Formatting Issues

How to Apply Excel Table Formatting in Word on Mac

Camila Milosovich Sep 25, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to paste an Excel table into Microsoft Word on a Mac while preserving its original formatting, and apply matching styles to other tables in the document.

How to Apply Excel Table Formatting in Word on Mac

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: macOS
Scenario: Transferring data from Excel to Word while maintaining visual design elements such as header colors and alternating row styles.
Observed behavior: By default or depending on paste options, formatting might be lost. The goal is to retain the original appearance or replicate the Excel table design using Word's formatting tools.

Before you start

Ensure both your Microsoft Excel and Word applications on your Mac are fully updated to prevent clipboard compatibility issues when copying complex formatting.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Formatting-Preserving Paste Options and Table Styles

The easiest way to retain Excel formatting is by selecting the correct paste option when moving data, followed by using Word's built-in Table Design tools for consistency.

When copying data across Office applications on macOS, the clipboard stores various formats. Word allows you to choose whether to keep the original formatting from Excel, match the destination document, or keep text only.

Copy the Excel Data

Highlight the table cells in Microsoft Excel and press Command + C to copy the selection.

Paste with Source Formatting

In Microsoft Word, right-click (or Control-click) where you want to insert the table. Choose the 'Keep Source Formatting' icon under Paste Options rather than 'Keep Text Only'.

Access Table Design Tools

To apply the same style to an existing Word table, click anywhere inside the table to reveal the 'Table Design' tab on the top ribbon.

Apply or Create a Table Style

Browse the 'Table Style Gallery' to find a matching style. If an exact match isn't available, click 'New Table Style' to manually recreate the Excel formatting, such as header fill colors and border styles.

Use Formatting-Preserving Paste Options and Table Styles

Tip: Hover over the different designs in the Table Style Gallery to see a live preview of how they will look applied to your current table before committing to a change.

Seamless cross-application formatting

Easily Copy and Format Tables with WPS Office

WPS Office offers seamless clipboard integration between WPS Spreadsheets and WPS Writer. Pasting formatted tables is highly compatible, keeping your colors, borders, and layouts perfectly aligned without requiring extra style recreation steps.

1. Copy Table from Spreadsheets: Open your workbook in WPS Spreadsheets, select the desired table, and press Command + C to copy.
2. Paste into Writer: Switch to your document in WPS Writer and press Command + V to paste the table.
3. Confirm Formatting: Click the small clipboard icon that appears next to the pasted table to ensure 'Keep Source Formatting' is selected.
4. Adjust Table Tools: To customize the table further, click on it and navigate to the 'Table Tools' tab on the top ribbon to easily adjust borders, shading, and layout.

100% compatible with Microsoft Word and Excel file formats (.docx, .xlsx)Preserves complex table formatting accurately across applicationsFree, lightweight, and fast performance on macOSFamiliar ribbon interface makes finding Table Tools effortless

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Excel table paste as plain text in Word for Mac?

This happens if your default paste setting is configured to 'Keep Text Only'. You can quickly change this by clicking the Paste Options clipboard button that appears right after pasting and selecting 'Keep Source Formatting'.

Can I save an Excel table style as a default in Word?

Yes. Once you recreate the Excel style as a Custom Table Style in Word's Table Design tab, you can select the option 'New documents based on this template' at the bottom of the dialog box to make it available for future use.

How do I fix column widths that change when pasting from Excel to Word?

Select the pasted table in Word, navigate to the Layout tab under Table Tools, and use the 'AutoFit' dropdown menu. Selecting 'AutoFit to Window' will automatically resize the table to fit your document margins cleanly.

Do cell formulas carry over when I paste an Excel table into Word?

No, standard pasting only copies the visible data and static formatting. To retain formula functionality and recalculations, you must paste the data as an embedded Microsoft Excel Worksheet object via the 'Paste Special' menu.

Document & File Issues