A list can look aligned in Word while containing an inconsistent mixture of tabs and spaces. Converting that appearance directly into a table may put half a description in the next column. Define the intended fields before choosing the conversion command.

Work on a copy containing three fictional records. Give each record an identifier, a description and a quantity. Include a description such as Cable, blue so that a comma inside a value cannot be mistaken for a field boundary.

Make the boundaries visible

In desktop Word, turn on Home, Show/Hide to see the paragraph marks and other separators. Microsoft documents that separator characters define columns and paragraph marks define new rows. When the content already contains commas, its guidance recommends tabs as separators.

Put a single intended separator between each field and a paragraph mark at each record boundary. A long description wrapping visually onto another line is still part of that field; do not press Enter merely to reproduce its current appearance.

Select only the prepared records and choose Insert, Table, Convert Text to Table. Under Separate Text At, choose Tabs. Check the proposed row and column counts before accepting. For this three-record example without a heading row, expect three columns and three rows. The dialog also provides fixed-width and AutoFit choices for presentation.

Check the records across the row

Read each identifier, description and quantity together in the resulting table. Confirm that Cable, blue occupies one description cell and that its quantity has not shifted into another record. Count the records against the source, including the last one.

If a row has the wrong structure, undo the trial in the working copy and inspect its separators. Adding empty cells afterwards can hide the original mapping problem. For a blank field, preserve its position deliberately rather than allowing the following value to occupy that column.

Only adjust widths and formatting after the field mapping is right. Keep the original text until the table has been checked, particularly when it came from a report that someone else will need to reconcile. A tidy grid is useful only when its rows still represent the intended records.

Sources: Microsoft: text and table conversion.