# How can I reorient a table in MS Word? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 28, 2006, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-reorient-a-table-in-ms-word/382132 "2006-11-28T21:56:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-reorient-a-table-in-ms-word/382132/1 "2006-11-28T21:56:58Z")
I’m probably going to do the one in front of me by hand rather than waiting for a response, but for future reference, I’m wondering if anyone knows a quick way to reorient a table that I created in Word. What happened is that I made a table (6x18 grid) of names listed in alphabetical order read from left to right. What I just got back was a request to have the names read from top to bottom instead. So: ```auto Adams, John Edward, Michael Lawrence, Timothy Paine, Jack Smith, Larry Williams, Angela ``` needs to become: ```auto Adams, John Lawrence, Timothy Smith, Larry Edward, Michael Pain, Jack Williams, Angela ``` Hope that made sense. Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-reorient-a-table-in-ms-word/382132/2 "2006-11-28T21:57:56Z")
I think excel can do this 😕 ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-reorient-a-table-in-ms-word/382132/3 "2006-11-28T22:44:01Z")
> [@](#): > > ouryL said: > I think excel can do this Excel would be what I would suggest. Copy & paste the table into Excel, select and copy the cells, then use Paste Special, Transpose. This should leve the table the way you want it, ready to be copied back into a Word table. Sorry I can’t think of a way to do it directly in Word. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-reorient-a-table-in-ms-word/382132/4 "2006-11-28T22:53:04Z")
Thanks, Marcus (and ouryL)…I figured that was something Excel could handle. I tried it per your instructions, and it worked perfectly. I wasn’t aware of the transpose command before. Thus, my ignorance was fought! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2006, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-reorient-a-table-in-ms-word/382132/5 "2006-11-29T13:40:48Z")
For future reference, if you want a list of names or whaever to read down 1 column, then down a second column, etc., then use columns, NOT a table. That makes it very easy to insert new entries w/o having to manually move stragglers from one column to another. For data that must read left to right row by row you’re stuck w/a table & all the hassle for insertions & deletions. The best way to handle changes in that case is to move the data to excel, paste it into a single column, add/delete as needed, resort, then paste the resulting single column back into Word in place of the old table. Finally, use the text-to-table feature to make a 2, 3, or 4 column table breaking on hard Returns. Yes, that’s a lot of work. Plan ahead and resist formatting updateable data to read rowwise whenever possible. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-reorient-a-table-in-ms-word/382132/6 "2006-11-29T23:16:26Z")
[Fun Column Tip: Vertical Selection](http://www.datarecoveryi.com/vertical-selection-in-ms-word-vt65.html)😃 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-reorient-a-table-in-ms-word/382132/7 "2006-11-30T03:55:44Z")
Tres awesome. I had no idea that feaure existed. Ignorance laid low yet again.