Quickly create tables in Word and Outlook using text

If you want to add a quick table in a Microsoft Word document or Outlook message without having to switch to the Insert Table tool or even dragging your mouse, try this little text trick.

Just outline how many cells you want across using this format:

+_+_+_+

Then press Enter to convert the underscores into cells and the plus signs into cell borders:

If you want wider cells, use more underscores between the pluses. To add another row once you create the first one, press Tab at the end when your cursor is at the last row of the table.

Suzanne