Merging table cells in OneNote

Question

How do we merge cells in a table in OneNote ?

Does someone have an alternative for this ?

Answer 1

Dear @DMA,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum!

Thank you for raising the question about merging table cells in OneNote. I’d like to clarify what’s happening and guide you on the available options.

For a long time, OneNote did not support merging table cells. Microsoft introduced this feature only recently, and it is available only in specific OneNote desktop app versions. As a result, whether the option appears depends on which OneNote you are using.

Please help me confirm your setup, could you let me know:

• Are you using OneNote for the Web (in a browser) or the OneNote desktop app?
• If you are using the desktop app, is it fully up to date?

There is an important behavior by platform because:

• OneNote for the Web: Merging table cells is not supported. You can only view already‑merged cells, not create or edit them.
• OneNote desktop app (Windows or MacOS): Merging table cells is supported, but only in newer versions.

Microsoft’s official announcement and version details: Merge table cells in OneNote on Windows and for Mac

Here is my result for this merging feature on my Mac:

• Web version: it does not have merge option.

• Desktop app: the feature is available there.

If you are using the desktop app, please ensure you are on the latest version. You can try to uninstall and reinstall your OneNote app. But you have to reinstall it by downloading Office version from the Microsoft's website, please do not download OneNote from your MacBook's App Store. (see steps and link below):  

• Go to Applications > select OneNote > Move to Trash. 
• Download Office directly from Microsoft instead. 

You can see this link for more details for it: Download, install, or reinstall Microsoft 365 or Office 2024 on a PC or Mac - Microsoft Support 

In case that, you have already used OneNote that downloaded directly from the Microsoft's website: you can update your current version of Office > Go to the "Update history for Office for Mac - Office release notes | Microsoft Learn" page and download the installer package for a proper version to use this feature in the app.

After updating, you should be able to select adjacent cells, right‑click, and choose Table > Merge Cells or you can choose it in Table tab.

Besides that, if you must use OneNote for the web, or cannot update the desktop app, you can consult this article: https://spellapp.com/resources/how-to-merge-cells-in-onenote . However, I still highly recommend that you should try using OneNote app on your Mac for the best experience in this case.

Note: This information is provided as a convenience to you. These sites are not controlled by Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please ensure that you fully understand the risks before using any suggestions from the above link.

I hope this information can give you some insights and please let me know how things go on your side as your update can also assist others in the community who may be facing the same issue.

---

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

Answer 2

In OneNote, there isn't a direct method to merge cells in a table like you would find in other applications such as Word or Excel. However, you can achieve a similar effect by using the MergeSections method if you're working with the OneNote API. This method allows you to merge the content of one section into another, but it does not specifically address merging table cells directly.

If you are looking for an alternative approach, you might consider manually adjusting the layout of your table by deleting the content of the cells you want to merge and formatting the remaining cell to span the desired area visually. This workaround can help create the appearance of merged cells without actual merging functionality.

---

References:

• Application interface (OneNote)