Convert Text to Table

Text to Table Icon

With the Text To Table Converter Add-On, you can effortlessly transform plain text—whether it’s neatly structured like CSV data, basic Markdown tables, or less organized text—into a proper table directly within Google Docs™, Google Slides™, and Google Sheets™.

The primary function covered in this guide is 🔤 ➜ 🔡 Selected Text to Table, which intelligently analyzes selected text and converts it.

Here’s a quick visual overview of converting selected structured text using the Add-On:

Animation showing Text to Table conversion process

Convert Structured Text to a Table

Structured text typically uses consistent separators (like commas, tabs, or semicolons) for columns and new lines for rows. Our Add-On makes converting this easy using the Selected Text to Table feature.

Select your text Highlight the block of structured text within your Google Docs™, Google Slides™, or Google Sheets™ file that you wish to convert into a table.

Example Text:
```
Name,Coffee Type,Milk Preference
Emily,Latte,Oat Milk
James,Americano,Black
Sophie,Cappuccino,Almond Milk
```
Don’t worry if your text isn’t perfectly delimited! The Add-On is designed to intelligently detect common separators and structure your text, even if spacing isn’t perfectly uniform.

(Text selected before conversion)
Run the Converter Navigate through the Google Workspace™ menu: Extensions > Text To Table Converter > 🔤 ➜ 🔡 Selected Text to Table.

(Menu path to initiate the conversion)
View the Result The Add-On will instantly create and insert a new table based on your selected text, usually placing it right below your original selection.

(The converted table inserted into the document)

What happens if your actual data needs to contain the character you’re using as a delimiter? For example, using a comma (,) to separate columns, but a cell needs to contain the text "Almond Milk, Extra Foam, Cinnamon powder".

Solution: The standard way (based on CSV conventions like RFC 4180) is to enclose the entire data field containing the delimiter(s) in double quotes ("). Our Add-On correctly interprets text within double quotes as a single cell value when using the Selected Text to Table function.

Example:

Name,Coffee Type,Milk Preference
Emily,Latte,Oat Milk
James,Americano,Black
Sophie,Cappuccino,"Almond Milk, Extra Foam, Cinnamon powder"

Resulting Table Cell:

(The Add-On correctly keeps “Almond Milk, Extra Foam, Cinnamon powder” together in one cell)

Convert Unstructured Text to a Table

Dealing with unstructured text from emails or websites? The Selected Text to Table function uses AI to analyze and organize it into a table.

This capability also extends to converting text already formatted as JSON, YAML, HTML, or XML. Since the conversion relies on AI, always verify the resulting table carefully.

Example: Messy Flight Details

Consider this text copied from an email:

Your Flight Details:
Booking Ref: XK38LP   Passenger: John Smith

Flight Info Summary
---------------------
Airline    Delta   Flight Number DL456
Departure NYC LaGuardia (LGA)   Date: June 10 2024   Time: 09:15 AM EDT
Arriving London Heathrow LHR
Date June 10 2024 around 9:30 PM GMT
Seat 22B Economy Cabin - E-Ticket Number: 006 1234567890

Steps to Convert:

Select the unstructured text you want to convert within your document.

(Selecting the messy text)
Go to Extensions > Text To Table Converter > 🔤 ➜ 🔡 Selected Text to Table.

Result:

The Add-On analyzes the selected text and inserts a structured table below it, extracting the key information it identifies:

Screenshot of the resulting table created from unstructured text (The converter intelligently organizes the unstructured text into a table)

(Note: The exact table structure and extracted details may vary based on the converter’s interpretation of the input text.)

Convert Markdown Text to a Table

The versatile Selected Text to Table function also recognizes and converts basic Markdown table syntax.

Select Markdown Table Text Select the text formatted as a Markdown table in your document.

Example Markdown:

| Customer    | Order         | Milk           | Notes                      |
|-------------|---------------|----------------|----------------------------|
| Alice       | Latte         | Oat            | *Extra shot requested*     |
| Bob         | Americano     | **None**       |                            |
| Charlie     | Cappuccino    | ~~Soy~~ Almond | Use `promo_code_BOGO`      |
| Diana       | Flat White    | Whole          | **Decaf**; *Handle w/ care* |

Screenshot showing markdown text selection in Google Docs™

Run the Converter Navigate through the menu: Extensions > Text To Table Converter > 🔤 ➜ 🔡 Selected Text to Table.
View the Result The Add-On creates a table based on the Markdown structure, applying common formatting like bold, italics, strikethrough, and code styles found within the cells.