Whenever you make a new table in Excel, by default it gets the generic name Table1, Table2, Table3, etc. When there are multiple tables, each table needs a different identity so that you can categorize them easily. Today, you will get to know how to rename a table in Excel. With two different approaches, you can change a table name in Excel.
- Table Design Tab
- Name Manager
Rules for Naming Tables in Excel:
Before getting into renaming a table, you need to comply with the rules that Excel announces about what kind of names are preferable. Let’s see what names are allowed:
- A cell reference cannot be used as a table name.
- The table name must start with a letter, backslash, or underscore.
- You can use letters, underscores, numbers, or periods for renaming.
- Using “C”, “c”, “T”, and “t” are not allowed in the names because these are designated shortcuts used in Excel.
- You are not allowed to use the same character for two tables with different cases, such as TABLE and the table is the same name.
- The maximum limit of characters is 255.
- All tables must be having unique names.
- Using space is not allowed between words. To separate two letters, you can use commas or underscore, or period.
How to Rename a Table in Excel with Name Manager?
Let’s get started with the main topic:
- Open the Formulas Tab and click on the “Name Manager” option.
- Select the table needed to rename and click the edit button.
- Change the name from the name input bar.
- Press OK and close the window.
The Name Manager is a wonderful option that deals with all tables in the sheet.
How to Rename a Table in Excel with Table Tool Box?
This is another method you can use to rename a table in Excel. In this method, you will see the table toolbox for help. Let’s see how it works:
- Open the workbook and click anywhere on the table.
- Click on the Table Design tab from the Ribbon.
- Open the Table Design tab and you will notice the name of the table is assigned as Table2.
- Remove the name of the table in the Table Name box and enter the name you want.
- In this example, the table name is Student_Score.
- Press ENTER key.
- Now, when you open the Table Design tab while selecting a cell on the table, the name will appear as Student_Score.
How to Rename a Table in Excel with Keyboard Shortcuts?
Other than mouse pointing methods, some users like to use keyboard shortcuts to execute any function in Excel. Renaming a Table in Excel is also possible with a keyboard shortcut that directly gives you access to the table Name text box. Below is the keyboard shortcut:
Alt + J + T + A
- Withthe Alt key, you can display the shortcut key for each tab.
- With the J + T combination, you can open the Table Design
- With the A key, you can select the Table Nametext box in the Properties group of the tab.
Below are the steps to apply this shortcut:
- Choose a cell in the table.
- Apply this shortcut to navigate to the Table Name.
- In the Text box, select the table name.
- Enter the new name you want for the table.
- In this example, we typed “Discount”.
- Press ENTER.
Your table name is successfully changed.
The complete shortcut would be as:
ALT + J + T + A + ENTER
Rename a Table with the Quick Access Toolbar:
Naming a table is the most common thing you do in Excel and using the Quick Access Toolbar, you can manage to assign Table Names. With Quick Access Toolbar, you don’t need to navigate around the ribbon options.
- Open the Table Design tab.
- Right-click on the Table Name option.
- Click on the Add to Quick Access Toolbar menu.
- Renaming Excel tables are now the easiest thing you can do.
To Sum Up:
That’s it!
It was a brief overview of how to rename a table in Excel. This post explains more than one method you can use to rename a table in Excel. Try all of them so that you can check which method is the best for you.
