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You can add a table to a slide by creating it right in PowerPoint. You can also copy and paste a table from Word or Excel.

It's not possible to convert existing slide text into a table. Insert an empty table, then add text to it.

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Select a heading below to open it and see the detailed instructions.

  1. Select the slide that you want to add a table to.

  2. On the Insert tab, select Table.

    Shows the Table option in the Insert tab on the ribbon in PowerPoint

  3. In the Insert Table dialog box, do one of the following:

    • Use the mouse to select the number of rows and columns that you want.

    • Select Insert Table, and then enter a number in the Number of columns and Number of rows lists.

      Shows the Insert Table dialog in PowerPoint

  4. To add text to the table cells, click a cell, and then enter your text. After you enter your text, click outside the table.

    Tips: 

    • To quickly insert a new row at the end of a table, click inside the last cell of the last row, and then press TAB.

    • To add rows or columns, right-click a cell, click Insert on the mini toolbar, and choose where you'd like to insert the row or column.

    • To delete rows or columns, right-click a cell, click Delete on the mini toolbar, and choose what you'd like to delete.

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  1. In Word, click the table that you want to copy, and then go to Layout > Select > Select Table.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select Copy.

  3. In your PowerPoint presentation, select the slide that you want to copy the table to, and then on the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click Paste.

Tip: You can also copy and paste a table from your PowerPoint presentation onto an Excel worksheet or into a Word document.

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  1. To copy a group of cells from an Excel worksheet, click the upper-left cell of the grouping that you want to copy, and then drag to select the rows and columns that you want.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select Copy.

  3. In your PowerPoint presentation, select the slide that you want to copy the group of cells to, and then on the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click Paste.

Tip: You can also copy and paste a table from your PowerPoint presentation onto an Excel worksheet or into a Word document.

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When you insert an Excel spreadsheet into your presentation, it becomes an OLE embedded object. If you change the theme (colors, fonts, and effects) of your presentation, the theme does not update the spreadsheet you inserted from Excel. You also won't be able to edit the table by using options in PowerPoint.

  1. Select the slide that you want to insert an Excel spreadsheet into.

  2. Go to Insert >Table, and then choose Excel Spreadsheet.

  3. To add text to a table cell, click the cell, and then enter your text.

    After you enter your text, click outside the table.

    Tip: To edit the Excel spreadsheet after you have deselected it, double-click the table.

After you add a table to your presentation, you can use the table tools in PowerPoint to make formatting, style, or other types of changes to the table. To learn how to edit what you added to your PowerPoint presentation, see Change the look of a table.

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See also

Add or delete table rows and columns

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