Table AutoFitted to Window Spilling into Page Margins

[piquica]

I am using Microsoft 365, my Office products correspond with Version 2406, and I use a PC laptop.

I'm working on my doctoral dissertation, which has specific formatting constraints. I am reaching out for help because my tables seem to be misbehaving and I'm at my wits end trying to resolve the issue.

I am presenting the tables in my Appendix in landscape (horizontal) format, and the page margins are required to be:

Top: 1.5"


Bottom: 1"
Right: 1"
Left: 1"

All tables must fit within these page margins.

When I formatted the tables to AutoFit to Window, they have suddenly started bleeding into the righthand margin. When I manually try adjusting the righthand table border using my cursor, the border does not move. The borders for the columns and rows are also not moving when I try to manually adjust them with my cursor. I can adjust the width/height of a cell in the Cell Size tab, but this then causes the table to become too wide or narrow and, again, the table border is unable to be moved with my cursor to correct this.

Some googling identified that the issue might be that many of my cells have been merged, so I did a test... I created 2 dummy/tester tables with no merged cells and left one untouched and then selected AutoFit to Window for the second one. The first dummy/tester table (no AutoFit to Window) fits within the page margins, BUT the borders for the rows/columns/cells/table are unable to be shifted using my cursor. The second dummy/tester table (AutoFit to Windows) continues to display the same issue of spilling into the righthand margin.

What am I doing wrong? How can I fix this issue?

I've attached the Word document of my Appendix with the 2 dummy/tester tables and 2 of my dissertation tables.

Any assistance would be invaluable! Thank you!!!