WordPress comes with a visual post editor which is nice, but there are certain things that it can not do. Creating tables is one of them. Tables are an important tool to sort and present data in an understandable format. Even though you can create tables by manually writing HTML and CSS inside your posts, it is not a feasible option for many specially if they lack the HTML and CSS knowledge. In this article, we will show you how to add tables in WordPress posts and pages. Best of all, you don’t need to know any HTML or CSS to add tables in WordPress using this tutorial.
First thing you need to do is install and activate TablePress plugin. Once activated, the plugin adds a TablePress menu item in your WordPress admin.
To create a new table click on Add New Table. This will take you to Add New tab. After giving your table a name and description, choose the number of rows and columns you need. Don’t worry, you can always add/remove columns and rows from your table when entering data or by editing the table later. Click Add Table button when you are done.
Now you will reach Edit Table screen. This is the table editor where you can add data to your table. You can also add and remove columns or rows. All rows and columns can be dragged and rearranged. Once you have created the table, it is time to add this table into a post.
Open an existing post or create a new post to enter the table. If you are using the visual editor, then you will see the tables icon in your visual editor. Pressing the button will open a pop up showing your tables. Press Insert Shortcode button next to the table you want, and it will add a shortcode to your post.
If you do not use the visual editor, then you can simply insert the shortcode manually. Click on the TablePress menu item, and it will show you the list of tables you have created. Take your mouse over to the table you want to add. Click on Show Shortcode, and this will open a pop-up window with the table shortcode. Copy the shortcode and paste it in your post wherever you want to insert the table.
That’s it. It is this easy to create and add tables in your WordPress posts. You don’t have to write a single line of HTML or CSS. If you want to customize the look and feel of the table, then there is an option for that (you would need to customize the CSS for this part).
This plugin can also import data from a csv file, json file, an HTML table and json formats. You can also export all your tables in CSV, HTML, and JSON formats. For more usage instructions check out the official TablePress Documentation.
Thanks for this ! Ive been searching the web trying to find a solution because I see all these awesome pricing tables on websites and Ive been using the TinyMCE plugin, which works but its not what I am really needing. Thanks again you guys rock
Thanks for another very useful post!
Please does anyone know if it is possible to add code into a cell? I need to add paypal code into a table but not sure the best way to do it?
Did you try simply pasting the code into the cell?
Thanks so much for this relatively simple to use plugin. It has saved me from much frustration as I am no techie and don’t actually want to spend hours doing what can be done with a plugin.
I tried some of the other plugins for creating tables and was not impressed with their user-friendliness or lack thereof.
Much appreciation!
Yvonne
THIS is a work of art! Nicely done and it is responsive too!
Thanks for This post very helpful for those who are not good with html and css !!
This looks like Tables Reloaded, which we use on some sites. However, it looks easier to use and manage. How well does it work with caching plugins like w3 total cache?
This is the successor of WP Tables Reloaded plugin worked on by the same developer (Tobias). Tobias also commented on this post saying that the next version will be compatible with W3 Total Cache.
Absolutely agree: TablePress is THE BEST plugin for creating tables in WordPress (IMHO).
Just a few things to add:
1) TablePress is the successor to what USED TO BE the best plugin for creating tables in WordPress: WP-Table Reloaded (now retired). Both are the work of developer Tobias Bathge.
2) Tables built with WP-Table Reloaded can be migrated to TablePress.
3) Tobias’ support is extraordinary. When I first used TablePress in November of 2012, I encountered a bug in the HTML import function and reported it in the support forum at WordPress.org. Within an hour, Tobias published a fix to Github. But don’t take my word for it. Check out the support forum.
Jeff Cohan
Thanks Guys
This could be the table plugin for me.
In the past I’ve created tables in Dreamweaver then cut and pasted the code.
I’ll throw out a few tweets on this one.
Keith, this is by far the best one we found so far as well. Totally appreciate the social media love that you send us
I just got this plug in last week as an alternative to using google docs iframe functions. This works great and allows a client to update the table without updating the pages or posts. I did find that you have to make sure you empty the caches if you are using the W3 plugin, or else you will get a cached version of the table. Great write up.
Great to hear that you like the plugin!
What you say about caching plugins, like W3 Total Cache, is true. Good thing though: The next version of TablePress will automatically clear the W3 Total Cache page cache, to make sure that all shown tables are up-to-date
Best wishes,
Tobias
Author of TablePress
Seems odd to put a table creating tab in the main WordPress menu. The menu is supposed to be for top level functions. It seems that it should be in tools maybe, or in the post menu, where you select the tables, have the table making function accessible in the edit functions. Most times people are creating tables in posts and pages and would need to edit the table as well as the data within it.
Having said that, it’s a pretty slick table maker.
Rod Salm
I agree that the main menu is not always the best option, like when you only maintain a few tables once in a while. So, I made this an option
In the TablePress Plugin Options, you can actually choose where you want the TablePress menu entry to appear. Moving it to “Tools” or “Posts” is no problem with that 
(The predecessor of TablePress put its menu under “Tools” by default. I then however got questions from users who couldn’t find it, after activating it. That is why TablePress will sit in the main menu by default.)
Best wishes,
Tobias
Author of TablePress
You can change the placement in the plugin settings.
Not odd at all. It is done for organizational purposes similar to contact forms, sliders, etc. By doing it this way, you can easily go to the menu and look at all the tables you have ever created rather than searching through the individual posts.
This is good. I use it. But I want to ask something. What if i have 7 column and 10252 rows excel table?
10,000 rows? Why in the world would you want that to be part of your blog post? Attach it as a separate file, so those who want to download it can do so if they like. It would freak the user out to see how long the page is if you have that many rows.
As the editorial staff pointed out already, there are better methods for such large tables, like offering a download, or using a custom PHP/mySQL solution.
You can certainly try using TablePress with a table of that size, but I don’t really recommend it. It should work, but it will probably be slow, especially on the “Edit” screen of the table.
Best wishes,
Tobias
Absolutely THE best table WordPress plugin at the moment. I tried them all, and this one is the most robust/powerful and yet at the same time the most simple to use. Good choice!