Copy a Table in Google Docs: 4 Ways

To copy a table in Google Docs, select the entire table, press Ctrl+C (Windows/ChromeOS) or Cmd+C (Mac), then place your cursor where you want it and press Ctrl+V or Cmd+V. This pastes the table with its structure, borders, and most formatting intact. For more control—like copying just the data or keeping formatting consistent—use the methods below.

Why Copying a Table Isn’t Always Simple

Tables in Google Docs are more than just rows and columns; they’re containers that hold text, images, and formatting. When you copy a table, you’re copying its structure (the grid), its content (the text), and its style (borders, shading, alignment). Google Docs tries to preserve all three, but the result can vary depending on where you paste and what you’re copying from.

A common misconception is that copying a table from a website or a PDF will paste cleanly into Docs. In reality, external tables often come with messy formatting or lose their borders. Similarly, copying a table from Google Sheets into Docs brings the data but not always the exact look you had in the spreadsheet.

Method 1: Copy and Paste with Keyboard Shortcuts

The quickest way to duplicate a table within the same document or move it to another Google Doc:

1. Click anywhere inside the table. A small square icon appears in the top-left corner of the table.
2. Click that square to select the entire table. Alternatively, click and drag from the first cell to the last cell to highlight all cells.
3. Press Ctrl+C (Windows/ChromeOS) or Cmd+C (Mac) to copy.
4. Click where you want the table to go (in the same doc or a different one) and press Ctrl+V or Cmd+V.

This method preserves the table’s borders, cell shading, and column widths. If you paste into a document with different margins, the table may adjust its width to fit the new page.

Method 2: Copy Only the Table’s Content (Without Borders)

Sometimes you want just the text and numbers, not the grid. For example, you might want to convert a table into a list or plain paragraphs.

1. Select the cells you want to copy (click and drag).
2. Press Ctrl+C or Cmd+C.
3. In the destination, go to Edit > Paste and choose Paste without formatting (or press Ctrl+Shift+V / Cmd+Shift+V).

This pastes the text as plain text, separated by tabs (for columns) and newlines (for rows). It won’t look like a table, but you can then re-format it as needed. This is handy when you’re copying data from an email or a webpage that has a table you don’t want to keep.

Method 3: Copy a Table from Google Sheets

If your data lives in Google Sheets, you have two options:

• Copy as a table: In Sheets, select the range, press Ctrl+C, then in Docs use Edit > Paste and choose Link to spreadsheet or Paste unlinked. The “Link” option creates a table that updates when the spreadsheet changes (you’ll see a small update icon). “Paste unlinked” creates a static copy.
• Copy as plain text: Use Paste without formatting to drop the data as tab-separated text, which you can then convert to a table using Table > Insert table and pasting the text into it.

When you paste a linked table, any edits in Sheets can be synced by clicking the update icon in Docs. This is useful for reports that need to reflect live data.

Method 4: Duplicate an Entire Table in the Same Document

If you need an exact copy of a table right below the original (for example, to add more rows to a second section), you can duplicate the table without copying and pasting:

1. Click the table’s move handle (the square icon at the top-left).
2. Press Ctrl+C then Ctrl+V immediately—the copy appears right below the original.

Alternatively, you can use the Table menu: click inside the table, go to Table > Table properties, but there’s no built-in “duplicate table” button. The copy-paste method is the fastest.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Here are issues you might run into when copying tables:

• Table loses its borders: If you paste from a website, the table may come in as plain text or with invisible borders. Select the pasted content, then go to Format > Table > Table properties and set a border width (e.g., 1 pt) and color.
• Column widths change: When pasting into a narrower page, columns may shrink. After pasting, drag the column borders to adjust, or use Table properties to set a fixed width.
• Table splits across pages: If the table is too long, it will break across pages. To keep rows together, select the rows, go to Table > Table properties, and check Allow row to break across pages (uncheck it to keep a row on one page).
• Pasting from Excel/Sheets brings extra formatting: Use Paste without formatting and then re-create the table structure manually if needed.

Copying a Table from a Website or PDF

When you copy a table from a webpage, Google Docs often pastes it as a table, but the formatting may be off. Here’s a reliable approach:

1. Select the table on the webpage and copy it.
2. In Docs, paste with Ctrl+V. If the table appears with borders and looks okay, you’re done.
3. If it pastes as plain text or loses columns, try pasting into a blank Google Sheets first, then copy from Sheets to Docs using the method above.

For PDFs, copying often results in a jumbled mess. Use a PDF-to-text converter or manually retype the data. Google Docs can open PDFs directly (File > Open > Upload), but the conversion may not preserve tables perfectly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I copy a table without losing the formatting?

Use the standard copy-paste (Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V). Google Docs preserves most formatting like borders, shading, and alignment. If the formatting changes, check that you’re pasting into a document with similar page margins, and use Table properties to adjust border width and cell padding.

Can I copy a table from Google Docs to Microsoft Word?

Yes. Copy the table in Docs and paste it into Word. The table structure and most formatting will transfer. For the best result, save the Docs file as a .docx (File > Download > Microsoft Word) and open that in Word—this preserves the layout more reliably than copy-paste.

Why does my pasted table show as plain text?

This happens when you use “Paste without formatting” (Ctrl+Shift+V) or when the source doesn’t provide table data (like some PDFs). To get a table, copy from a source that supports table formatting (like another Docs doc or a website), and use regular paste (Ctrl+V).

How do I copy just one column from a table?

Click and drag to select the cells in that column (or click the top of the column and drag down). Copy and paste. The pasted content will be a table with one column, or if you use “Paste without formatting,” it will be text separated by newlines.

Can I copy a table from Google Docs to Google Sheets?

Yes. Select the table in Docs, copy it, then in Sheets click a cell and paste. The data will fill the cells, but you may need to adjust column widths. The table borders won’t come over, but you can add them in Sheets with the border tool.

Is there a way to copy a table and keep it linked to the original?

Only when copying from Google Sheets to Docs. In Docs, there’s no built-in link for tables copied from another Docs document. If you need a linked table, keep the data in Sheets and use the “Link to spreadsheet” paste option in Docs.

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