Q. I know I can use conditional formatting to shade every other row (or every nth row) of an Excel data table. But how do you do that in a Word table?
A. One way is to use the Table AutoFormat capabilities of Word. Start by creating your table as you normally would. Select the table design from the menu as shown in the screenshot below.
If you prefer the alternating colors in the columns instead, just keep clicking on the All table styles .
What makes the Table AutoFormat particularly handy is that it creates a “smart” table that automatically adjusts row shading or color even when you add new rows.