Removing a table from a Word document without losing the data inside it is a two-second operation — if you know where to look. Microsoft Word's Convert to Text feature strips the table structure while keeping all the cell content, placing it back as plain text with a delimiter of your choice. Microsoft Word has approximately 750 million monthly active users worldwide (EarthWeb, 2025), and this feature works identically across Word 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365.
Key Takeaways
- Select the table, go to Layout → Data → Convert to Text, choose a delimiter, and click OK. Done.
- The three delimiter options are tabs (best for spreadsheet export), commas (best for CSV), and paragraph marks (best for extracting individual values).
- You can convert a partial selection — individual rows or cells — without touching the rest of the table.
Ctrl+Zundoes the conversion immediately; after saving and closing, you'll need a backup to recover.- The reverse operation — converting text back into a table — is covered in our guide to converting text to a table in Word.
How Do You Convert a Table to Text in Word?
Converting a table to plain text takes three clicks in any modern version of Word (Microsoft Support, 2024). The key is that Layout is a contextual tab — it only appears in the ribbon when your cursor is inside a table.
- Click anywhere inside the table — or select the specific rows you want to convert.
- Go to the Layout tab (under Table Tools in Word 2016/2019, or simply Layout in Word 2021 and Microsoft 365).
- In the Data group on the right side of the ribbon, click Convert to Text.
- In the dialog box, choose how you want column boundaries replaced — Tabs, Commas, or Paragraph marks. (More on choosing below.)
- Click OK.
Word removes the table grid and replaces each column boundary with your chosen delimiter. Each row becomes a new paragraph.
Tip
Don't see the Layout tab? Click directly inside a table cell — not on its border. The tab only appears when Word recognizes your cursor as being inside table content.
Which Delimiter Should You Choose?
This is the one decision that affects how usable your output is downstream. The right choice depends entirely on what you plan to do with the text after converting.
| Delimiter | Output format | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Tabs | Value1 → Value2 → Value3 |
Pasting into Excel, Google Sheets, or any tab-aware app |
| Commas | Value1, Value2, Value3 |
Saving as CSV, importing into databases or data tools |
| Paragraph marks | Each cell on its own line | Extracting individual values; feeding into plain-text pipelines |
Tabs are the most flexible default. When you paste tab-separated text into Excel, it automatically splits into columns without any further formatting work. Commas are the right call when your destination specifically expects CSV format — but watch out if any of your cell content already contains commas, since those will cause misaligned splits in the output.
Paragraph marks make each cell completely independent. This is the least structured output and the right pick when you just need the raw values with no relational context between them.
Can You Convert Just Part of a Table?
Yes, and this is one of the feature's most useful but least-mentioned behaviors. You don't have to convert the entire table — you can select specific rows or cells first.
To convert a partial selection:
- Click and drag to highlight the rows or cells you want to convert.
- Follow the same steps: Layout → Convert to Text → choose delimiter → OK.
Word converts only the selected content and leaves the rest of the table untouched. The converted rows become plain text directly above or below the remaining table structure, depending on where they sat.
This is genuinely useful when you have a large reference table and only need to extract a few rows for a summary or a different document section. No need to duplicate the whole table and delete rows.
What Happens If You Need to Undo It?
Converting a table to text is reversible — but only while you're still in the same editing session. Press Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) immediately after converting and Word restores the full table structure and all its content.
Once you save and close the document, that undo history is gone. At that point, your options are:
- Restore from a backup if you saved a copy before converting
- Rebuild the table by selecting the converted text and using Insert → Table → Convert Text to Table — our companion guide on converting text to a table walks through that process step by step
This is why it's worth saving a copy of your document before any structural change you're not certain about. Takes five seconds. Saves a lot of retyping.
Warning
Word does not warn you that this operation removes the table structure permanently from the save history. If the table is important, duplicate it to another location in the document before converting.
Frequently asked questions
Can I undo a table-to-text conversion in Word?
Yes — immediately after converting, press Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on Mac) to undo. Word restores the table structure and all its content. If you've saved and closed the document since converting, Ctrl+Z won't help; you'll need to restore from a backup or use Convert Text to Table to rebuild it manually.
What delimiter should I choose when converting a table to text?
Tabs work best when pasting into another application that understands tab-separated values, like Excel. Commas suit CSV exports for data tools. Paragraph marks convert each cell into its own standalone paragraph — useful when you need to extract individual values rather than maintain row structure.
Can I convert just part of a table to text?
Yes. Select only the rows or cells you want to convert before clicking Convert to Text on the Layout tab. Word converts the selection and leaves the rest of the table intact. This is useful when you need to extract a specific section of data without dismantling the whole table.
Does Convert to Text work on nested tables in Word?
Yes, but Word converts one table level at a time. If your table contains nested tables, you'll need to run Convert to Text on each nested table separately before converting the outer table. Converting the outer table first leaves nested table structures embedded in the resulting text.
