# Markdown Tables in Confluence — Syntax Reference & Alignment

May 6, 2026 ·

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4 min read

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Confluence has a visual table editor, but it's slow for creating structured tables — you need to click to add rows and columns one at a time. If you write documentation in Markdown, you can create tables much faster with Markdown syntax.

This guide shows how to create, format, and edit tables in Confluence using Markdown.

## The problem with Confluence's native table editor[​](#the-problem-with-confluences-native-table-editor "Direct link to The problem with Confluence's native table editor")

Confluence's built-in table editor requires multiple clicks:

1. Click the table button
2. Select the number of rows and columns
3. Click each cell to enter content
4. Use the toolbar to format alignment

For developers and technical writers who already have data in Markdown format, this is tedious. You can't paste a Markdown table into the native editor — it won't render.

## Solution: Enhanced Markdown for Confluence[​](#solution-enhanced-markdown-for-confluence "Direct link to Solution: Enhanced Markdown for Confluence")

[Enhanced Markdown for Confluence](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1232856/enhanced-markdown-for-confluence?hosting=cloud\&tab=overview) adds full Markdown support including GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) tables.

### Basic Markdown table syntax[​](#basic-markdown-table-syntax "Direct link to Basic Markdown table syntax")

````
| Feature | Supported | Notes |

|---------|-----------|-------|

| Headings | Yes | H1–H6 |

| Tables | Yes | GFM syntax |

| Code blocks | Yes | Fenced with ``` |

| Task lists | Yes | - [ ] and - [x] |
````

This renders as a formatted Confluence table with borders and padding.

### Table alignment[​](#table-alignment "Direct link to Table alignment")

Control column alignment using colons in the separator row:

```
| Left aligned | Center aligned | Right aligned |

|:-------------|:--------------:|--------------:|

| Left         | Center         | Right         |

| Text         | Text           | Text          |
```

* `:---` = left aligned (default)
* `:---:` = center aligned
* `---:` = right aligned

### How to create a Markdown table in Confluence[​](#how-to-create-a-markdown-table-in-confluence "Direct link to How to create a Markdown table in Confluence")

1. Install [Enhanced Markdown for Confluence](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1232856/enhanced-markdown-for-confluence?hosting=cloud\&tab=overview) from the Marketplace (free for up to 10 users)
2. Open a Confluence page in edit mode
3. Type `/enhanced markdown` and select the macro
4. Write your table in Markdown syntax
5. Switch to WYSIWYG mode to see the rendered result
6. Save the page

### Copy tables from GitHub[​](#copy-tables-from-github "Direct link to Copy tables from GitHub")

You can paste any Markdown table directly from GitHub READMEs, pull requests, or issues into the Enhanced Markdown editor. It renders correctly without any modification.

This is especially useful for:

* **API documentation** — paste parameter tables from spec files
* **Changelog tables** — copy release notes from GitHub releases
* **Comparison tables** — migrate feature comparison tables from Markdown docs
* **Decision records** — paste pros/cons tables from architecture discussions

## Markdown tables vs Confluence tables[​](#markdown-tables-vs-confluence-tables "Direct link to Markdown tables vs Confluence tables")

| Feature                  | Native Table       | Markdown Table    |
| ------------------------ | ------------------ | ----------------- |
| Creation speed           | Slow (click-based) | Fast (type-based) |
| Copy from GitHub         | No                 | Yes               |
| Version control friendly | No                 | Yes (plain text)  |
| Alignment control        | Toolbar clicks     | `:---` syntax     |
| Merge cells              | Yes                | No                |
| Row/column span          | Yes                | No                |
| Background colors        | Yes                | No                |

Markdown tables are ideal for structured data where every row has the same columns. For complex layouts with merged cells, use the native Confluence table editor.

## Markdown table tips[​](#markdown-table-tips "Direct link to Markdown table tips")

**Keep columns narrow** — wide tables are hard to read in raw Markdown. Use abbreviations or short headers.

**Use alignment for numbers** — right-align numeric columns for better readability:

```
| Metric | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |

|--------|---:|---:|---:|

| Revenue | 120 | 145 | 178 |

| Users | 1,200 | 1,500 | 2,000 |
```

**Link in tables** — you can include links in table cells:

```
| App | Documentation |

|-----|---------------|

| Mermaid Plus | [Docs](/docs/Mermaid-Plus-for-Confluence/usage) |

| Code Blocks | [Docs](/docs/Modern-Code-Blocks-for-Confluence/user-docs) |
```

## Related resources[​](#related-resources "Direct link to Related resources")

* [Enhanced Markdown — marketplace](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1232856/enhanced-markdown-for-confluence?hosting=cloud\&tab=overview) | [documentation](/apps/enhanced-markdown-for-confluence.md)
* [How to write Markdown in Confluence](/blog/how-to-write-markdown-in-confluence.md)
* [Confluence Markdown vs WYSIWYG FAQ](/blog/faq-confluence-markdown-vs-wysiwyg.md)
* [Confluence Markdown editor FAQ](/blog/faq-confluence-markdown-editor.md)
* [Confluence Markdown editor comparison](/blog/confluence-markdown-editor-comparison.md)

Try <!-- -->Enhanced Markdown for Confluence

Write Markdown with live split preview, Mermaid diagrams, KaTeX/LaTeX math, and 190+ code languages — all in one macro, free for up to 10 users.

[Get it on the Atlassian Marketplace](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1237026/enhanced-markdown-for-confluence?utm_source=ngpilot.com\&utm_medium=website\&utm_campaign=enhanced-markdown-for-confluence)

## Related guides

* [How to Write Markdown in Confluence](/blog/faq-confluence-markdown-editor.md)
* [How to Create Mermaid Diagrams in Jira](/blog/how-to-create-mermaid-diagrams-jira.md)
* [Export Jira Issues to Excel or CSV](/blog/export-jira-issues-to-excel.md)
* [Bulk Download Jira Attachments](/blog/bulk-download-jira-attachments.md)

Explore NGPILOT[Browse Solutions](/solutions.md)[All Apps](/apps.md)[Atlassian Marketplace →](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/vendors/1226848/?utm_source=ngpilot.com\&utm_medium=blog\&utm_campaign=hub-links)

**Tags:**

* [confluence](/blog/tags/confluence.md)
* [markdown](/blog/tags/markdown.md)
* [tables](/blog/tags/tables.md)
* [formatting](/blog/tags/formatting.md)
* [enhanced-markdown](/blog/tags/enhanced-markdown.md)