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How to shade every other row or column in a Word table?

Author Xiaoyang Last modified

Shading every other row or column is common in Excel, but did you know you can do this in Word tables too? This tutorial explains how to apply alternate row or column shading in a Word document table.

Shade every other row or column in Word table by creating table style

To apply alternating colors to rows or columns in a Word table, follow these steps:

  1. Click any cell in the table. Under the "Table Tools" tab on the ribbon, go to the "Design" tab and check "Header Row", "Banded Rows", and "Banded Columns".
    Header Row, Banded Rows, Banded Columns options on the Design tab on the ribbon
  2. Click the "More" icon in the "Table Styles" group.
    More icon on the Table Styles group
  3. In the expanded style gallery, click "New Table Style".
    New Table Style option on the Table Styles menu
  4. In the "Create New Style from Formatting" dialog, do the following:
    1. Enter a name for your table style.
    2. Select "Header row" from the "Apply formatting to" drop-down list to format the header row.
    3. Click the "Format" button at the bottom left.
    4. Select "Borders and Shading".
      Create New Style from Formatting dialog box
  5. In the "Borders and Shading" dialog box, set your desired border style and fill color for the header row under the "Borders" and "Shading" tabs.
    Borders and Shading dialog box
  6. Click "OK" to return to the Create New Style from Formatting dialog. Then select "Odd banded rows" from the "Apply formatting to" drop-down list, and repeat the steps to set the border style and fill color for odd rows.
    Create New Style from Formatting dialog box and Borders and Shading dialog box
  7. Click "OK" again. Then choose "Even banded rows" from the "Apply formatting to" drop-down list, and repeat the process to format the even rows accordingly.
    Create New Style from Formatting dialog box and Borders and Shading dialog box
  8. Finally, click "OK" twice to exit all dialogs. Your new style will now appear in the "Table Styles" group. Click it to apply it to your table.
    Alternate colors are shaded to every other row

Note: If you want to shade alternate columns instead of rows, select "Odd banded columns" and "Even banded columns" from the "Apply formatting to" drop-down list of the Create New Style from Formatting dialog in steps 6 and 7.

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