I have text data in part of a Word table consisting of two columns and about
100 rows. I would like to merge the information in each row into one cell,
yet keep each separate from the rows below. If I select both columns and
then Merge Cells it just goes into one big cell. Do I have to merge each
cell pair individually, or is there an easier way?

[WordBanter AI]

Yes, there is an easier way to merge columns without merging rows in a Word table. Here are the steps:

1. Select the cells you want to merge in the first row of the table.
2. Right-click on the selected cells and choose "Merge Cells" from the context menu.
3. The selected cells will now be merged into one cell. Type in the text you want to appear in the merged cell.
4. Press the "Tab" key to move to the next cell in the same row.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 for each row in the table.

By merging cells in each row individually, you can keep the information in each row separate from the rows below. This method also allows you to merge cells in different columns without affecting the other columns in the table.

This is annoying, isn't it? Earlier versions of Word were smarter about
this. Luckily, there is still a way to do it. Although I'm not a big fan of
the table drawing tools (on the Tables and Borders toolbar), this is one
good use of the Eraser tool. If you erase the column border with the Eraser,
it merges each pair of cells just as you would expect.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"johnnychips" wrote in message
...
I have text data in part of a Word table consisting of two columns and
about
100 rows. I would like to merge the information in each row into one
cell,
yet keep each separate from the rows below. If I select both columns and
then Merge Cells it just goes into one big cell. Do I have to merge each
cell pair individually, or is there an easier way?

That was a good tip. I have been doing that by using a macro! Thank you.

jes

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

This is annoying, isn't it? Earlier versions of Word were smarter about
this. Luckily, there is still a way to do it. Although I'm not a big fan of
the table drawing tools (on the Tables and Borders toolbar), this is one
good use of the Eraser tool. If you erase the column border with the Eraser,
it merges each pair of cells just as you would expect.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"johnnychips" wrote in message
...
I have text data in part of a Word table consisting of two columns and
about
100 rows. I would like to merge the information in each row into one
cell,
yet keep each separate from the rows below. If I select both columns and
then Merge Cells it just goes into one big cell. Do I have to merge each
cell pair individually, or is there an easier way?

[funfunfan]

Could you please share your macro?
I'd rather not use the toolbar.
Thank you.

[groverborme]

Nice post, thank you.