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You can change the appearance of tables in your PowerPoint presentation by combining or splitting table cells.

Note: This article describes PowerPoint tables. If you're working in Excel, see Merge and unmerge cells in Excel.

 If you want to delete an entire row or column of a table, see Add or delete table rows and columns.

Merge table cells

To combine two or more table cells in the same row or column into a single cell, do the following:

  1. On the slide, select the cells that you want to combine.

    Tip: It is not possible to select multiple, noncontiguous cells.

  2. On the ribbon, select the Layout tab.

  3. In the Merge group, click Merge Cells.

    The Merge Cells and Split Cells commands are on the Layout tab in PowerPoint.

Tip: You can also erase cell borders to merge table cells. Under Table Tools, on the Design tab, in the Draw Borders group, click Eraser, and then click the cell borders that you want to erase. When you finish, press Esc.

Split table cells

To divide a table cell into more cells, do the following:

  1. Click the table cell that you want to split.

  2. On the ribbon, select the Layout tab.

  3. In the Merge group, click Split Cells, and then do one or more of the following:

    The Merge Cells and Split Cells commands are on the Layout tab in PowerPoint.

    • To divide a cell vertically, in the Number of columns box, enter the number of new cells that you want.

    • To divide a cell horizontally, in the Number of rows box, enter the number of new cells that you want.

    • To divide a cell both horizontally and vertically, in the Number of columns box, enter the number of new columns that you want, and then in the Number of rows box, enter the number of new rows that you want.

  4. Manually move or add content to the newly created empty cell or cells. 

Why split or merged cells are an accessibility issue

Screen readers keep track of their location in a table by counting table cells. If a cell is merged or split, or if a table is nested within another table, the screen reader loses count and can’t provide helpful information about the table after that point.

Blank cells in a table could also mislead someone using a screen reader into thinking that there is no more data in the table. Use a simple table structure for data only and include column headers, if appropriate. (Screen readers also use header information to identify rows and columns.)

Split the contents of a table over two slides

PowerPoint can't automatically split a table that's too long to fit on one slide, but it's a straightforward process to do it yourself:

Your browser does not support video. Install Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, or Internet Explorer 9.

1:21

Remove the content of a cell

  • Select the cell content that you want to delete, and then press Delete.

    Note: When you delete the content of a cell, the cell itself is not deleted. To delete the cell, you must merge table cells (as described in the first procedure above) or delete the entire row or column.

Merge table cells

To combine two or more table cells in the same row or column into a single cell, do the following:

  1. On the slide, select the cells that you want to combine.

    Tip: It is not possible to select multiple, noncontiguous cells.

  2. On the ribbon, select the Layout tab.

  3. In the Merge group, click Merge Cells.

    Merge or Split table cells

Tip: You can also erase cell borders to merge table cells. Under Table Tools, on the Design tab, in the Draw Borders group, click Eraser, and then click the cell borders that you want to erase. When you finish, press Esc.

Split table cells

To divide a table cell into more cells, do the following:

  1. Click the table cell that you want to split.

  2. On the ribbon, select the Layout tab.

  3. In the Merge group, click Split Cells, and then do one or more of the following:

    Merge or Split table cells

    • To divide a cell vertically, in the Number of columns box, enter the number of new cells that you want.

    • To divide a cell horizontally, in the Number of rows box, enter the number of new cells that you want.

    • To divide a cell both horizontally and vertically, in the Number of columns box, enter the number of new columns that you want, and then in the Number of rows box, enter the number of new rows that you want.

  4. Manually move or add content to the newly created empty cell or cells. 

Why split or merged cells are an accessibility issue

Screen readers keep track of their location in a table by counting table cells. If a cell is merged or split, or if a table is nested within another table, the screen reader loses count and can’t provide helpful information about the table after that point.

Blank cells in a table could also mislead someone using a screen reader into thinking that there is no more data in the table. Use a simple table structure for data only and include column headers, if appropriate. (Screen readers also use header information to identify rows and columns.)

Split the contents of a table over two slides

PowerPoint can't automatically split a table that's too long to fit on one slide, but it's a straightforward process to do it yourself:

Your browser does not support video. Install Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, or Internet Explorer 9.

1:21

Remove the content of a cell

  • Select the cell content that you want to delete, and then press Delete.

    Note: When you delete the content of a cell, the cell itself is not deleted. To delete the cell, you must merge table cells (as described in the first procedure above) or delete the entire row or column.

Merge cells

  1. In the table, drag the pointer across the cells that you want to merge.

  2. On the ribbon, select the Layout tab.

  3. Select Merge Cells.

    Screenshot shows the Merge group available on the table Layout tab, with the Merge Cells and Split Cells options.

Split cells

  1. In the table, click the cell that you want to split.

  2. On the ribbon, select the Layout tab.

  3. Select Split Cells.

  4. In the Split Cells dialog, select the number of columns and rows that you want and then click OK.

    Screenshot shows the Split Cells dialog with the options to set the number of columns and number of rows.

  5. Manually move or add content to the newly created empty cell or cells. 

Remove the content of a cell

  • Select the cell content that you want to delete, and then press Delete.

    Note: When you delete the content of a cell, the cell itself is not deleted. To delete the cell, you must merge table cells (as described in the first procedure above) or delete the entire row or column.

Merge table cells

To combine two or more table cells in the same row or column into a single cell, do the following:

  1. On the slide, select the cells that you want to combine.

    Tip: It isn't possible to select multiple, noncontiguous cells.

  2. Select the Table Layout (or just Table) tab, then select  The Merge Cells icon in PowerPoint. Merge.

    (Alternatively, you can right-click the selected cells and choose  The Merge Cells icon in PowerPoint. Merge.)

Split table cells

To divide a table cell into more cells, do the following:

  1. Select the table cell or cells that you want to split.

  2. Select the Table Layout (or just Table) tab, then select  The Split Cells icon in PowerPoint. Split.

    (Alternatively, you can right-click the selected cell or cells and choose  The Split Cells icon in PowerPoint. Split.)

  3. Do one of the following:

    • To divide a cell vertically, in the Number of columns box, enter the number of new cells that you want.

    • To divide a cell horizontally, in the Number of rows box, enter the number of new cells that you want.

    • To divide a cell both horizontally and vertically, in the Number of columns box, enter the number of new columns that you want, and then in the Number of rows box, enter the number of new rows that you want.

  4. Manually move or add content to the newly created empty cell or cells. 

Remove the contents of a cell

  • Select the cell contents that you want to delete, and then press Delete on the keyboard.

    Note: When you delete the contents of a cell, the cell itself is not deleted. To delete the cell, you must merge table cells (as described in the first procedure above) or delete the row or column.

See Also

Add or delete table rows and columns in PowerPoint

Add a table to a slide

Merge and unmerge cells in Excel

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