How to Center a Table in Google Docs

Ever wish your tables in Google Docs could be the center of attention? Well, good news! Imagine your info standing tall, right in the middle, no more hiding on the sides.

Google Docs tends to keep things to the left, but we’re here to break the norm. In this guide, we’re not just talking about centering text—we’re talking about giving your whole table the VIP treatment, making it pop in the center like a superstar.

Tired of the same old lefty look? Time for a change! Let’s dive into the easy steps of centering tables in Google Docs. Ready to make your tables shine? Let’s do it!

How to Center a Table in Google Docs

Ever wished your Google Docs tables could be the center of attention? Well, good news! Imagine your info standing out boldly, right in the middle, no more hiding in the corners.

Google Docs tends to play it safe on the left, but we’re here to mix things up. In this guide, we’re not just talking about centering text; we’re talking about giving your whole table the VIP treatment, making it shine in the center.

How to Center a Table in Google Docs by Using Table Properties

Note that if you click a particular cell of a table and try using the Centre align option, then this simply changes the alignment of the text present in that cell and not that of the table:

centre aligned text

This happens because the alignment options present in the menu bar are not meant to be used on a table. To change the alignment of a table, you must use the Table properties menu as follow:

Step 1: Go to table options

Click on the three dots present in the top right corner and click on table options.

table options

Alternatively, you can right click anywhere inside the table and select Table properties.

table properties

Step 2: Go to Table drop-down

In the Table properties bar that opens, click on the Table dropdown.

table drop-down

Step 3: Change alignment

Select the Centre align option from under the Alignment tab.

select centre align option

And here you have a centre aligned table:

result

How to Center a Table in Google Docs by Resizing the Columns

Note that when you insert a table in Google Docs, although it is left aligned, the columns are sized such that the table spans the entire width of the document. This makes the table look centre-aligned:

default alignment and size of columns

Thus, one way to center-align a table in Google Docs could be to resize the columns to fit the entire width of the page. Here is how you can do that:

Step 1: Click and drag the table border

Go to the table border present between the first two columns and drag it accordingly.

drag the table borders

Step 2: Repeat for other table borders

Repeat step 1 for other table borders as well. You can re-adjust the borders to get columns of equal width.

repeat for all borders

Here is what the table looks like now:

result

How to Center a Table in Google Docs by Using Quick Layouts

Although this method is suited when you have surrounding text in your document, you can still use it to center a table.

Step 1: Go to table options

Click on the three dots present in the top right corner and click on table options.

table options

Alternatively, you can right-click anywhere inside the table and select Table Properties.

table properties

Step 2: Go to the Quick Layouts

In the Table Properties bar that opens, click on the Quick Layouts.

quick layouts

Step 3: Select a layout

There are three layouts that will help you align the table in the center of the page. For now, let’s select the top-center option.

top centre

Step 4: Preview the Table

You can see that the table is now centre-aligned:

result

Note that if you wish to add text around the table, then you can do so because all the quick layout options allow you to wrap the text around the table:

add text around the table

If you are not happy with how this looks, then you can skip using the wrap functionality and simply add the text below the table to get a result like this:

add text below the table

How to Center a Table in Google Docs by Moving the Table

If you want to skip all the clicking and navigating, you can simply change the alignment by moving the table.

Step 1: Go to the move table option

Hover over the top right corner of the table until you see a dotted rectangle.

move table option

Step 2: Hold and drag

Click on this dotted rectangle and drag the table to the center.

drag and drop the table

Conclusion

In this post, we saw how we can centre-align a table in Google Docs. We can do this by manually resizing the columns, as well as by using the built-in alignment tool. Note that you should manually resize the columns to center a table only when there is less number of columns in your table. Adjusting a lot of columns is not only tedious but it would also take a lot of time to make them all the same in size. If you are working with surrounding text as well, then you can use one of the options from the quick layout menu, since it enables you to wrap the text around the table. Using the layout menu, you can even put the table in the very center of the page. Needless to say, the built-in alignment tool is a quick and efficient method of changing the alignment of a table in Google Docs. Learn how to Add tally marks in Google Docs to polish your Google Docs skills.

FAQs

1. How to make a centred table in Google Docs?

To centre a table in Google docs, you can simply change the alignment by going to table properties and choosing centre align from the table drop-down.

2. How to centre a table in Google Docs?

You can use the alignment tool as discussed above or simply drag and drop the table at the desired position.

3. How to centre align a table in Google Docs?

To centre a table in Google docs, you can simply change the alignment by going to table properties and choosing centre align from the table drop-down. You can also use the quick layouts option as discussed above.