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To center an entire table horizontally in desktop Word, right-click inside it and choose Table Properties. On the Table tab, set Alignment to Center, then select OK. This moves the table; it does not center the text inside its cells.
Center the whole table in desktop Word
- Click anywhere inside the table.
- Right-click and select Table Properties.
- In the dialog, open the Table tab.
- Under Alignment, choose Center, then click OK.
Microsoft documents this route for Word for Microsoft 365 and Word 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016. The Table Properties dialog also offers left and right alignment. See Microsoft Support’s Set or change table properties.
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Center text inside cells instead
If the table is already in the right place and you want its text centered, select the relevant text or click in the cell’s paragraph, then use Home > Paragraph > Center. This changes paragraph alignment, not the table’s position. Microsoft’s text alignment instructions describe this control.
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In Table Properties, check the Text wrapping setting. The Table tab includes options for table width and wrapping; wrapping can affect how the table sits relative to nearby text. Microsoft also documents Positioning settings for refining placement when text wrapping is used.
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Word for the web
Word for the web can align text in table cells, but some more advanced table properties are not configurable in the browser. If you cannot find the table-level alignment setting, open the document in desktop Word and use Table Properties. Microsoft explains the differences in Differences between using a document in the browser and in Word.
The web shortcut Ctrl+E centers paragraph text; it should not be treated as a shortcut for centering the table itself. See Microsoft’s Word for the web keyboard shortcuts.
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