How do I copy-paste a table in Confluence Cloud?
Asked by Chris Rehberg:

I am referring to native Confluence tables - created within Confluence cloud. (I am not referring to tables created in other applications).

Additionally, how do I copy-paste individual rows?

Use case: create a comprehensive table - several rows and columns with data. You decide to put the table into the 'expand' macro. You create the expand macro. How do you move the table into the macro?

(It would be nice if you could click on a "header" above the table - much the same way that macros have headers - and choose 'copy' from a context menu. If native copy-paste isn't supported, then could Atlassian implement tables within a macro automatically - so that our management around moving them is as easy as moving any other macro, but the rendering to the browser is transparent / no effect?)

I am on Windows 7 using Chrome.


Answers:
author: Sara Woodhull
body: I was able to select and copy my table-plus-words in VIEW MODE and then copy it into m document in EDIT MODE. But that's the only way I could do it.

Sara

comments: author: Krista Ratcliff
body: This worked for me! Thank you for this tip.


author: Ulrich Bervoets
body: works for me too


author: Deanna.church
body: This is still horribly broken. Every time Atlassian does some 'Update' on confluence, the user experience gets worse.


author: Stanislav Ploschansky
body: This is the way how it is working for me with the new editor (cloud version):

1. Click the first cell in the table and place the caret at the beginning of the text if there is any
2. Press the left arrow (you can always use arrows to step between cells or move around the caret)
3. The whole table will be selected: all the cells are highlighted, the border at the beginning of all rows and above all columns are also highlighted
4. Press Ctrl + C
5. Select an empty place
6. Press Ctrl + V

comments: author: Stanislav Ploschansky
body: Works for me as well. Table should be selected by columns, and not by click top-left corner


author: Tina Hutchinson
body: Stanislav, why can't you select the table by clicking the top-left corner? I use that to copy the entire table without any problems.


author: Corey Scholefield
body: I like this approach, and adapted a bit to suit on the Mac.

1. Click the first cell in the table and place the cursor at the beginning of the text if there is any
2. Press the left arrow (you can always use arrows to step between cells or move around the cursor)
3. The whole left-side of the table will appear ready to select.
4. Scroll to the bottom-right cell of the table, and Shift-Click in that cell.
5. All the cells are highlighted, the border at the beginning of all rows and above all columns are also highlighted
6. Press Ctrl + C
7. Select an empty place
8. Press CTRL + V


author: Rob Visser
body: Perfect, thanks Istvan!

Those instructions worked for me on a Mac, no need to take Corey's extra steps.


author: Gareth
body: Its still painfully broken..


author: Stanislav Ploschansky
body: For me Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V works. (both files in Edit mode).   
NOTE: Ctrl+Insert and Shift+Insert - doesn't work

comments: author: du Preez Pieter
body: Agreed!

Come on [@atlassian](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/62094), just standardize your key bindings.

Thousands, if not millions are using Ctrl-Insert and Shift-Insert for copy-and-pasting.


author: Nicole Garnier
body: Agreed. This should be very simple to do. The new editor doesn't seem to recognize copied tables from pages made with the old editor. I can copy and paste from old page to old page, but not old to new. Very frustrating and a huge waste of time.


author: Thomas Schlegel
body: Hi Chris,

copy and paste tables in Confluence is a bit tricky.

Technically, it is very simply. Select everything in the table from the header line to the last line, copy it and paste it in the new position.

But it is tricky - e.g. if the last cell in the last row is not filled, the empty cell is not copied.

Most of the time, it works better, if you select beginning from the last word before the table until the first word after the table, copy that, paste it and remove the two words after.

comments: author: Sara Woodhull
body: Hi Thomas,

I am trying to do this as well in Confluence Cloud (on Windows 10), and I find that if I try to select text-table-text as you suggested, it doesn't even highlight that for me to copy! And if I try to carefully select all the text IN the table and try to copy and paste that, I get a concatenated string of the contents, like:

ParameterDescriptionData TypeRead OnlyRequiredreferrerSystem of record requesting advice.StringFALSETRUEentityTypeObjects or tables in 3rd party system. .StringTRUETRUEsourceFriendly name.StringFALSEFALSErecordTypeType of entity *being sent as input*.StringFALSETRUEupdatedOnDate and time advice was sought in ISO 8601 format (such as `2017-09-18T14:01:32)`StringFALSETRUE

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Sara


author: Chris Rehberg
body: Hi Thomas (and Sara),

I did try this technique of copying the words before and after the table. I was able to successfully copy the whole table this way.

If Atlassian is watching, I'd really like to see an option to click near the table header and choose 'copy' or 'cut' for just the table - much like macros have a context menu allowing you to choose 'remove'.


author: Tina Hutchinson
body: I also did try this trick of selecting a word above and a word after the table to copy the table in Confluence Cloud. It still works in 2020 - thank you Thomas! In fact, using that technique you can copy a table from the old editor, and drop it into a new editor page. The table will convert to a new editor table format. :)


author: Kathryn Tran
body: Hi Thomas,

I tried your trick with the fact that the last cell in the last row is not filled; the empty cell is not copied. It worked perfectly for me. It saves me a lot of time from now on to recreate a table. You're a genius. Thanks so much.


author: Jeff Pierce _Appfire_
body: I would suggest you go and vote and comment on the following issues. It is such a pain to work with tables especially when in a macro, any macro.

<https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFCLOUD-64612>

<https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFCLOUD-52174>


author: DALI DAVILA
body: Hi!!

Just copy and paste, you don't have to create an empty table at Confluence or something like that, just be sure that in the original table (Excel) you don't have any cell with content that could be interpreted as bullets on the destiny (confluence), if you have some content like that on the original table the content will not be pasted on confluence. Hope this works for you.

Windows 10, Excel Office 365, Confluence Cloud.


Tags: table