How do I make a table in Excel?

Click a cell in your data, choose Home > Format as Table (or Insert > Table), confirm the range and that it has headers, and click OK.

How do I turn a table back into a normal range?

On the Table Design tab, choose Convert to Range. The formatting stays; the table features go.

What is [@Column] in a formula?

A structured reference: "this row’s value in that column". Excel writes it when you click a cell in the same table while typing a formula.

What is an Excel table (Format as Table)?

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Quick answer

An Excel table is a block of data you have turned into a structured list with Format as Table. It gets a header row with filter buttons, banded rows, an optional Total Row, formulas that fill down automatically and a name, and it expands when you add new rows or columns.

Last updated October 22, 2026

Updated October 22, 2026 · By Robert Breen

Why it matters

A plain range of cells has no idea where your data starts and ends. Add a row at the bottom and your totals, charts and formulas may miss it. A table knows its own size: new rows join it, formulas extend to them and totals include them.

Tables are also the shape that other tools expect. Copilot in Excel works best on data in a table, and so do pivot tables, charts and imports into BI tools.

A worked example

A recruiting coordinator tracks 48 open applications in columns for Name, Role, Stage, Applied and Days open. She clicks inside the data and chooses Format as Table. In the Days open column she types =TODAY()-[@Applied] once and Excel fills it for all 48 rows.

Next morning she adds six new applicants at the bottom. The table grows to 54 rows, Days open fills in for them, and the Total Row (set to Average) updates from 11.2 to 10.4 days, all without her editing a formula.

Often confused with

Excel table vs range

A range is any block of cells. A table is a range with structure: a name, headers, automatic fill-down and automatic growth.

Excel table vs pivot table

A table holds your rows of data. A pivot table summarizes a table, for example total sales by region. Pivot tables built from a table pick up new rows when refreshed.

Excel table vs a Word table

A Word table is a layout grid for a document. An Excel table is a structured list for calculating, sorting and filtering.

Tips

One table per tab, starting in A1, with one header row and no blank rows.
Rename the table on the Table Design tab (for example, Applications) so formulas read clearly.
Use the Total Row drop-down instead of typing SUM under the table.

Formula (Excel)Conditional formatting (Excel)Workbook (Excel)Cell reference (relative and absolute)

Learn it in a free lesson

Excel for the Web Tutorial: Your First Budget Spreadsheet (about 15 minutes)
Microsoft 365 Copilot for Beginners: Excel, Word, Outlook, Teams (about 12 minutes)

Related in the AI glossary

Pivot table

Sources

Written from these official help pages. Menus change, so if a button has moved, the help page has the current wording.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a table in Excel?: Click a cell in your data, choose Home > Format as Table (or Insert > Table), confirm the range and that it has headers, and click OK.
How do I turn a table back into a normal range?: On the Table Design tab, choose Convert to Range. The formatting stays; the table features go.
What is [@Column] in a formula?: A structured reference: "this row’s value in that column". Excel writes it when you click a cell in the same table while typing a formula.

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