How To Do A Mail Merge From Excel

Before you begin, you want to ensure that everything in your Excel spreadsheet is prepared for the mail merge.

All the data required for the merge should be provided on the first sheet of your Excel spreadsheet.

The spreadsheet must be formatted with one row for each intended recipient.

Check that the column names in the spreadsheet and the field names you wish to insert match.

Make sure that data entries in the spreadsheet are correctly formatted, so that their values can be properly read.

Save the Excel spreadsheet to your local device, if it isn’t saved there already.

Read through the spreadsheet to correct or add any necessary information before you begin the merge.

With your information prepared and checked, you can begin the mail merge. The process is suitable for both mail and email messages.

Open a Word document.

Select the Mailings tab, and then select the Start Mail Merge group. A drop-down menu will appear. Select the type of mail merge you wish to run, such as Letters, or E-mail Messages.

On the Mailings tab, click on Select recipients. From the drop-down menu, select Use an Existing List.

A dialog box will appear, allowing you to connect your Excel spreadsheet to your Word document. Find your chosen Excel file and select Open, then find your chosen target sheet and select Ok.

On the Mailings tab, click Edit Recipients List. This will allow you to refine the recipients list, and remove anyone not in the intended audience.

Mail Merge Recipients dialog box will appear. This will allow you to check or uncheck the recipients of the mail merge.

Sort, filter, and validate the recipient’s email using the Refine recipient list option in the same dialog box.

Create your letter in your Word document, or copy a pre-written message from another document.

In the Mailings tab, select Address Block. A dialog box will appear. Select the settings and options that work for you, using the Preview section to check the data is correct.

In the Mailings tab, select Greeting Line. Another dialog box will appear, similar to the Address Block, for you to select your chosen greeting. The Greeting Line and Address Line will appear as placeholders.

Other merge fields can be added using the Insert Merge Field drop-down menu. Insert your chosen field within the text.

Select Preview Results on the Mailing tab, to check the details have merged correctly. Use the arrow keys to navigate across the recipients.

To finish, select the Finish & Merge button on the Mailings tab. From here, you can print or email the letter. Alternatively, you can edit individual documents from the same button.

Save your mail merge document by clicking the Save button. `

The mail merge Word document will now stay connected to the Excel data source. Next time you have a bulk message to send out, you can use the same document.

When you open the mail merge, Word will prompt you to stay connected. Click Yes on the dialog box.