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One way to modify the built-in table formats that come with Microsoft Word is to apply your own stripe patterns. You can select the number of rows or columns to include in a stripe pattern and apply your color choices to the pattern.

The above table, for example, has a stripe pattern with two rows of color alternating with two rows without color.

Note  When you modify a table style, all tables with that style in the active document will be changed.

To add stripe patterns to a table

1. Select the table.
2. If the Styles and Formatting task pane is not open, click Styles and Formatting on the Formatting toolbar.
3. In the Styles and Formatting task pane, click the arrow on the table style, and then click Modify.
4. In the Apply formatting to box, select a stripe pattern by doing one or both of the following:

   Add stripes to rows

   1. Click Odd row stripes or Even row stripes.
   2. To select a color for the row stripes, click the arrow next to Shading Color, and then click a color.

   Add stripes to columns

   1. Click Odd column stripes or Even column stripes.
   2. To select a color for the column stripes, click the arrow next to Shading Color, and then click a color.

   By default, the stripe patterns are applied to every other row or column.

5. To change the number of rows or columns in a stripe pattern, click Format, and then click Stripes.
6. In the Stripes dialog box, do one or both of the following:

   Change the number of rows in a stripe

   • In the Number of rows in a row band box, click a number.

   Change the number of columns in a stripe

   • In the Number of columns in a column band box, click a number.