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How to Insert a Table and Apply a Style in PowerPoint

Tap through each step in order.

  1. Open the Insert tab and click Table

    On the ribbon, open the "Insert" tab, click "Table," and choose how many rows and columns you need.

  2. Type your data into the cells

    Click into each cell of the new table and enter the information you want to display.

  3. Select the table and open Table Design

    Clicking anywhere inside the table reveals the "Table Design" tab on the ribbon β€” switch to it.

  4. Pick a style from the gallery

    Browse the built-in color and banding options in the style gallery and click the one that matches your slide.

  5. Why it is worth using

    A styled table organizes data far more clearly than a wall of bullet points, and it instantly looks consistent with the rest of your slide design.

Bullet points make comparisons hard to read

Listing numbers or categories as plain text forces the audience to reread and mentally line things up. Dropping the same data into a table, and applying a matching style, turns it into something the audience can scan and compare at a glance.

Fine-tune banding and headers with Table Style Options

Next to the style gallery, the "Table Style Options" group has checkboxes for Header Row, Total Row, Banded Rows, First Column, and Banded Columns. Turning banded rows on or off, or adding emphasis to the header row, lets you adjust exactly how the chosen style reads without picking a different style entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I paste a table I already made in Excel?

Yes β€” copying a table from Excel and pasting it into PowerPoint keeps its table structure, and you can then apply a Table Design style to it the same way.

Can I recolor just one row or cell instead of the whole table?

Yes β€” select the specific cells, go to "Table Design," and use "Shading" to set a custom color for just that selection, on top of whatever style you've applied.