The 5 Best Ways to Format Tables in Google Sheets

Since 2006, Google has developed Google Sheets as a component of its G Suite suite. With the increasing demand for fast and simple methods of global collaboration, Google Sheets is a sought-after option for quick data analysis and processing. Spreadsheets power the majority of business operations, and many of these spreadsheets include tabular data.

Working with multiple tables, charts, and cells in a long spreadsheet can become tedious, and if you’re using Google Sheets to process the data, I can reasonably assume that the data is in tabular format.

While you can always keep the data as simple inputs in the Google Sheets grid, a well-formatted table would greatly ease data readability. Default formatting settings, themes, or add-ons are some of the options you have for creating tables.

Without further ado, let us show you how to format tables and charts in Google Sheets.

Creating a Table in Google Sheets by Applying Borders

Applying borders is one of the things that will significantly change our tabular data immediately. As soon as the borders are applied, it starts to look like a table.

Here’s how to add a border to a table in a Google sheet:

1. Click on the borders icon in the toolbar after selecting the desired data in the sheet.
2. Choose the border color from the available selections, then add a border to each cell (using the “All Borders” option).

How to Insert a Table in Google Sheets by Aligning Data

In Google Sheets, text strings are automatically left-aligned, and integers are right-aligned. While this is efficient, you may generally want to center your headers. This gives the impression that you inserted the table using Google Sheets.

You may prefer certain columns in your data collection to be centered rather than using the default alignment. I’ll center all headers and sales column numbers in our data collection.

Here are the steps to create tables in Google Sheets with center-aligned text headers:

1. Select all cells with headers.
2. Click on the alignment icon in the toolbar.
3. Click on the center alignment icon.

How to Create a Table in Google Sheets with Colored/Bold Headers

You can significantly enhance the readability of your data by changing the color of cells containing the header and making the text in those cells bold. Since headers are highlighted, a reader will often pay attention to them first. This will make it easier for them to understand the purpose of the table and the types of information it contains.

Here are the procedures for creating a table in Google Sheets with header color formatting:

1. Select the header cells.
2. Use the keyboard shortcut Control + B for Windows or Command + B for Mac to select the bold icon in the toolbar.
3. Select the header cells, then click on the fill color in the toolbar.
4. Choose the color you want to use for the header cells.

Formatting Tables in Google Sheets – Applying Alternate Row Colors

Your table in Google Sheets already looks better than before. Applying different shades to the data rows of your table is a way to significantly increase its readability. Since Google Sheets regularly offers new features, there is now a convenient way to switch between row colors.

Here’s how to create tables in Google Sheets with different colored rows:

1. Select the entire set of data.
2. Select “Format” from the menu.
3. Select “Alternating colors” from the list of options that appear.

As soon as you do this, you will see that the header row color changes, and the alternating rows take on a slightly darker shade than the other rows. The alternating colors dialog box will also appear simultaneously and open on the right side of the Google Sheets spreadsheet.

Formatting Tables in Google Sheets – Sorting Columns

Incorporating all the formatting serves a dual purpose of enhancing the user’s ability to understand the content as well as making it visually appealing. And sorting data using one or multiple columns is one of the simple actions that can significantly help the user navigate through large data sets.

I will show you how to sort the data in our example so that all regions are displayed together, and then the data is sorted based on the sales value in each region.

In the options, you can decide which colors to use and whether your table should have headers or footers.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Select the entire set of data.
2. Select “Data” from the drop-down menu.
3. Select “Sort range” and then “Advanced sort options” from the menu. This will open the Google Sheets sort dialog box.

4. Check the option “Data has header rows”.
5. In the “Sort by” drop-down list, select “State”.
6. Select “Add another sort column” from the menu.
7. In the “Then by” drop-down list, select “Store number”.

8. Click “Sort”.

Your data will be sorted using the above method based on two columns: first the “State” and then the “Store number”.

This allows us to get all the data for a particular state.

Therefore, your manager doesn’t need to read the entire report carefully if she is only interested in data from Wisconsin while reading this report. She can quickly locate the Wisconsin grouping and browse the related data.

Conclusion

These are some of the steps you can follow in Google Sheets to transform your seemingly simple data into a pleasant-looking table. Naturally, as you use Google Sheets more, you will develop your own formatting style for creating tables.

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