Merging table cells combines adjacent cells into one, eliminating the borders so that they behave as a single cell.

To merge table cells:
  1. Select a group of two or more adjacent table cells. The group of cells you choose must form a rectangle, and they must be all body cells, all header cells, or all footer cells.

  2. Do either of the following:

    • Choose Format > Table > Merge Cells.

    • Click Inspector in the toolbar and click the Table inspector button. Click Table in the Table inspector, and then choose Merge Cells from the Edit Rows & Columns pop-up menu.

To unmerge cells that have previously been merged:
  • Choose Format > Table > and deselect Merge Cells.

  • Deselect Merge Cells in the Edit Rows & Columns pop-up menu in the Table pane of the Table inspector.

Here is what happens to cell content when you merge cells:

  • Merging horizontally contiguous cells containing only text or a mixture of text, numbers, formatted values, and formulas joins the content from all the original cells as text separated by tabs.

  • Merging vertically contiguous cells containing only text or a mixture of text, numbers, formatted values, and formulas joins the content from all the cells as text separated by carriage returns.

  • When you merge column cells, the cell background takes on the image or color that was in the topmost cell.

  • When you merge row cells, the cell background takes on the image or color that was in the leftmost cell.

  • When a cell containing text, a number, a formula, or a cell format is merged with an empty cell, the new cell retains the content of the non-empty cell.

  • When a cell containing a number format is merged with an empty cell, the new cell retains the number format.

For detailed information about how to use the hundreds of iWork functions, choose Help > Formulas and Functions Help, or go to Formulas and Functions Help on the web.

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