
This method is, by far, the fastest way to merge table cells in MS Word. It’s so fast that you can merge cells in just two clicks.
Here’s how you can do that.
Step 1: Open up an MS Word document.
Step 2: Select the table cells you want to merge.
Carefully select two or more cells in your table that you want to merge. Make sure to only select adjacent cells. You can highlight adjacent rows or columns or both at the same time.
For this example, we want to merge the cell with the word ‘Printer’ and the two cells below it.
Step 3: Right-click on the selected table cells.
While the cells are selected, right-click on the highlighted area to show the Context menu. You will see two pop-up menus right beside your cursor. Select the Merge cells found on the lower menu.
This is how the merged cells will look like:
Method 3: Using the Table Eraser Tool
Like borders in spreadsheets, MS Word allows us to erase specific borders of table cells using the Table Eraser tool.
This tool comes in very handy, especially when you want to merge cells without touching the table contents.
Step 1: Open up an MS Word document.
Step 2: Go to the Layout tab.
Click anywhere on your table to activate the Table Layout tab. You will find this somewhere in the middle part of your MS Word window.
Step 3: Select the Eraser Tool.
On the left side of the Ribbon, under the Draw group, click the Eraser button. You will notice your cursor will change into a white eraser icon.
Now, go back to your table and click the border between the cells you want to merge. If you’re merging cells in a row, click the vertical border between the cells. On the other hand, if you’re merging columns, click the horizontal border between the cells.
For this step, we will erase the borders between the first three dates in the column Log. These are the dates for the item ‘Printer’.
1. Click the borders between the first three dates to erase them.
The resulting table should look like this:
In addition, you can erase multiple borders at once by clicking and dragging your cursor horizontally and/or vertically. This, then, will make the Eraser tool highlight the borders in red and erase them once you let go of the left-click.
Take note, however, that doing so will delete the contents of the merged cells. Remember to use this feature only when you are merging empty table cells.
For example, we want to merge the bottom row starting from the second column up to the last one. You must note, however, that we don’t mind the contents being deleted in this case as we are simply illustrating the procedure.
Now, we will select the borders between these cells.
- Select the borders between the cell ‘LCD’ and the cell ‘08/08/2017’.
As a result, it should look like the picture below.
We understand that you may find it challenging to select the borders accurately. So, again, simply press CTRL+Z if you want to revert any changes.
There you have it! You have just merged table cells in MS Word using the Eraser Tool.
Editing or Deleting Table Cells in MS Word
Be careful when editing tables involving merged cells in MS Word. Merged cells cannot be deleted. Delete Cells option in MS Word is used to literally delete table cells. Deleting merged cells is actually Splitting Cells in MS Word.
On the other hand, here’s a quick method on how you can Split Cells in MS Word.
Splitting Cells in MS Word
Click on the merged cell that you want to split. On the Layout tab, select the Split Cells button. The Split Cells pop-up menu will appear in the middle of your document. Fill in the number of rows and columns you want to split.
For this example, we will split the merged cell ‘Printer’, so we’ll type 1 in the Number of columns: field and 3 in the Number of rows: field.
- Type 1 in the Number of columns: box.
- Type 3 in the Number of rows: box.
You will notice that the Split Cells option is only visible when you have selected merged cells.
Editing Merged Cells in MS Word
Now, if you realized that you needed more cells merged than the one you just did, you can easily edit the merged cells to include more. You can do this by simply following the same exact steps we did in any of the methods mentioned above.
Note, however, that the formatting of the contents of cells you are merging will change slightly. You will discover that each cell’s content will be placed a line below the previous cell’s content. This is always true when you are merging cells in a row.
Conclusion
You have finally arrived at the end of this guide. We hope that we’ve helped you figure out how to merge table cells in MS Word.