How can I reduce the size of a table?

[Stefan Pichler]

The tables are always the full width. I want to make them shrink to size, like in the old editor. The new tables are not readable.

[Katerina Kovriga _Stiltsoft_]

Hi @Stefan Pichler ,

Our company develops the Table Filter and Charts for Confluence app and if it happens so that you have it installed for your instance, please note that there is a workaround to change (set) column width using the Table Transformer macro. If the anchor of the link is broken (sometimes it happens), please navigate to the "Changing column width" section.

[Stefan Pichler]

Thanks, but I need a solution without third-party-plugins.

[Clara Vega _Simpleasyty_]

Hi @Stefan Pichler 

If the main goal is simply to stop the table from taking the full page width, the easiest option today is to use Confluence’s native table controls first: resize the table directly, adjust the individual column widths, and try a centered layout instead of full-width.

From the Simple Table app side, I’d be careful not to position it as a direct “shrink-to-content width” feature. Simple Table can definitely help make the table easier to read, though. For example, you can wrap a native Confluence table with the Simple Table bodied macro and then use features like compact spacing or hiding less important columns to make the table feel much cleaner and less overwhelming.

So I’d suggest this approach:
use native Confluence if width is the only issue, and consider Simple Table app if the bigger problem is readability or presenting a large table more clearly.

Hope this helps.