Confluence Cloud tables: feature column width "fit to content" (no extra spaces)

[Carlo Sirna]

Hi,

I'm using Confluence to maintain large pieces of technical documentation, where we document database tables field‑by‑field.

A concrete example is this page in our internal Confluence space:

• LOGINEXT table documentation
• ~280+ fields
• each row = 1 Oracle column (e.g. LXT_ABILITATOVALIDAZIONESDI, LXT_CHIUDE_BOLLONI, etc.)
• columns: Oracle field name, Oracle type, long functional description

In this kind of documentation we really need a table column type that strictly auto‑fits to its content width, without taking extra horizontal space.

Problem

Current Confluence table behavior:

• always tries to stretch columns to fill the full page width
• distributes the extra space between columns
• does not provide any per‑column option like “fit to content” / “no wrap”

For “code‑like” columns (field names, enum values, constants) this is a problem:

• the field name column becomes unnecessarily wide OR get wrapped on multiple lines, making it hard to read
• the useful columns (long descriptions) get less room
• the overall table becomes harder to read and to maintain
• it is impossible resize the columns in the designer in order to have a layout that renders nicely on any device or screen size: if you fixit for a certain display width, you break it for all the others.

What we would like is something closer to HTML tables with:

• width: auto
• white-space: nowrap
• no extra padding beyond the width of the longest single‑line cell in that column

Requested feature

Add a per‑column setting in Confluence Cloud tables, for example:

• “Fit to content (no extra width)”
  and/or
• “No wrap & fit to content”

Expected behavior:

• the column shrinks exactly to the width of its content (single line)
• Confluence does not force that column to grow just to fill the page
• ideal for columns with short, fixed identifiers (field names, codes, enums)

Typical use cases

• Database schema documentation (1 row per column)
• Permission/feature flag matrices (1 row per flag, short flag name + long explanation)
• Any table where:
  • first column = short identifier
  • other columns = long text, explanations, notes

In all these cases, having the first column “stick” to its content and not consume extra width would greatly improve readability.

---

Question

• Is there already a public Jira ticket for this behavior in Confluence Cloud tables?
• If yes, could you please link it here so we can vote and track it?
• If not, could a PM create one and associate this Community thread so we (and other admins/documentation owners) can upvote it?

Thanks!

[Joshua Brock _ Seibert Group_ GmbH]

Greetings @Carlo Sirna and welcome!

Looks like you have a couple of options.If I may, I'll offer another.

Being totally transparent, I am a content writer for Seibert Group, which includes Aura and Agile Hive.

In addition to our Table Filter app, we have a complete and integrated suite of apps for Confluence cloud that I believe may be very helpful to you, not just with this current issue, but your overall Confluence presence.

If you're still looking for options, please feel free to give us a look. Best of luck and please feel free to reach out directly with any questions!


Joshua
Content Writer
Agile Hive & Aura Apps
Seibert Group, GmbH

[Igor Medeiros - Modus Create]

Hi @Carlo Sirna

Complementing what Prasanna said previously, if you are looking for HTML solutions to build tables, I believe our app Just Add+ can provide a solution for this scenario.

I allows you to add content such as Markdown, LateX, Diagrams, and HTML to Confluence pages.

Feel free to reach out!

[Prasanna Ravichandran]

Hi,

At the moment, Confluence Cloud tables don’t support a per-column “fit to content” or true auto-width behavior. Columns are designed to stretch to the page width, and there isn’t a native setting for “no wrap” or content-only sizing like in HTML tables.

Common workarounds include:

* Manually resizing columns (though not fully responsive)
* Using monospace/code formatting for identifier columns
* Splitting large tables across sections/pages
* Embedding content via HTML/macros/apps (if available)
* Using Marketplace apps that offer advanced table features

For feature tracking, you can search or raise a request in Atlassian’s public issue tracker (JAC) and vote/watch it to get updates.

Hope this helps 👍