# Add a table to the canvas

> Click Table in the toolbar or press Y to add a table with Description, Status, Assignee, Due date, Priority, and Notes columns that you can edit, extend, reorder, and download as a spreadsheet.

Category: Adding content
Web page: https://www.pactto.com/help/create-table
All guides: https://www.pactto.com/help.md

## Create a table

A table is a spreadsheet-style grid on the canvas for tasks, plans, and trackers. You need **Can edit** access (or be the room owner) to create or edit one. Other people see it read-only.

1. In the toolbar, click **Table**, or press **Y**. In a narrow window, Table is under the **Insert** (**...**) button.
2. A table named **Table** appears in a free spot on the canvas and is selected.

It starts with 5 rows and these columns: **Description**, **Status**, **Assignee**, **Due date**, **Priority**, and **Notes**.

### Edit cells

- Click a cell to edit it. Each column type has its own editor: text, a number, a date calendar, a person picker (people in the room), a status or priority menu, or a link.
- Press **Tab** to save and move to the next cell, or **Shift+Tab** to go back.
- Status uses the same statuses as the rest of Pactto, and Priority uses the same flags as comments.
- In a link cell, click **Open link** to open the address.
- While someone is editing a cell, it is locked for everyone else and shows who is editing it.

### Select, copy, and paste cells

- **Shift+click** another cell to select a block of cells, then **Shift+arrow keys** to extend it. In Focus Mode you can also drag across cells.
- Press **Cmd+C** or **Ctrl+C** to copy the block. It pastes into spreadsheets such as Google Sheets or Excel.
- Click a cell and press **Cmd+V** or **Ctrl+V** to paste cells copied from a spreadsheet. Pactto tells you if any values were skipped or if rows or columns were added.
- Press **Escape** or click once to clear the selection.

### Rows

- Click **Add row** (the **+** under the table) to add a row.
- Hover over a row number to show the drag handle. Drag the handle to move the row, or click it to open the row menu: **Insert row above**, **Insert row below**, **Duplicate row**, **Delete row**.

### Columns

- Click **Add column** (the **+** on the right) to add a column. New columns are **Text** columns.
- Click a column header to open its menu: **Rename column**, **Type** (Text, Long text, Number, Person, Date, Link, Status, Priority), **Sort ascending**, **Sort descending**, **Insert left**, **Insert right**, **Duplicate column**, **Delete column**.
- Drag a column header to move the column.
- Drag the line between two headers to resize a column.

Sorting changes only the display order. Clear the sort to return to the original order. A table always keeps at least one row and one column.

### Name, move, focus, and download

- When the table is selected, its title shows above it. Double-click the title to rename the table.
- Click the focus button in the title to open the table in Focus Mode.
- Move the table by dragging its title.
- To download it as a spreadsheet, right-click the table and choose **Download spreadsheet**. To save a picture of it, choose **Export visible view**, then **PNG** or **PDF**. Both need **Can edit** access.

## Good to know

- If creating the table fails, you see "Failed to create table". Try again.
- If building the spreadsheet fails, you see "Couldn't build the spreadsheet."

## Related guides

- [Add images, videos, PDFs, and other content to a room](https://www.pactto.com/help/add-assets.md): Click Add asset in the toolbar (or press 1) to upload from your computer, Google Drive, or Adobe Frame.io; you can also drag files onto the canvas, paste them, paste links, or create a Pactto doc or a table.
- [Create a Pactto doc for shared notes](https://www.pactto.com/help/create-pactto-doc.md): Click Doc in the toolbar or press D to add a document to the canvas that everyone in the room can write in at the same time.
- [Export the canvas, a board, or a selection as PNG or PDF](https://www.pactto.com/help/export-canvas.md): Right-click an empty area of the canvas and choose Export canvas, then PNG or PDF; select a board or items first to export just those.
- [Download files from the canvas, one at a time or all at once](https://www.pactto.com/help/download-assets.md): Select a file and click Download in its title bar, or right-click a selection, a board, or the empty canvas to download many images, videos, and PDFs at once.
- [Focus on one item or board](https://www.pactto.com/help/focus-mode.md): Select an item or board and click Enter focus mode to show only that item, full size; press Escape or click Exit focus mode to go back to the canvas.