Text to Table Workflows
Choose direct insertion or Table Editor review, add reusable conversion instructions, or start from text, Drive, a file, or an empty table.
Convert selection is always the main sidebar action. Open its caret menu when you want to add instructions or change the persistent Open in Table Editor setting. The Extensions menu continues to follow the saved output-mode setting.
On this pageDirect insert
Direct insert
Use direct insert for clearly structured text when you already know the rows and columns will be correct.
- Select the source text.
- Make sure Open in Table Editor is switched off in the caret menu.
- Click Convert selection on Home, or Text to Table under Tables & Convert.
- The add-on converts and inserts the result immediately.
Review in Table Editor
Use Table Editor when you want to correct cells, inspect headers, or apply formatting before insertion.
- Select the source text and open the caret menu beside Convert selection or Text to Table.
- Turn on Open in Table Editor. The setting remains enabled for later conversions until you switch it off.
- Click Convert selection.
- Review the grid, make any changes, and click Insert Table.
Convert with instructions
Use the Instructions box when the output needs to follow a rule that the source text does not express clearly.
- Open the caret menu and enter a concrete instruction, such as “split Full name into First name and Last name” or “use ISO dates.”
- Choose whether the result should open in Table Editor.
- Click Convert selection. The instruction is applied to the selected content.
- After the run, keep the instruction for repeated work, edit it from the collapsed instructions note, or clear it before an unrelated conversion.
Instructions can require AI
Instruction-driven conversion sends the submitted content for AI processing and consumes an AI request. Clear delimited text can still be converted locally when no instruction or AI refinement requires processing.
Start without selected text
Running Text to Table without a selection opens the Table Editor start screen instead of guessing what to convert.
- From Text: paste text and convert it into the editor grid.
- From File: upload a local CSV, TSV, or TXT file up to 5 MB.
- From Google Drive: choose a CSV, TSV, or TXT file from Drive.
- Empty Table: choose a row and column count and begin with a blank grid.
Where each host places a direct result
Swipe sideways to see all columns
| Host | Direct-insert result |
|---|---|
| Google Docs | Inserts the table after the current selection. |
| Google Sheets | Creates a new sheet for the converted table. |
| Google Slides | Inserts a table on the current slide. |
Mixed Markdown behaves differently
A selection containing headings, lists, paragraphs, and tables can create multiple document elements rather than one editor grid. Use direct insert for that full mixed-content workflow.