How to Convert a Microsoft Word Table Into an Excel Workbook

You can use Microsoft Excel for storing large amounts of data. If your data currently exists in a Microsoft Word table document and you want to use an Excel spreadsheet to manage it, you don't have to resort to manual typing. The data can be easily converted into Excel by using these short steps.

Instructions

1

Open Microsoft Word and Excel from the desktop menu. In Word, find the document containing the text to be converted. In Excel, open a blank worksheet.

2

Return to the Word document and confirm that the text appears in true table format. If there are gridlines or a compass symbol enclosed in a box at the top left corner of the first column, the text is a true table. If not, the text appears in columned format only and must be converted to a true table.

3

Convert columned text to a true table by inserting a tab, a comma or an asterisk in between each row of the columns. Highlight all the text. Click "Table" on the "File" menu and scroll down to "Convert."

4

Choose the text appearing to the right, "Text to Table." A dialog box opens entitled, "Convert Text to Table." Enter the number of columns and rows. Go down to "Separate Text At" and type in the symbol used to divide the columns. Hit "OK."

5

Click on the box containing the compass symbol in the top left corner to select the entire table for exporting to Excel. Under "Edit" on the "File" menu, choose "Copy." Switch back to the Excel program and click inside the cell where the table should be placed. Go to "Edit" and choose "Paste."

6

Format the Excel worksheet to accommodate the table with a new look. Adjust the width of columns and the height of rows so that the text fits neatly.

7

Keep the same appearance it had in the original Word document by locating the "Paste Options" icon in the lower right corner of the pasted text. Click on the drop-down arrow and choose "Keep Source Formatting."