Microsoft Excel is designed to name tables you create in your worksheet by default. The first table you create in a particular worksheet is automatically Table 1, while subsequent tables will take names in the same format g only with the numbering. That is, other table names after the first will be Table 2, Table 3, and so on.
However, customizing table names is essential to recall them, especially if you have several tables within a worksheet. It is usually easier to remember a customized or personalized name you used for a table than trying to remember if it is the sixth or eighth in the current worksheet. Not knowing how to do this could be why many people do not use table names, but you will learn the different ways to do it as you read on. But before then, let’s consider the rules guiding the renaming of tables in Excel.
Rules For Renaming Tables in Excel
Here are the rules you must know before renaming a table in Excel:
- Each table in a worksheet must have a unique name.
- Each name must begin with a letter, underscore, or backslash. Table names cannot begin with a number or other symbols.
- You cannot use a cell reference, say A2, as a table name.
- You cannot separate multiple words in a table name with a space character. Instead, you will use a dot or an underscore.
- Letters C and R, lower and upper cases, cannot be used solely as a table name. That is you cannot rename a table as just C or R, because both letters are default Excel shortcuts for selecting the column or row of a cell.
- Each tale name can only have a maximum of 255 characters.
With that, let us see the different ways of renaming a table in Excel.
Methods for Renaming a Table in Excel
There are different methods for renaming a table in Excel. Check them out to find which is most convenient for you.
Method 1: Excel Table Name Option
One of the easiest ways to rename a table name in Excel is to use the default Table Name Name option within the app. Here are the steps to do this:
- Open the worksheet containing the tables you want to rename.
- Select a cell from the table you want to rename and the Tab Design option will appear at the top ribbon.
- Click the Table Design tab at the top ribbon.
- Locate the default table name in the Properties section of the Table design tools. It is located at the top left in the tools area.
- Click the name field, clear the default name, and type your desired name in the field, keeping the naming rules in mind.
- I renamed the table in this illustration as Adjectives. Click any cell in the worksheet when you are done.
Method 2: Keyboard Shortcut
You can rename a table in Excel using the default shortcut keys. This process is similar to the first method, but you will access the Table Design tab using keyboard shortcut keys instead of clicking the tab at the top ribbon. Here are the steps:
- Open the worksheet containing the table you want to rename.
- Select a cell from the table you want to rename.
- Press the Alt key, then JT simultaneously, and lastly press A.
- The system will take you to the Table name tool. Clear the default name and type in your desired name.
- Click any cell in the worksheet to complete.
Method 3: Name Manager
Name manager is an Excel feature for all names in an Excel worksheet and you can use it when renaming a table in Excel. Beyond renaming a table, you can use this feature to create, locate, edit, and delete the names for any file in Excel. Here are the steps to rename a table in Excel using the Name Manager feature.
- Open the worksheet containing the table you want to rename.
- Click the Formulas tab at the top ribbon of the page.
- Next, click the Name Manager option from the Defined Names section.
- Alternatively, press Ctrl + F3 to open the Name manager.
- The Name Manager prompt will list all the names you have used in the current worksheet.
- Click the Filter button at the top right of the prompt and select the Table Names option to restrict the lists to Tables only. It is necessary if you used different names in the worksheet.
- Select the Table you want to rename from the list and click the Edit tab at the top of the Name Manager prompt. An Edit name prompt will appear on the screen.
- Click the name field in the Edit Name tab to rename the table.
- Enter a new name in the field and click the OK button.
Note that I have renamed the selected table in this illustration from Adjectives to English_Language.
You may also like to read:
Best Automation Software Tools
How To Create Dependent Drop-down List in Excel
What is Data Validation in Excel and How to Use It
How to Switch First and Last Names in Excel with Comma
How to Insert a Signature in Excel
How To Remove Empty Cells In Excel
