How to remove empty rows and columns from tables in Word?
Empty rows and columns in tables can make your Word document look cluttered and unorganized. This tutorial will show you several ways to efficiently remove all empty rows and columns from tables in a Word document.
Whether you prefer to do it manually, use VBA code, or employ a one-click solution, these methods will help you clean up your tables and enhance the overall appearance of your document.
Manually remove all empty rows and columns from tables
Microsoft Word does not have a quick option to remove empty rows and columns, so you must manually select and delete them one by one.
- Select the empty row or column you want to delete.
- Under the Table Tools, click the Layout tab.
- In the Rows & Columns group, click Delete Rows or Delete Columns.
Remove all empty rows and columns from tables with one click
Kutools for Word offers a highly efficient solution to remove all empty rows and columns from tables in your document. With just one click, the Kutools for Word Delete Rows/Columns utility allows you to quickly remove all empty rows or columns from either all or selected tables in your document, saving time and effort.
After installing Kutools for Word, follow these steps:
- Click Kutools Plus > Table > Delete Blank Rows/Columns.
- The Delete Blank or Duplicate Rows/Columns in Table dialog box will appear. In the Look in section, select the scope where you want to remove blank row or columns, which can be selected tables or all tables in the active document. Then:
- Check the Row option and the Blank row option to remove empty rows.
- Or, check the Column option and the Blank column option to remove empty columns.
Tip: If you want to delete both blank rows and columns, repeat the operation twice. - A confirmation dialog will pop up, showing the number of tables processed. Click OK to close it. The blank rows and columns have now been removed from the tables.
Remove all empty rows and columns from tables by using VBA code
The Macro function in Word offers a more convenient method to remove all empty rows and columns from tables in a document. Follow the steps below to remove them efficiently:
- Press Alt + F11 to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.
- Click Module under the Insert tab, and copy and paste the following VBA code into the Module window.
Sub DeleteEmptyTablerowsandcolumns() Application.ScreenUpdating = False Dim Tbl As Table, cel As Cell, i As Long, n As Long, fEmpty As Boolean With ActiveDocument For Each Tbl In .Tables n = Tbl.Columns.Count For i = n To 1 Step -1 fEmpty = True For Each cel In Tbl.Columns(i).Cells If Len(cel.Range.Text) > 2 Then fEmpty = False Exit For End If Next cel If fEmpty = True Then Tbl.Columns(i).Delete Next i Next Tbl End With With ActiveDocument For Each Tbl In .Tables n = Tbl.Rows.Count For i = n To 1 Step -1 fEmpty = True For Each cel In Tbl.Rows(i).Cells If Len(cel.Range.Text) > 2 Then fEmpty = False Exit For End If Next cel If fEmpty = True Then Tbl.Rows(i).Delete Next i Next Tbl End With Set cel = Nothing: Set Tbl = Nothing Application.ScreenUpdating = True End Sub
- Click the Run button
or press F5 to execute the VBA code and apply it.
Demo: Remove blank rows and columns from tables in Word
Discover the Kutools / Kutools Plus tab in this video from Kutools for Word. Enjoy 100+ features and permanently free AI utilities. Download now!
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