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How to Change Table Color in Word

Select a table or its cells, then use Table Design > Shading to apply or remove fill in Word. Border color is controlled separately through Table Properties.
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To change a table’s background in Word, select the table or the cells you want to recolor, then choose Table Design > Shading and pick a color. Choose No Color to remove fill. If you mean the lines around the cells, change the table borders instead; that is a separate setting.

Change the background color of a table or cells

  1. Click in the table. Select the whole table, a row, a column, one cell, or a group of cells, depending on what you want to recolor. To select the entire table, use the table move handle at its upper-left corner.

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  2. Open Table Design on the ribbon.

  3. Select Shading, then choose a color under Theme Colors or Standard Colors. Choose More Colors if the shade you want is not shown.

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The selected area receives the fill. The same steps work for a single cell, selected cells, or the whole table. Microsoft lists this guidance for Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016; ribbon placement may differ across platforms and releases. Microsoft’s shading instructions

Remove table shading

Select the cells or table with the fill, open Table Design > Shading, and choose No Color. This removes the shading from the selected area.

Change the color of table borders

Shading changes cell backgrounds, not the lines around them. To change border line color, style, or width, right-click the table and choose Table Properties, then open Borders and Shading. Select or click in the row, column, or cell first if you want to apply the border formatting only to that part. Microsoft’s table-properties instructions

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Choose a color that fits the document

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