Formatting Issues

How to Add Space Between Table Cells in PowerPoint

Steve K Oct 8, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user wants to know how to create visible spacing between cells in a PowerPoint presentation table.

How to Add Space Between Table Cells in PowerPoint

Product: Microsoft PowerPoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Formatting a presentation table to have distinct physical gaps between individual cells.
Observed behavior: PowerPoint's native table formatting tools do not include an option to add spacing between table cells.

Before you start

Ensure you have Microsoft Word or a comparable word processor installed on your computer, as this method requires creating the table in a document editor first before transferring it to your presentation.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Microsoft Word and Paste Special

Since PowerPoint does not natively support cell spacing, you can format the table in Word and embed it into your slide without losing the formatting.

PowerPoint's built-in table design tools are optimized for simple layouts and do not include a feature to adjust the spacing between individual cells. However, Microsoft Word handles advanced table formatting natively. By creating your table in Word, you can apply exact cell spacing and then bring that formatted table into PowerPoint as a document object.

Create your table in Word

Open Microsoft Word, navigate to the Insert tab, click Table, and select the number of rows and columns you need.

Open Table Properties

Right-click anywhere inside the newly created table and select Table Properties from the context menu.

Adjust cell spacing

In the Table tab of the properties window, click the Options button. Check the box for 'Allow spacing between cells', enter your desired spacing value, and click OK.

Copy the formatted table

Select the entire table in Word by clicking the crosshair icon in the top-left corner of the table, then press Ctrl+C to copy it.

Use Paste Special in PowerPoint

Switch to your PowerPoint slide. On the Home tab, click the downward arrow under the Paste button, select Paste Special, choose 'Microsoft Word Document Object', and click OK.

Editable Embedded Table: Because the table is pasted as a Word Document Object, you can double-click it in PowerPoint at any time to open a mini Word interface and adjust the text or spacing without leaving your slide.

Solution 2

Use Table Borders to Simulate Spacing

If you do not want to use an embedded object, you can create the visual illusion of cell spacing directly in PowerPoint by using thick borders matched to your slide background.

Effortless Presentation Design

Easily Format and Embed Tables with WPS Office

WPS Office provides a fully integrated suite that makes workarounds simple. You can easily create a beautifully spaced table in WPS Writer and seamlessly embed it into WPS Presentation without heavily taxing your system.

1. Insert a table in WPS Writer: Open a new document in WPS Writer, go to the Insert tab, and create your table.
2. Adjust cell spacing: Right-click the table, select Table Properties, click Options, and adjust the 'Default cell spacing' value.
3. Copy your table: Highlight the entire table in WPS Writer and copy it to your clipboard.
4. Embed into WPS Presentation: Open WPS Presentation, click the Paste drop-down on the Home tab, select Paste Special, and choose 'WPS Writer Document Object' to embed the table with its spacing intact.

Free, lightweight, and fast office suiteSeamless copy-and-paste integration between WPS Presentation and WPS WriterFully compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx) and Word (.docx) formatsIntuitive user interface for advanced table formatting

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

PowerPoint's table feature is optimized for high-level visual presentation layouts and lacks the advanced document-level formatting engine found in Word. As a result, highly specific structural controls like cell spacing are omitted from its native toolset.

PowerPoint's table feature is optimized for high-level visual presentation layouts and lacks the advanced document-level formatting engine found in Word. As a result, precise structural controls like cell spacing are omitted from its native toolset.

Can I change the cell margins instead of cell spacing in PowerPoint?

Yes. If your goal is simply to push text further away from the cell borders rather than separating the cells themselves, you can adjust cell margins. Select your table, go to the Layout tab under Table Tools, click Cell Margins, and choose a preset or set custom margins.

Will the Paste Special workaround inflate my PowerPoint file size?

Pasting a Word Document Object does slightly increase the file size compared to a native PowerPoint table, as it embeds a miniature Word document within the slide. However, for a standard table, this file size increase is minimal and generally unnoticeable.

Document & File Issues