Microsoft Knowledge Base

Vertical Bars Appear in Table If Tab Exceeds Cell Width
Last reviewed: August 4, 1997
Article ID: Q131730
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
  • Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 6.0, 6.0.1

SYMPTOMS

A small vertical bar appears in a table when you press CTRL+TAB but disappears when you switch to print preview or scroll to another place in the document.

CAUSE

This behavior is by design in Word and occurs when the tab stop is set to a measurement that is wider than the column. For instance, if your column is 1 inch wide and you set a tab stop at 1.5 inches, when you press CTRL+TAB to insert a tab character in the table, you will see the small bar.

RESOLUTION

Change the tab stop to fit within the column.

KBCategory: kbusage
KBSubcategory: kbtable
Additional reference words: 6.0 6.0a 6.0c winword macword 6.0.1
word6
Keywords : kbtable kbusage
Version : 6.0 6.0a 6.0c |6.0 6.0.1
Platform : MACINTOSH WINDOWS

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Last reviewed: August 4, 1997
©1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Legal Notices.