Learn the tools in PowerPoint to apply simple table formatting
In Microsoft PowerPoint, don’t create a table style from scratch. Instead, you can use and edit an existing style to get professional results quickly.
Tables are common elements in Microsoft presentations, and the more succinct and clearer they are, the better. You can either build a table from scratch or you can copy a table from another program and apply a built-in table styles. All PowerPoint table styles are based on Office themes which makes maintaining them effortless.
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In order to copy data from Excel into PowerPoint, you need to first find a style that you want to use. Table styles are good for copying data as they can be customized to fit your needs.
Go to Microsoft 365 Desktop on a Windows 10 64-bit system. Then open PowerPoint. If you use an earlier version of PowerPoint, they support built in table styles. Use the demo file for this PowerPoint tutorial.
How to format a table in PowerPoint
Table styles are designed to give you a professional and custom look quickly. The function requires two clicks: selecting the table, then adding the style.
Your initial work would be to copy all the data from an Excel table into a blank slide in PowerPoint, which is much faster than creating a PowerPoint table manually. If you have done this correctly, your presentation would then be presented in the original style that comes with Power Point.
How to create a PowerPoint table
Learn how to create quick slides by copying data from an Excel into a PowerPoint.
Your data in a table will become formatted seamlessly
To produce a nice looking table, select the No Style and No Grid table style as follows:
For this tutorial, we’ll be using a really basic table
How to add simple table formatting
In the Table Style group of the Ribbon, select None and None.
How to format a table in powerpoint
Kelly McKellar Discusses the No Style, No Grid style in Microsoft PowerPoint
Learn how to format tables in Microsoft PowerPoint
Changing the table background to transparent can also create an abstract style.
If PowerPoint determines that the copied data has header row or header column, it will be formatted with those elements. In our case, this didn’t happen, even though the table had a header row in Excel.
To format headers, follow these steps first
Learn how to create an easy table in Powerpoint.
Tips for using simple table formatting in Microsoft PowerPoint
PowerPoint formats the row headers and applies the same style for consistency. These changes make it easier to understand slide content and create professional-looking slides.
How to apply simple formatting in Microsoft PowerPoint
How to make headers in PowerPoint tables
Turn on the Header Row option to see your title styles with header rows.
Turning on the header row in PowerPoint will give you a preview of your slides with different styles. Live Preview allows you to see what your slide would look like before deciding on a style.
how to insert a table in Microsoft PowerPoint
You can use Live Preview to see how a table will look with potential customizations before making your decision.
With the Live Preview tools, you can see if you like a table style before committing to it.
Technically speaking, the simplest thing is to start from a built-in style.
Prepare your PowerPoint slides with table styles
You can use the built in formatting to create an eye-catching blog post. You will want to make sure you know the differences between Medium and Generic style formatting, which will best fit your needs.
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How to apply simple table formatting in Microsoft PowerPoint
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Select cells, rather than selecting the entire table.
Once you click “Contextual Tab Design”, you can see that your table has borders. This is because the border is made out of white lines, which can’t be seen on the app because of their transparency.
Figure F: simple table formatting
How to add horizontal lines in Microsoft PowerPoint
How to apply a horizontal row line.
PowerPoint allows you to set table cell rows with a time-saving banded row. You can change the banded row color by selecting the cell and selecting Table Styles Options.
Figure G
What not to do with tables in PowerPoint
Learn how you can use tables in Microsoft PowerPoint to create a simple table
Here you have the option to apply any of the three Table Styles.
You want Light Style 2, Accent 6.
Applying simple table formatting in Microsoft Powerpoint
Mark uses a light green theme color in his table
Tips for formatting tables in Microsoft PowerPoint
As you can see, there was a good table style that I showed to you even though we took a detour before getting back on track. Once you are familiar with all the ways to tweak the built-in table style, it will not be difficult to make such a rookie mistake like I did at first. On the other hand, I just clicked and this is my point of steering you in that direction. It is easy to see how tweaking a built-in style could be time efficient and quick.
