Formatting Issues

How to Restore Word 2010 Table Border Alignment in Word 2019

Huda Qurayshi Oct 8, 2026 868 views

Question details

Users need to restore the older table border alignment positioning from Word 2010 in Word 2019 without relying on VBA macros.

How to Restore Word 2010 Table Border Alignment in Word 2019

Product: Microsoft Word 2019
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Upgrading a document from Word 2010 to Word 2019 causes table borders to align differently against the page margins due to updated rendering engines.
Observed behavior: Table borders in Word 2019 do not sit flush with the page margins in the exact same position as they did in Word 2010.

Before you start

Before making changes, verify that your document margins and page size are set correctly, as these layout settings heavily influence overall table positioning.

Solution 1Recommended

Adjust Left Cell Margin in Table Properties

Manually removing the left cell margin is the most direct way to realign the table borders flush with your page margins.

By default, newer versions of Word may calculate table borders and cell margins differently. Adjusting the internal cell margin forces the table edge to align precisely with the document's layout margin without using compatibility features.

Select the Table

Click anywhere inside the table you want to fix, then click the crosshair table selector icon at the top-left corner to highlight the entire table.

Open Table Properties

Right-click the selected table and choose "Table Properties" from the context menu.

Modify Cell Margins

Navigate to the "Table" tab and click the "Options" button at the bottom. Under "Default cell margins", change the Left margin value to 0. Click OK on all dialog boxes to apply the change.

Adjust Left Cell Margin in Table Properties

Text Alignment Adjustment: Setting the left cell margin to zero will bring your text closer to the left border of the cell. You may need to use paragraph indents if you want the text further inside the cell.

Solution 2

Enable Word 2010 Compatibility Mode

Changing the document's compatibility settings forces Word 2019 to render tables using the older Word 2010 style rules.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do tables shift when upgrading to Word 2019?

Microsoft updated the document rendering engine in newer versions of Word (starting from Word 2013). This update changes how table borders and default cell margins calculate their distance from the document's page margins, leading to slight visual shifts.

Can I use VBA macros to fix table alignment?

Yes, VBA can be used to set specific table positioning properties programmatically. However, manually adjusting compatibility settings or cell margins is generally recommended if you prefer a simpler, macro-free solution.

Will fixing the cell margin affect the rest of my document layout?

No, adjusting the internal cell margins through Table Properties will only affect the specific table you have selected. The rest of your document's text and page layout will remain unchanged.

How can I apply this fix to all new documents automatically?

If you want all new documents to use the older table alignment, you would need to adjust the compatibility options and save those changes to your Normal.dotm template, though using modern table styles is generally recommended for new files.

Document & File Issues