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Fixing Common TablePress Responsive and Mobile Display Issues

37 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Tablepress – tables in wordpress made easy

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TablePress is a powerful WordPress plugin for creating and managing tables, but users often encounter challenges with responsiveness and mobile display. Based on community discussions, here are the most common issues and their solutions.

Why Your TablePress Table Isn't Responsive

The most frequent mobile issue is tables not adapting to smaller screens. TablePress includes horizontal scrolling functionality in its free version, but it must be activated manually.

Solution: Enable Horizontal Scrolling

To make your tables responsive:

  1. Go to your TablePress dashboard
  2. Edit the specific table
  3. Enable the "Horizontal Scrolling" option
  4. Save your changes

Alternatively, you can use the shortcode parameter: [table id=123 responsive=scroll /]

Fixing Text Wrapping Issues on Mobile

Some themes apply CSS rules that cause text to break incorrectly on mobile devices, resulting in each character appearing on its own line.

Solution: Add Custom CSS

Add this code to the "Custom CSS" section in TablePress Plugin Options:

.tablepress {
  word-break: normal;
}

Adjusting Font Sizes for Mobile Devices

To change font sizes specifically for mobile viewing, use CSS media queries:

@media screen and (max-width: 768px) {
  .tablepress {
    font-size: 12px;
  }
}

Addressing Column Alignment Issues

Some users report header columns becoming misaligned with content columns on different devices, particularly when using fixed headers.

This often occurs when tables contain merged cells or complex structures that prevent proper responsiveness. The TablePress team suggests simplifying table structures where possible for better cross-device compatibility.

Solving CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) Issues

CLS problems are typically caused by content within tables (like images or ads) that resize after loading, rather than TablePress itself. To identify the true cause:

  1. Temporarily remove images from your table
  2. Disable any ads within table content
  3. Test if the CLS issue persists
  4. Gradually reintroduce elements to identify the culprit

Accessibility Considerations

For better accessibility, ensure keyboard users have visible focus indicators on sortable headers:

.tablepress thead th:focus-visible {
    outline: 2px solid #000000 !important;
    border-radius: 3px;
}

When Responsive Extensions Don't Work

If you've installed the Responsive Tables extension but it's not working:

  1. Verify the extension is activated in your plugins
  2. Check that you're using the correct shortcode parameters
  3. Ensure your table structure supports responsiveness (avoid merged cells for some modes)
  4. Test with different responsive modes: scroll, collapse, stack, or flip

Troubleshooting Table Width Issues

Tables containing long unbreakable content (like URLs) may exceed container widths. Solutions include:

  • Enabling horizontal scrolling
  • Adding word-break properties to problematic columns
  • Simplifying table content where possible

Remember that TablePress generates standard HTML tables, so most display issues relate to CSS conflicts with your theme or other plugins. Testing with default themes can help identify these conflicts.

For more advanced responsive options including collapse, stack, flip, and modal modes, consider exploring the premium features offered by the TablePress team.

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