This wikiHow teaches you how to create an information table using Microsoft Excel. You can do this on both Windows and Mac versions of Excel.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Creating Tables
Step 1. Open the Excel document
Double-click the Excel document, or double-click the Excel icon and select a document name from the home page.
You can also open a new Excel document by clicking Blank Workbook on the Excel home page, but you need to enter data first.
Step 2. Select table data
Click the top-left cell of the data group that you want to insert into the table, and then hold down Shift while clicking the lower-right cell of the data group.
For example, if your data is in cell A1 until A5 then down until D5, click A1 then click D5 while holding down the Shift key.
Step 3. Click the Insert tab
This tab is located on the green ribbon at the top of the Excel window. This step will bring up the toolbar Insert under the green ribbon.
On a Mac, make sure you don't click the menu Insert on the menu bar.
Step 4. Click Table
This option is in the "Tables" section of the toolbar. This step will bring up a new window.
Step 5. Click OK
It's under the new window that appears. This step will create the table.
If your dataset has cells at the top containing column names, click the "My table has headers" checkbox before clicking OK.
Part 2 of 3: Changing the Table Design
Step 1. Click the Design tab
It's on the green ribbon at the top of the Excel window. This will open the table design toolbar just below the green ribbon.
If this tab is not visible, click the table to bring it up
Step 2. Select a design plan
Select one of the colored squares in the "Table Styles" section of the toolbar. Design to apply color and design to the table.
You can click the down arrow on the right side of the colored box to select several different designs
Step 3. Review some of the design options
In the "Table Style Options" section of the toolbar, check or uncheck these checkboxes:
- Header Row - Check this box to place the column name in the top cell of the data group. Uncheck this box to remove the column headers.
- Total Row - If checked, the table will add a row below the table indicating the number of rows of the rightmost column.
- Banded Rows - Check this box to show alternate colors for rows, or uncheck to show rows in uniform color.
- First Column and Last Column - If checked, the column headers and contents in the first and last columns will be bolded.
- Banded Columns - Check this box to display alternating colors for columns, or uncheck to display columns in uniform colors.
- Filter Button - If checked, a drop-down box will be placed at the head of each column so that you can change the appearance of the data in the column.
Step 4. Click the Home tab again
This step will return to the toolbar Home. Changes you make to the table will not change.
Part 3 of 3: Filtering Table Data
Step 1. Open the filter menu
Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the column header of the data you want to filter. A drop-down menu will appear.
To be able to do this, the "Header Row" and "Filter" boxes in the "Table Style Options" tab Design must be checked.
Step 2. Select a filter
Select a filter in the drop-down menu:
- Sort Smallest to Largest: sort from smallest to largest.
- Sort Largest to Smallest: sort from largest to smallest.
- You can also choose additional options such as Sort by Color or Number Filters depending on your data. Then you can select an option and then click on a filter from the menu that appears.
Step 3. Click OK when it appears
You may have to select a specific range or data type before you can continue, depending on the type of filter you selected. This filter will then be applied to the table.
Tips
- If the table is no longer needed, you can delete it or convert it back into a range of data on a spreadsheet page. To delete an entire table, select the entire table and press the "Delete" key on the keyboard. To convert it back in the form of a data range, right-click a cell in it, select "Table" from the menu that appears, then select "Convert to Range" from the Table submenu. The sort and filter arrows will disappear from the table header, and all table name references in cell formulas will be removed. However, the column header names and table formats will be preserved.
- If you place the table so that the head of the first column is in the upper-left corner of the spreadsheet (Cell A1), the column header will always appear as you scroll down the page. If you lay out the table differently, the column headings won't be visible as you scroll down, and you'll need to use "Freeze Panes" to keep them visible.
