How to delete a table in Gmail

Deleting a Gmail table in an email message might seem a bit complicated, as selected the whole table and pressing Delete key, or backspace, will only delete the data in the table, but leave the table skeleton.


Gmail delete table

Deleting a Gmail table in an email message might seem a bit complicated, as selected the whole table and pressing Delete key, or backspace, will only delete the data in the table, but leave the table skeleton.

In short, to remove entirely a table from the message : add text before and after the table, put the mouse cursor before the first text, hold Shift key, and click at the end of the text after table. Pressing Delete key will now delete the text + the full table.

In detail, starting with a fresh email including a table pasted from a spreadsheet

When trying to select the whole table - no table editing options are offered

Deleting the selecting will only empty the table - but not remove it from the mail

Selecting again the empty table, and trying to delete, either with backspace key, or delete key, won't remove the table

Solution to delete table in Gmail is to add text before and after the table, put the cursor at the beginning of the text before, and, while pressing the Shift key, click at the end of the text after the table.

How to delete a table in Gmail

Deleting the whole selection will remove the Gmail table from the mail !

See also

Delete a table from a Gmail message? - Web Applications Stack Exchange
Is it possible to delete a table from Gmail yet ? - Google Product Forums

Gmail add text after table

When a table takes the whole space in a new email, or the table is at the end of the mail writing space, it is not possible to add a new text line directly.

There are two workarounds to enter some text after the table, but it is not possible to directly add a new empty line for writing.

The first solution is to cut and paste the content, add extra empty lines, and paste back the content before the extra empty lines. These lines will then be usable to write text after the table.

Another solution is to copy and paste a blank cell from a spreadsheet editor into the end of the table, in the last row.

How to draw table in GMail

It is not possible to draw tables directly in a Google mail email writing entry on the web page, as the option is not offered by the default by the interface, but only through Internet browser plugins.

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However, it is possible to insert tables in Gmail by copying a table, even empty cells, in a spreadsheet editor like Excel, and paste it into the Gmail email.

The table will then be available for edition in the email.

How to insert table in GMail from Excel

When inserting table from Excel directly in GMail with a copy and paste, the whole formatting is lost, as Gmail does not convert the style from the Excel spreadsheet into email CSS style.

There are several options to paste Excel table into GMail:

- copy from Excel, paste in Word, after what you can copy in Word and paste in GMail. The result will vary depending on formatting and styles used.

- take a screenshot from Excel, and copy the image in the GMail email.

- copy from Excel, paste in Google Sheets, copy from Google sheets, and paste in GMail email.

Greenshot - a free screenshot tool optimized for productivity.
Gmail is email that's intuitive, efficient, and useful. 15 GB of storage, less spam, and mobile access.
Google Spreadsheets
How to copy a formatted Excel table into Gmail?

How to create a table in GMail

As there are no built-in options to create tables in GMail, the best and only way to crate a table in GMail compose mail is to copy a table with the required columns and rows from a spreadsheet program such as MSExcel, or Google Spreadsheets.

After that, the table will be present in Gmail body and the cells can be edited as requested. However, it will not be possible modify the table structure, but only the cells content.

Add a table to a Gmail message

How to remove formatting in GMail

To remove formatting in GMail email, simply highlight the formated text, open the formatting options in the bottom menu bar, and click on remove formatting, the crossed T letter.

That will reset the text to default, without any formatting, and will remove any table that would be present in the email body, while keeping the data from the table.

Google Training Tip: Remove Formatting in Gmail Compose Window

Frequently Asked Questions

How to create table Gmail?
In Gmail, you can insert tables by copying a table, even empty cells, in a spreadsheet editor such as Excel and pasting it into a Gmail email.
What steps should be taken to remove a table inserted into an email composition window in Gmail, ensuring the content is cleanly edited?
To delete a table in Gmail, click within the table to activate it, then right-click to bring up the table options menu. Select Delete table or

Yoann Bierling
About the author - Yoann Bierling
Yoann Bierling is a Web Publishing & Digital Consulting professional, making a global impact through expertise and innovation in technologies. Passionate about empowering individuals and organizations to thrive in the digital age, he is driven to deliver exceptional results and drive growth through educational content creation.

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Comments (1)

 2021-04-06 -  Cristina
Thanks for the advice.

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