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Guide · Events and stages

How to make a seating chart in Word: table lists and a room plan

By Blink Brief · Updated  · How pages are made

Put the guests' names and table numbers into Word as a table with Insert › Table › Convert Text to Table, then sort it twice: by name for the list at the entrance, and by table for the venue. Turn on Repeat Header Rows so the column names print on every page. For a drawing of the room, use Insert › Shapes, which needs Word on a computer.

Short answer

  • Table: select the list, Insert › Table › Convert Text to Table.
  • A–Z and by table: Layout › Sort, by Name, or by Table number as a Number.
  • Header on every page: Table Layout › Repeat Header Rows.
  • Room plan: Insert › Shapes, holding Shift for a round table.

From a list to a Word table: Convert Text to Table

Start with one guest per line and the same separator between the columns, for example a tab between the name and the table:

Name	Table	Table number
    Anna Lee	Table 1	1
    David Lee	Table 1	1
    Maria Garcia	Table 2	2
  1. Select the lines, the header line included.
  2. Click Insert › Table › Convert Text to Table.
  3. Under Separate text at, choose the separator you used: tabs here. Microsoft's advice: "If you have commas in your text, use tabs for your separator characters."
  4. Click OK. Each line becomes a row, each column a cell.

Microsoft's page for this step covers Word for Microsoft 365 and Word 2016 to 2024 and doesn't mention Word for the web. If the list is in Excel or Google Sheets, copy the cells and paste them into Word instead.

Two printouts: A–Z by name, and by table

Guests look for their own name at the entrance, so that list is alphabetical with the table beside each name. The venue sets the room table by table, so its list is sorted by table. Make the first, print it, then sort again for the second.

Word on Windows or Mac

  1. Click in the table. Next to Table Design, go to Layout › Sort.
  2. Select Header row, so the column names stay at the top.
  3. For the A–Z list: under Sort by, choose Name, Type Text, Ascending.
  4. For the venue: Sort by Table number, Type Number, then under Then by choose Name. Word sorts on up to 3 levels.

Sort by the number column, not by "Table 1", "Table 2": sorted as text, "Table 10" comes before "Table 2". And Word sorts the whole cell, so a single Name column sorts by first name. For last names, keep first and last name in separate columns.

Word for the web

Word for the web sorts a table by one column only, with no Sort window. On the classic ribbon, in the Data section, select Sort Table Ascending or Sort Table Descending; on the single-line ribbon, the Sort option is under the Table tab. To sort by table and then by name, use Word on a computer, or sort in Excel or Google Sheets first.

Header on every page: Repeat Header Rows

  1. Select the header row. "The selection must include the first row of the table."
  2. Under Table Layout, in the Data group, select Repeat Header Rows.

The other way: right-click the row, choose Table Properties, and on the Row tab tick Repeat as header row at the top of each page.

A room plan with shapes: round tables and the head table

  1. On the Insert tab, select Shapes and pick the oval.
  2. Hold Shift while you drag, for a perfect circle: one round table.
  3. Right-click the circle and select Add Text, or just start typing: "Table 1".
  4. Copy the circle for the other tables, and draw a rectangle for the head table.

Microsoft's help says "Word for the web doesn't support shapes", so draw the plan in Word on Windows or Mac. The plan shows where the tables stand; keep the names in the table lists, where they sort.

Assign the tables first, then bring them into Word

Word is good at the printout, not at deciding who sits where. Do that first, from the guest list:

  1. Paste the guest list, or upload it as a CSV, into the free Seating Chart. A Group or Household column keeps each household at one table.
  2. Set the seats per table and the number of tables, assign the seats, and download the CSV. Its columns are Name, Table, Table number and Group.
  3. Open the CSV in Excel or Google Sheets, copy the columns you want, and paste them into Word. Then sort and repeat the header as above.

The Seating Chart's own "Print escort list and tables" button already prints the A–Z list and a list per table, so Word is only needed for your own layout. For a card per guest, the free Place Cards tool reads the same CSV. In a spreadsheet instead of Word, see a wedding seating chart in Excel or Google Sheets; for the table count, how many tables for 100 or 150 guests.

Questions

Does Word have a seating chart template?

Not in Microsoft's Word wedding template gallery, read on 4 November 2026: it has invitations, programs and checklists, and points to Copilot in Word for seating charts. A Word table, sorted by name and by table, does the job without a template.

How do I make a seating chart in Word?

Put one guest per line with the name and table separated by tabs, select the lines, and click Insert › Table › Convert Text to Table. Sort the table with Layout › Sort: by name for the entrance list, by table number for the venue. Draw the room with Insert › Shapes if you need a plan.

Is there a free tool to make a seating chart?

Yes. Our free Seating Chart tool takes a pasted guest list or a CSV, assigns tables with each household kept together, and downloads a CSV with Name, Table, Table number and Group columns that goes straight into the Word table above. It also prints an A–Z list and one list per table.

Sources

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