How to make a table span two columns?

To insert a two column table paste the table at its desired location. MS Word will format the table in the column where you pasted it. So, if the table is too wide (the raison d'etre why spanning across two columns is desired), it will appear a bit distorted.

Then place the cursor before the table and insert a section break (continuous). Repeat this after placing the cursor after the table. Then select the contents of this section (i.e. just select the table). Don't fret if the section is not clearly demarcated from the rest of the document (if you prefer to see the section breaks, just press Ctrl+Shift8; the same combo to hide them). Then convert the section to a single column layout. Your table should now span across two columns.

If you are unable to complete any step(s) mentioned in the previous paragraph, refer to the following links:

• Insert section break in MS Word
  
• Create two column layout
  
• See or hide section breaks

I think you can just drag the table to where you want it once you've created it. Or more formally try setting the table's position relative to the margin or page, rather than to the column. You will need to play with the wrapping too (probably set it to Around).

I faced similar situation. Google brought me to this forum, however, I do not think any of the solutions on this page are correct or complete. I see that this post is quite old but I would still like to share my solution, so that others may benefit from it.

I am using Microsoft Office 2016.

1. First, I inserted a text box by going to Insert > Text Box
2. Once the text box is on the document, I adjusted its width so that it meets my needs. It spanned from column 1 to column 2 (roughly speaking, it was as wide as the page)
3. Next, I could see the box is covering my text. To solve this, I selected the text box and went to Layout > Wrap Text > Square

The beauty of this solution is that Text Box serves as an independent identity and any formatting changes made else where in the word document will not affect the text box