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How can I create a table in a Gmail message? I've currently got the data in a Google Docs spreadsheet, but copying and pasting that into the Gmail editor just pastes tab-delimited columns, not a table. I've tried it in both the plain text and rich text editors.

1
  • At this time, copy and pasting a Google Sheets range/table into a Gmail message works fine in Chrome. Dec 24, 2015 at 2:09

15 Answers 15

25

Update

A few years later now, and Google Inbox will let you paste a table directly from Google Sheets or LibreOffice. I assume it also works from Microsoft Office.

Original Answer

This Digital Inspiration blog post helped me out. Basically, you can copy content from any web page and paste it into the Gmail rich text editor. The editor will do its best to keep the formatting.

In my case, that meant that I had to do the following:

  1. Publish the spreadsheet to the web, but just publish the sheet with the data I wanted to copy;
  2. Get the link for the published sheet. If you don't want the whole sheet, you can specify the cells you want using the standard A1:C30 format;
  3. Open a new tab and paste the link;
  4. Select the whole table by typing Ctrl + A, and then copy it by typing Ctrl + C. I found that the pasting didn't work at all unless I copied the whole table;
  5. Go back to Gmail, make sure you're in the rich text editor, and make sure there are blank lines above and below your cursor;
  6. Type Ctrl + V to paste in the table.
9

The answer is NO, you can not insert a table and format it in Gmail. All the above suggestions are workarounds.

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  • 1
    This one is the real answer. It's a pretty sorry state of affairs with one of the most popular email apps in the world.
    – speedplane
    Jun 7, 2014 at 16:55
4

Create the table in Word then save the document as 'Single File Web Page'; select and copy the table ( Ctrl + C ); paste into your Gmail message ( Ctrl + V ).

It brings across the borders, shading, font size, etc. Column width appears to be determined by the number of characters in the column.

2

I've found that Google made this thing called Web Clipboard to handle issues like this.

In the Google Drive spreadsheet you're working with, go to EditWeb ClipboardCopy Cell Range. Then open a Google Drive document and go to EditWeb Clipboard and select the cell range you just copied to paste it.

Then do a normal copy and paste from this Google doc to Gmail. Not really pretty, but doesn't require doing anything outside your browser. It would be nice if Google integrated the Web Clipboard into Gmail.

2
1

Quickest solution:

  1. Open Outlook and create a new message.
  2. Copy the table from Excel or Word and paste it on the message.
  3. Copy the table from your new message and paste it in your Gmail message.
0

Another option: paste from Google Docs Spreadsheet into Microsoft Excel, then paste into Gmail.

(Of course, this assumes you have Excel installed. This may work for other spreadsheet programs as well.)

0

The “File > Publish to Web” part was simple enough. But I got caught when trying to specify certain rows and columns. All of my searching generated no straight forward answer, so here is mine.

  1. Select all the cells you want to appear in your embedded spreadsheet.

  2. Right click somewhere on the selected area and choose “Name and protect range,” or go to “Data > Named and Protected Ranges.”

  3. This will bring the “Name and protected ranges” toolbox on the right side of your spreadsheet. Name your range (text only). I called mine “rangexyz.” A fine, fine name for a spreadsheet range.

  4. Now, when you go to “File > Publish to Web,” put the name of your range in the one-line field above the “Copy and paste the link above” box that displays the code for embedding or linking. To get this field to be editable, you will need to select the specific sheet you are trying to publish. If you leave it as the entire spreadsheet, it won’t be an option.

  5. That will you give you embed code that now has a “range” value in it.

Please tell me that made sense. Also, I don’t normally put huge pictures of software command menus on my Web site. Lovely.

0

You just have to open your GMail account in the Internet Explorer from Microsoft, then it let you paste tables from excel in the GMail Message

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  • What about other browsers? And which IE version? Does it support to all IE versions?
    – serenesat
    Aug 27, 2015 at 14:14
0

Install this add-in from Google Web Store into Google Chrome:

CloudCodes Insertable - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/cloudcodes-insertable/mkdocgdpmmbciijbekodlgliknfiegbb?utm_source=gmail

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  • This requires you to create the table in Excel first, right? Feb 2, 2016 at 13:12
0

While creating tabular message for emails, I first create them in Word or Spread sheet package(with proper tabulation), then a simple copy paste always worked for me.

  • Ubuntu had no issues, but Windows 7 missed with borders when pasted at email body...!
0

You can copy tables from Microsoft Word into an email from Gmail. Simply design the table on either Microsoft Word or if using Excel (Copy/Paste it into a Word document). Then copy the table from the Microsoft Word document into your "Compose Mail" window.

-1

Paste your tabel in outlook msg ,cut from there and paste it in Gmail .the tabel can be easlily paste in mail body.Its simpel & easy option.

-1

Here you go. Just run this macro (I wrote this and put it in my quick access menu):

Sub CopyTableForGmail()

Dim objWord As Object

    Selection.Copy
    Set objWord = CreateObject("Word.Application")
objWord.Visible = False

objWord.Documents.Add
objWord.Selection.PasteExcelTable False, False, False
objWord.ActiveDocument.Tables(1).Select
objWord.Selection.Copy

objWord.ActiveDocument.Saved = 1
objWord.Quit
Set objWord = Nothing

End Sub

The just go to gmail and paste.

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  • 1
    Where is this code supposed to go? Is it a Word macro, and if so, how does it solve the OP's problem, which is about Google Documents? Jan 23, 2014 at 21:57
  • Despite being a macro it is the best option considering daily usage of the feature!
    – JDuarteDJ
    Oct 7, 2014 at 12:52
  • The workaround is fine, but the answer isn't complete as there isn't context nor references to apply it. Jun 11, 2015 at 19:18
-3

If you are copying from Excel, then you can do this in the below mentioned way.

  • Select the portion you want to copy from Excel to your Gmail
  • Click below the paste icon, where there will be an option of as picture
  • Select copy as picture
  • Select as shown on screen
  • Select Bitmap
  • Turn to Gmail
  • Paste
-3

Here's an extension that adds this feature to Gmail: https://mixmax.com/blog/support-for-tables-in-gmail. No coding required.

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  • Its always better to add necessary content of link in your answer.
    – serenesat
    Jul 17, 2015 at 5:27
  • Welcome to Web Applications! Please don't just post link only answers, you should explain fully what the solution is. I suggest you take a tour to see how things work. In addition, please state if you are affiliated with this product/service. Please read the help article on promotion Thanks! Jul 17, 2015 at 7:15
  • Sadly, the pasting table feature does not work.
    – Abram
    Jan 19, 2017 at 4:37

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