ChatGPT is great at generating tables—comparison charts, data summaries, schedules. But when you try to paste them into Word...
Common problems you might see:
- Columns become misaligned or merge together
- Table borders disappear completely
- Cell content spills into the wrong cells
- The table pastes as plain text with pipes and dashes
This guide covers:
- Why ChatGPT tables break in Word
- The Paste Special method (best for most cases)
- The Convert Text to Table method (for more control)
- Using DeGPT to clean tables before pasting
Clean ChatGPT output in one click
The DeGPT Chrome extension helps you clean all ChatGPT content—including tables—before pasting.
Why ChatGPT tables break in Word
ChatGPT renders tables as HTML in your browser. When you copy, you're copying HTML table markup—not a Word-native table.
Word tries to convert this HTML into its own table format, but the translation isn't always clean:
- HTML tables use flexible layouts that resize to content
- Word tables have fixed column widths and different spacing rules
- Markdown tables (with | and -) don't convert to tables at all
The result? Mangled columns, lost borders, or just plain text where a table should be.
Method 1 – Paste Special as HTML (Recommended)
This is the most reliable way to preserve table structure.
Step 1 – Copy the table from ChatGPT
- Click and drag to select the entire table (including headers)
- Press Ctrl + C (Windows) or Cmd + C (Mac)
Step 2 – Use Paste Special in Word
- In Word, go to the Home tab
- Click the small arrow under Paste
- Select Paste Special...
- Choose HTML Format
- Click OK
Tip: If HTML Format isn't available, the table might have copied as markdown. Try copying again, making sure you're selecting the rendered table, not the raw text.
Method 2 – Convert Text to Table
If the table pastes as plain text (with | characters), you can convert it:
- Paste the text normally into Word
- Select all the pasted text
- Go to Insert → Table → Convert Text to Table
- Set the separator to Other and type |
- Click OK
After conversion, you'll need to:
- Delete any separator rows (the --- lines)
- Add borders using Table Design
- Adjust column widths
Method 3 – Use DeGPT to clean tables first
If you frequently copy tables from ChatGPT, DeGPT can help streamline the process by cleaning the output before you paste.
Using DeGPT for tables
- Install the DeGPT Chrome extension or visit degpt.app
- Copy your ChatGPT table and paste it into DeGPT
- Enable options like "Strip markdown" and "Fix formatting"
- Copy the cleaned output and paste into Word
DeGPT removes invisible characters and formatting issues that can cause table problems in Word.
Quick comparison: Which method to use
| Method | Best for | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Paste Special (HTML) | Rendered tables that look correct in ChatGPT | Low |
| Convert Text to Table | Markdown tables (with | separators) | Medium |
| DeGPT | Frequent table copying, batch processing | Low (after setup) |
Next steps
- Install the DeGPT Chrome extension for one-click cleaning inside ChatGPT
- Read our full Word guide for more formatting tips
- Try DeGPT online to clean your next ChatGPT output