How to Center Text in a Table in Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign has so many sophisticated features that even something as seemingly simple as centering text in a table can be overwhelming. It doesn’t take many steps, but the vertical and horizontal alignment options are in two different places.

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Center text horizontally in a table

To center text, you must align it both horizontally and vertically. Center the text horizontally by selecting the Type tool and selecting Center Align under Paragraph. To center text vertically, you must adjust the Vertical Alignment setting in the Cell Options window.

The option to horizontally center your text in a table is easy to find. First, open the InDesign file that contains the table with the text in it, then select the Writing Tool option (the “T” symbol) in the left pane.

Next, select the cells where you want to center the text. You can select cells by clicking and dragging the mouse over them.

In the right pane you are on the “Properties” tab. Locate the “Paragraph” group and select the “Align Center” option.

If your cell contains a lot of text, you can also align each line and center the last line of text within the cell. Select the cell, then choose the Align with Last Row Centered option.

The selected text is centered horizontally.

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Vertically center text in a table

The option to align text vertically in a table cell is a bit more hidden. First, select the “Type Tool” option (the “T” symbol) in the left pane.

Now select the cells in the table where you want to vertically center the text by clicking and dragging the cursor over them.

From the header menu, click Table, hover over Cell Options from the drop-down menu, and then select Text from the submenu.

The Cell Options window appears. In the Vertical Alignment group, choose Align Center from the Align drop-down menu. Click OK to apply it to the selected text.

The text is now aligned vertically in the cells.

That’s all there is to it. After you’ve formatted the text, tables, and designs in the InDesign file, you can save it and send it as a PDF—just make sure your PDF presets are appropriate for the PDF type.

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