mail merge in ms word assignment

How-To Geek

The easiest way to create a mail merge in microsoft word.

Write one email or letter and send it to everyone in your list.

Quick Links

Create a mail merge in word, other types of mail merge documents.

When you need to print letters or send emails to many customers, clients, or employees, you can do so quickly using a mail merge. With the mail merge wizard in Microsoft Word, you can set this up in just minutes.

A mail merge lets you compose the base of the message, insert the names, and create all the letters at one time . The nice part about Word's mail merge wizard is that you can use an existing list or create one on the fly. You can also customize various parts of the letter and use the merge for labels or envelopes in addition to emails and letters.

With the popularity of sending business emails , as opposed to physical letters, let's use an example of creating an email mail merge. Open a Microsoft Word document and compose your message.

When you finish your message and are ready to create the merge, go to the Mailings tab. Use the Start Mail Merge drop-down arrow to select "Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard."

You'll see a sidebar open on the right which walks you through the mail merge process. Mark the Email Messages option at the top and click "Next: Starting Document" at the bottom.

Next, choose the Use the Current Document option. If you do want to start fresh with a template or from a different document, choose that option instead.

Click "Next: Select Recipients" at the bottom of the sidebar.

Add the Recipients

Now you can select your recipient list or create one with the following options.

Related: How to Create Mailing Labels in Word from an Excel List

Use an Existing List : Pick this option and click "Browse" to locate your file. When it opens in Word, you'll see a box where you can refine your list if you like. Sort, filter, find duplicates, or validate the addresses. You can also use the checkboxes to select and deselect recipients.

Select From Outlook Contacts : Mark this option and click "Choose Contacts Folder" to pick the folder. You'll then see the contacts from that folder appear in a box just like above where you can refine your list.

Type a New List : Pick this option and then click "Create" to enter the recipients' details in the pop-up window. You can use any of the fields you like and customize the columns.

After you select your recipients, click "Next: Write Your Email Message" at the bottom of the sidebar.

Complete Your Message

You can then choose from the blocks you see to add the recipient details to your message.

Address Block : Place your cursor in the document where you want the address block. Then, choose a format for the recipient names, whether you want to include a company name or postal address, and other details about the location.

You'll see a preview of each recipient on the right and can use the arrows at the top to move through and review them. If something is missing, click "Match Fields" to correct this.

Click "OK" when you finish. You'll see the Address Block variable in your document in the location you selected.

Greeting Line : Place your cursor in the document where you want the greeting line. Select a salutation and format for the greeting line as well as a default for invalid recipient names. Preview each by using the arrows and box toward the bottom.

Click "OK" when you're done and you'll see the Greeting Line variable in your document.

Electronic Postage : If you have electronic postage software installed on your computer, select this option and follow the prompts.

More Items : To add more fields such as phone numbers or additional address lines, place your cursor in the document where you want the fields, choose this option, and complete the details. Click "Insert" or "Match Fields" to finish.

To remove any of the items you added, simply select the variable and delete it from the document.

Select "Next: Preview Your Email Messages" at the bottom of the sidebar.

Preview and Send the Emails

You'll then see a preview of the letter with the variables filled in with your recipients' details . Use the arrows in the sidebar to preview each message. To make changes to your recipients, select "Edit Recipient List" or to go back and edit the document, use the links for the steps at the bottom of the sidebar.

When you finish, click "Next: Complete the Merge" and then select "Electronic Mail" to complete the To, Subject Line, and Mail Format details. Optionally, you can send to only certain recipients. Click "OK" to send the emails via Outlook.

If you choose a different type of mail merge in Word, you'll see only slight variances with the wizard.

Letters and Directory : You can add the same details as with emails, but at the end you can print or edit the individual letters or send the directory to a new document.

Envelopes and Labels : You can pick from different options such as envelope size, label type, and font. Then, print your envelopes or labels .

You can create a mail merge in Microsoft Word from scratch for emails, letters, envelopes, or labels using the Mailings tab. But for the easiest way to set up a merge in Word, check out the mail merge wizard.

How to Use Mail Merge in Word for Form Letters (Step by Step)

Perform a Mail Merge in Microsoft Word to Generate Form Letters for Bulk Mailings

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated January 10, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft ® Word ® 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)

You can use mail merge in Microsoft Word to create form letters, labels, envelopes and even a catalog or directory. In this article, we'll review the process for creating form letters for multiple contacts or clients. You'll need to create a main document or letter in Microsoft Word and then connect to a data set of names and addresses in a Word document, Excel worksheet, delimited file or database like Microsoft Access. When you run the mail merge, you have the option of creating a new merged file (which would include a letter for each contact) or merge directly to a printer.

Recommended article: How to Create Labels in Word Using Mail Merge and Excel Source Data

Do you want to learn more about Word?  Check out our virtual classroom or live classroom  Word courses >

Understanding the mail merge process for form letters

There are 7 steps in the mail merge process to create form letters in Word:

• Start the merge and specify the main document for the letter.
• Select the source file containing the data set with names and addresses. Microsoft refers to a data set or database as a list. It's best to create this file before you begin the mail merge process.
• Insert fields into the letter and any other required content (such as the body of the letter and signature).
• Format the letter.
• Select specific recipients or filter the recipient list (optional).
• Preview the merged letter (optional).
• Run the mail merge.

During the mail merge process, fields are inserted into the main document and appear in carets (such as <<FirstName>>). By default, when you click in a field, it is displayed with grey shading. When you run the merge, the fields are replaced by data from the source file.

In this article, we'll be using the Mailings tab in the Ribbon to set up and run a mail merge (not the Mail Merge Wizard):

Step 1: Start the merge and specify the main document

The first step in the mail merge process is to start the merge using Start Mail Merge on the Mailings tab in the Word Ribbon:

To start the merge and specify the main document as a form letter:

• Create a new blank document or open a Word document containing a sample letter.
• Click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then click Start Mail Merge in the Start Mail Merge group.
• From the drop-down menu, select the type of document you want to create. In this case, select Letters. By default, Word uses the current document. At this point, you may want to insert other components such as a date, the body of the letter and a signature.

Step 2: Select the source file containing the data set

The next step is to connect to a source file containing a list of names and addresses using Select Recipients. The source file can be a Microsoft Word document containing a table or delimited data, Excel worksheet or even a table or query in a database such as Microsoft Access. For Word tables and Excel spreadsheets, the first row in the table or worksheet must contain field names such as FirstName, LastName, Company, Address and so on. In a Word source file, there cannot be any paragraphs above the table or data. You can also use a comma or tab delimited file as long as the first line in the document contains field names. In delimited files, the field names and data are separated by a delimiter such as a comma or tab.

Select Recipients appears on the Mailings tab in the Ribbon:

In the following example, note that the field names are in the first row of a Word table which will be used as a source:

In the following Excel example, note that the field names are in the first row of the worksheet which will be used as a source:

To select a Microsoft Word source file containing a table with names and addresses:

• In the main Word document, click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then click Select Recipients in the Start Mail Merge group. A dialog box appears.
• Click Use an Existing List from the drop-down menu. A dialog box appears.
• Navigate to the Word file containing the names and addresses you want to use.
• Double-click the file.

To select a Microsoft Excel source file containing a worksheet with names and addresses:

• Navigate to the Excel file containing the names and addresses you want to use.
• Double-click the file. A dialog box appears.
• Ensure First row of data contains column headers is checked.
• Click the Excel worksheet containing the data you wish to use.

The following dialog box appears when you select an Excel file as the source for a merge:

Step 3: Insert fields from the source file

Once you have connected to a source file, you can insert fields into the main document or letter. You have the option of using special Word fields such as Address Block and Greeting Line (for example, to insert Dear John) or inserting individual fields.

Address Block and Greeting Line appear as follows in the Ribbon:

To insert the Address Block field:

• Click in the main document where you want to insert an address block.
• Click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then click Address Block in the Write & Insert Fields group. A dialog box appears. Word will display an address based on the source data.
• In the samples on the left, select the address sample you prefer.
• Check or uncheck other options if necessary.
• Click OK. Word inserts an Address Block field into the main document.

For Address Block, select a sample address in the area on the left in the Insert Address Block dialog box:

To insert a Greeting Line field:

• Click in the main document where you want to insert a greeting.
• Click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then click Greeting Line in the Write & Fields group. A dialog box appears. Word will display a greeting based on the source data.
• Select greeting line options for the Greeting line format.
• Select an option for invalid recipient names.
• Click OK. Word inserts a Greeting Line field into the main document.

For Greeting Line, select greeting line options in the Insert Greeting Line dialog box:

To insert fields individually:

• Click in the main document where you want to insert a field (such as FirstName).
• Click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then select Insert Merge Field in the Write & Insert Fields group.
• From the drop-down menu, select the field you want to insert.
• Press the spacebar, type text or press Enter if necessary.
• Repeat for other fields you want to insert.

Step 4: Format the letter

You may need to apply formatting to the letter such as changing the font and size and adjusting paragraph spacing.

It's common for an Address Block field or address lines to have extra paragraph spacing above and / or below lines in the address when the results are previewed or printed. This is caused by default settings for space above and below paragraphs.

To remove the paragraph spacing:

• Select the Address Block field or other lines (often in the address if you have inserted individual fields).
• Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and select the dialog box launcher on the bottom right of the Paragraph group.
• Select Don't add space between paragraphs of the same style. Alternatively, change the space above and below the paragraph(s).

Step 5: Select specific recipients or filter the recipient list (optional)

You have the option of specifying specific recipients or filtering the recipient list if you don't want to create form letters for all contacts in the data source.

To choose specific contacts:

• Click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then click Edit Recipient List in the Start Mail Merge group. A dialog box appears.
• Uncheck the check boxes beside the recipients you do not want to include in the mail merge.

To filter the source list:

• Click Filter. A dialog box appears.
• Select / enter the desired filtering options.

For example, below is a filter to display records from Toronto:

To remove the filter, repeat the process, but click Clear All in the Filter and Sort dialog box.

Step 6: Preview the results (optional)

Before you run the mail merge, you can preview the results:

• In the main document, click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then click Preview Results in the Preview Results group.
• Click the arrows in the Preview Results group to go to the next or previous letter.
• Click Preview Results to view the fields again.

Step 7: Run the mail merge for letters

The final step is to run the merge. You can either create a new merged document or merge directly to a printer.

To run the letter mail merge in the main document and create a new merged document:

• Click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then click Finish & Merge in the Finish group. A drop-down menu appears.
• Click Edit Individual Documents. A dialog box appears.
• Click Current Record or enter a selected range if necessary.
• Click OK. Word creates a new merged document that you can edit, print and save. Each letter will appear on a new page in a new section.

The following dialog box appears when you select Edit individual documents.

To run the letter mail merge in the main document and print the merged documents:

• Click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and click Finish & Merge in the Finish group. A drop-down menu appears.
• Select Print Documents. A dialog box appears.
• Click OK. A dialog box appears.
• Select the desired printer and other printer options.

The following dialog box appears when you select Print Documents:

You will typically want to save the main document and the source file. If you save the merged file, you will have a record of the letters that were created.

The process is similar for labels. The main document would be labels (usually a label type with a product code) and would connect to the source document in the same way.

This article was first published on December 9, 2019 and has been updated for clarity and content.

Subscribe to get more articles like this one

Did you find this article helpful? If you would like to receive new articles, join our email list.

More resources

How to Insert a DRAFT Watermark in Word and Remove It (Add Text or Picture Watermarks)

How to Remove Hard Returns in Word Documents

How to Superscipt or Subscript in Word (with Shortcuts)

Related courses

Microsoft Word: Intermediate / Advanced

Microsoft Word: Designing Dynamic Word Documents Using Fields

Microsoft Word: Long Documents Master Class

Microsoft Word: Accessible Word Documents

Microsoft PowerPoint: Intermediate / Advanced

VIEW MORE COURSES >

Our instructor-led courses are delivered in virtual classroom format or at our downtown Toronto location at 18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (some in-person classroom courses may also be delivered at an alternate downtown Toronto location). Contact us at [email protected] if you'd like to arrange custom instructor-led virtual classroom or onsite training on a date that's convenient for you.

Copyright 2024 Avantix ® Learning

You may also like

10 Word Shortcuts to Select Text Using a Keyboard

You can use several shortcuts in Word to select text in your documents using only your keyboard. When you select text, it will typically be highlighted in grey. After you select text, you can cut, copy, or delete the selected text or apply character or paragraph formatting.

How to Generate Random Text in Word

If you are creating a Microsoft Word document, template or mockup and you want to create placeholder text, you can generate random text using the built-in RAND function or LOREM function (which generates Latin or Lorem ipsum text).

How to Center Text Vertically in a Word Table (and Fix Common Issues)

You can center or align text vertically in cells in a Word table using commands in the Table Design or Table Tools Design tab in the Ribbon. If the text doesn't seem to align correctly, there are several common issues that may be affecting the alignment including extra blank paragraphs, paragraph spacing and cell margins.

Microsoft, the Microsoft logo, Microsoft Office and related Microsoft applications and logos are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in Canada, US and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of the registered owners.

Avantix Learning |18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 1C4 | Contact us at [email protected]

Our Courses

Avantix Learning courses are offered online in virtual classroom format or as in-person classroom training. Our hands-on, instructor-led courses are available both as public scheduled courses or on demand as a custom training solution.

All Avantix Learning courses include a comprehensive course manual including tips, tricks and shortcuts as well as sample and exercise files.

VIEW COURSES  >

Contact us at  [email protected]  for more information about any of our courses or to arrange custom training.

Privacy Overview

Pin it on pinterest.

• Print Friendly

• Get started with computers
• Learn Microsoft Office
• Apply for a job
• Improve my work skills
• Design nice-looking docs
• Getting Started
• Smartphones & Tablets
• Typing Tutorial
• Online Learning
• Basic Internet Skills
• Online Safety
• Social Media
• Zoom Basics
• Google Docs
• Google Sheets
• Career Planning
• Resume Writing
• Cover Letters
• Job Search and Networking
• Business Communication
• Entrepreneurship 101
• Careers without College
• Job Hunt for Today
• 3D Printing
• Freelancing 101
• Personal Finance
• Sharing Economy
• Decision-Making
• Graphic Design
• Photography
• Image Editing
• Learning WordPress
• Language Learning
• Critical Thinking
• For Educators
• Translations
• Staff Picks
• English expand_more expand_less

Word 2010  - Using Mail Merge

Word 2010  -, using mail merge, word 2010 using mail merge.

Word 2010: Using Mail Merge

Lesson 24: using mail merge.

/en/word2010/using-a-template/content/

Introduction

Mail Merge is a useful tool that will allow you to easily produce multiple letters, labels, envelopes, nametags, and more using information stored in a list, database, or spreadsheet. In this lesson, you will learn how to use the Mail Merge Wizard to create a data source and a form letter , and you'll explore other wizard features.

When you are performing a Mail Merge , you will need a Word document (you can start with an existing one or create a new one) and a recipient list , which is typically an Excel workbook .

If you'd like to work along with the lesson, you can download the examples below.

• Letter (Word document)
• Recipient list (Excel workbook)

To use Mail Merge:

• Open an existing Word document, or create a new one.
• Click the Mailings tab.
• Click the Start Mail Merge command.

The Mail Merge task pane appears and will guide you through the six main steps to complete a merge. The following is an example of how to create a form letter and merge the letter with a recipient list .

• Click Next: Starting document to move to Step 2.

• Click Next: Select recipients to move to Step 3.

Now you'll need an address list so Word can automatically place each address into the document. The list can be in an existing file, such as an Excel workbook , or you can type a new address list from within the Mail Merge Wizard.

• From the Mail Merge task pane, click Next: Write your letter to move to Step 4.

If you don't have an existing address list, you can click the Type a new list button and click Create . You can then type your address list.

Now you're ready to write your letter. When it's printed, each copy of the letter will basically be the same, except the recipient data —like the name and address —will be different on each one. You'll need to add placeholders for the recipient data so Mail Merge knows exactly where to add the data. If you're using Mail Merge with an existing letter, make sure the file is open.

To insert recipient data:

• Place the insertion point in the document where you want the information to appear.

• A placeholder appears in your document (for example: «AddressBlock» ).
• Repeat these steps each time you need to enter information from your data record.
• From the Mail Merge task pane, click Next: Preview your letters to move to Step 5.

For some letters, you'll only need to add an Address block and Greeting line . Sometimes, however, you may want to place recipient data within the body of the letter to further personalize it .

• Click Next: Complete the merge to move to Step 6.

• Open an existing Word document . If you want, you can use this example .
• Download the recipient list .
• Use the Mail Merge Wizard to merge the letter with the recipient list .
• Place an Address Block at the top of the page and a Greeting line above the body of the letter.
• Print the document.

/en/word2010/4-free-alternatives-to-microsoft-office/content/

Module 10: Integration

Assignment: use mail merge.

This assignment can be found in Google Docs:  Business Communication Skills for Managers Assignment: Use Mail Merge

To make your own copy to edit:

• If you want a Google Doc : in the file menu of the open document, click “Make a copy.” This will give you your own Google Doc to work from.
• If you want a PDF or Word file : in the file menu of the open document, click “Download” and select the file type you would like to have (note: depending on the file type you select, the formatting could get jumbled).

For this assignment, you will create a Word document that is mail merged with an Excel customer contact table. Mail Merge can be used to create bulk labels, letters, envelopes, and emails. You will be creating letters to send with the newsletter you previously edited . Follow the directions below, then submit your assignment. If you get stuck on a step, review this module and ask your classmates for help in the discussion forum.

You have been tasked with mailing the newsletter you previously created to customers of Rowan Retail. In order to accomplish this task, you need to merge the customer contact information in the Excel file with a Word document in order to make mailing labels. Follow these steps to accomplish the task.

• The first step is to download the customer contact Excel file  and save it to the Rowan folder on your desktop.
• Open Word and create a new document by clicking on the Blank document option in the window.
• Save the document by using Save As and rename the document to BA132_LastName_MailMerge.docx ,   replacing “LastName” with your own last name. (Example: BA132_Hywater_MailMerge)
• Select the Mailings tab then the Start Mail Merge button and select Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard.

• In the Mail Merge menu, click the Next: Starting document link.

• You will be creating letters for the contacts who will receive the newsletter, so leave the document type in Letters and click the Next: Select recipients link.

• You already have a file with a contact list. Leave the selection Use an existing list selected and click on the Browse link. This will open up a dialog box for your computer.

• Select the correct folder and scroll through the files until you find the Rowan Retail Customer Contacts.xlsx file. Either double-click on the file or select it and click the Open button.

• A different dialog window will open that allows you to choose the different tabs in the Excel file. The Customer Contact Data$ is the one you want. Either double-click on the file or select it and click the Open button. Note: Leave the box checked since your data file’s first row is a header row.

• After you have clicked the OK button, a final dialog box appears. It shows all of the contacts in the file. Find Richard Castle and Britney Spears and uncheck their boxes. They do not need a newsletter. Now click the OK button and then the Next: Write your letter link.

• Now begin to compose the letter by first placing your cursor in the document page where you want the address. Click the Address Block option from the wizard or the ribbon button, select the naming style, then click OK.

• Next, place the cursor where you would like the greeting to be in the letter. Select the Greeting line from the wizard or the ribbon button, decide the style of greeting, and click the OK button.

• Paste the following text to serve as the body of your letter.

Enclosed is the quarterly newsletter for Rowan Retail. Please enjoy the information therein and pay special attention to the dates for the special sales this summer. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us as soon as possible.

• Close the letter with “Sincerely” and then your name. Save your work, then click Next: Preview your letters.

• Scroll through the letters by clicking on the arrows. You should be missing Britney Spears and Richard Castle in the recipients. Now click on Next: Complete the merge.

• For this assignment, you don’t need to make any edits to individual letters. You can then continue to the final step, Complete the merge .

• Your merge mail file is now complete! Save your file once more, this time as a PDF (use the .pdf file extension), and submit the PDF in your course online.
• Assignment: Use Mail Merge. Authored by : Sherri Pendleton. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution

How To Create a Mail Merge In Microsoft Word

So you can personalize mass communications

Mail merge in Microsoft Word allows you to send personalized letters and emails without having to customize each letter. You can prepare your document the way you want and add placeholders for the various data fields that you want to dynamically fill from a data source.

For example, you can prepare a single letter for all your friends asking how they’re doing but with the ability to change the names and cities dynamically in the letter. This way, your generic letter to John will mention his name and his city, and the same letter to Mike will have Mike’s name and his city on his letter.

Create Your Recipients List In An Excel Spreadsheet

You’ll need to gather a list of recipients and their data into a single data source. An easy way to do this is to create a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and add all your recipients’ data to it. You can then retrieve this Excel data into the mail merge letter in Microsoft Word.

• Use the Start Menu search to search for and open Microsoft Excel .

• Click the Home tab in the left sidebar and choose Blank workbook from the right-hand side pane. This’ll create a blank worksheet for you.

• Start entering data for your mail merge recipients. Make sure to use the first row for the headers of your data. If you’re going to enter someone’s name, use Name as the header in the first row, and so on.

• In the following example, we’ve created a table with some data for four people. We’ll create a personalized mail merge letter for each of these people in Microsoft Word.

• Click the File menu at the top, choose Save from the left sidebar, and click the Browse button.

• Navigate to your desktop, enter a name for your Excel spreadsheet, and click the Save button to save the spreadsheet to your desktop. This’ll make finding your spreadsheet easier when you use it in Microsoft Word.

• You can close Microsoft Excel on your computer.

Prepare Your Document In Microsoft Word

You’ll need to write a generic letter that you want to send to each of your recipients . This letter should contain the information that’s common to all recipients. Some examples include writing the greeting line, asking how they’re doing, sharing your thoughts, and so on.

Keep the fields blank where you want your recipients’ information to appear. You’ll add that later when you start the mail merge in Microsoft Word.

• Launch Microsoft Word from the Start Menu on your computer.

• Click Home in the left sidebar and choose Blank document from the right-hand side pane. You can use a template as well if you want.

• A blank document will open. Write the letter you want to send to your recipients.

• You’re free to use any colors, formatting, font styles, and other items you want. We’ve created the following simple letter to send to our recipients. The letter will have the person’s name at the top and their city at the bottom.

• Keep the document open as you’ll do the mail merge in the section below.

Create a Mail Merge In Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word lets you create a mail merge using the step-by-step wizard. This makes it extremely easy for you to choose the letter you want to use, add the recipients you need, and dynamically change the content of the letter.

• While your letter is still open in Word, click the Mailings tab at the top, select the Start Mail Merge option, and choose Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard .

• A new pane will appear on the right-hand side of your screen. Under the first section that says Select document type , choose Letters . You can choose E-mail messages if you want to send your letter via an email. Then click Next: Starting document at the bottom to continue.

• On the following screen, Word will ask what document you want to use for mail merge. Click the Use the current document option to use your current letter for the task. If your letter is in another Word file, click the Start from existing document to open that file. Then click Next: Select recipients at the bottom.

• Under the Select recipients section, select Use an existing list . This is because you’ve already created an Excel spreadsheet containing your recipients’ data. You can select the Type a new list option if you don’t already have your recipients’ data gathered. Then click Browse to import your Excel spreadsheet.

• Navigate to your desktop and double-click the Excel spreadsheet you created earlier. This’ll open the spreadsheet in Microsoft Word.
• Word will ask which sheet you’d like to use from your spreadsheet. Select the sheet that contains your data, checkmark the First row of data contains column headers option, and click OK .

• Word lets you select the recipients you want to use for mail merge if you don’t want to use everyone that’s on the list. Checkmark boxes for the people that you want to include in your letters. You can use the refine options beneath the list to sort and filter your recipients. Sorting lets you sort your records in ascending and descending orders. Filtering lets you compare the fields and filter out the ones you don’t need. Finally, click OK at the bottom.

• Click Next: Write your letter at the bottom.
• The following screen lets you use your data fields in your letter. To use this, put your cursor where you want to add a data field in the letter and click More items on the right-hand side pane.

• Choose the data field you want to add and click Insert at the bottom.

• You’ll want to add all your data fields to the letter so that your letters have all the required information in them. Then click Next: Preview your letters .

• You can preview the letters that will be generated as the result of your mail merge. Click the left and right arrow icons to view letters for each of your recipients. Then click Next: Complete the merge .

• You can now click Print to print these personalized letters or select Edit individual letters to edit these letters.

Mail merge is indeed a great time-saving feature in Microsoft Word .

Did you know you could merge multiple documents together in Word ? That’ll help if you’ve already written your personalized letters and you want to combine them into a single file.

Mahesh has been obsessed with technology since he got his first gadget a decade or so ago. Over the last few years, he's written a number of tech articles on various online publications including but not limited to MakeTechEasier and Android AppStorm. Read Mahesh's Full Bio

Read More Posts:

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• This Or That Game New
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Computers and Electronics
• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft Word

How to Mail Merge in Microsoft Word

Last Updated: March 16, 2024 Tested

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd . Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 1,433,350 times. Learn more...

This wikiHow teaches you how to use the "Mail Merge" feature in Microsoft Word. Mail Merge allows you to use a spreadsheet of contact information to assign automatically a different address, name, or other piece of information to each copy of a document. This is useful when personalizing newsletters or statements, as you don't have to write by hand each person's name or address at the top of each document.

Things You Should Know

• Create your contact sheet in Microsoft Excel. Add your headers beginning in column "A1" and moving right. Save your file and remember your save location.
• Open Word and go to Blank document > Mailings > Select Recipients > Use an Existing List… . Choose your Excel sheet.
• Go to the spot you want to insert contact information and click Insert Merge Field . Select the desired headers from your Excel document. Click Finish & Merge .

Creating a Contact Sheet

• If you already have a contact sheet in Excel, skip ahead to importing the Excel contacts instead.

• FirstName - Your contacts' first names will go in this column (cell A1 ).
• LastName - Your contacts' last names will go in this column (cell B1 ).
• Tel - Your contacts' phone numbers will go in this column (cell C1 ).
• StreetAddress - Your contacts' street addresses will go in this column (cell D1 ).
• City - Your contacts' cities of residence will go in this column (cell E1 ).
• State - Your contacts' states of residence will go in this column (cell F1 ).
• ZIP - Your contacts' ZIP codes will go in this column (cell G1 ).
• Email - Your contacts' email addresses will go in this column (cell H1 ).

• Make sure that this information is accurate before proceeding.

• Windows - Click File , click Save As , double-click This PC , click a save location on the left side of the window, type the document's name into the "File name" text box, and click Save .
• Mac - Click File , click Save As... , enter the document's name in the "Save As" field, select a save location by clicking the "Where" box and clicking a folder, and click Save .
• Keep in mind your selected save location—you'll need to find the Excel spreadsheet later.

Importing Contacts to Word

• If you have an existing Microsoft Word document into which you want to import the Excel contacts, you'll instead double-click it to open it and skip the next step.

• If you ever want to use Outlook contacts instead, you can select the Choose from Outlook Contacts option in the drop-down menu.
• You can also type a temporary list of contact information into Word by selecting the Type a New List option. This is useful when you only need to create a handful of contacts' information.

• Make sure that the "First row of data contains column headers" checkbox at the bottom of this window is checked.

Using Mail Merge

• You may have to click the Mailings tab again before doing this.

• For example, you would click FirstName in the drop-down menu if you wanted to insert a tag for contacts' first names.

• Edit Individual Documents - Opens each recipient's document, allowing you to personalize further the documents.
• Print Documents... - Allows you to print out a copy of your document for each individual listed in your contact sheet.
• Send Email Messages... - Allows you to send out the documents as emails. The contacts' email addresses will be selected as the destination email addresses.

Community Q&A

• Mail Merge is especially useful when creating invoices, statements, reports, or any other form of mass-produced documentation for which you have to include personal names, addresses, or so on. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Always double-check your contact information before importing it to Word. Failing to do so could result in anything from using the wrong name to sending documents to the wrong email addresses. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Mail-merge-using-an-Excel-spreadsheet-858c7d7f-5cc0-4ba1-9a7b-0a948fa3d7d3

About This Article

1. Open a blank document in Microsoft Word. 2. Click the Mailings tab. 3. Click Select Recipients , then click Use an Existing List... . 4. Select your Mail Merge file, then click Open . 5. Click OK when prompted. Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Snehal Dubey

Sep 19, 2016

Is this article up to date?

Rachael Jones

Jul 27, 2017

Dec 7, 2016

Gayatri Joshi

May 25, 2017

Jun 15, 2016

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

Keep up with tech in just 5 minutes a week!

• Trending Now
• Foundational Courses
• Data Science
• Practice Problem
• Machine Learning
• System Design
• DevOps Tutorial
• How to Insert Video in Microsoft Powerpoint?
• How to Insert a Blank Page in MS Word?
• How to Find and Replace Text in MS Word?
• How to Insert Page Breaks in Microsoft Word?
• How to use Conditional Formatting in Excel?
• How to Sort Data in MS Excel?
• How to Use the Animation Painter in MS Powerpoint?
• Secondary Memory
• Delete Text in Microsoft Word
• What is an Operating System?
• Moving Text in Microsoft Word
• Fourth Generation of Computers
• Basic Excel Formulas
• How to add Filters in MS Excel?
• Introduction to Microsoft Word
• Fifth Generation of Computers
• Add a Drop Cap in MS Word
• Programming Language Generations
• Add Columns in Microsoft Word

How to use Mail Merge in MS Word?

Many day-to-day applications require similar documents containing similar text to be sent to a number of persons. These documents also have a typical common layout. Invitation letters sent to guests have a more-or-less common content and layout. Only the names of the recipients are different in these letters. One obvious way to generate such letters is to type all of them individually, putting the same amount of effort again and again. Another solution could be to copy the same block of text again and again onto the new letters. The names and addresses etc., which are different from each letter, can be entered separately in the documents. Though this method saves a lot of effort, it still requires proper caution. There should be a way where these kinds of documents can be prepared automatically. This task can be easily automated if we use the mail merge feature of a word processor. So, it is time we learnt the mail-merge feature of the word.

Components of mail merge: 

The three main components of the merging process are the main document, the data source, and the merged document.

• The main document contains the main body of your letter, field names, and merges instructions. The basic information within the main document remains equivalent.
• The data source (or Recipients’ list) stores the knowledge that changes for every document. This information is inserted in the main document one by one. An example of the data source is a name and address list from which the program gets what you want to include in the main document.
• The merged document contains the main text from the main document and data from a data source.

Steps for mail merger: 

• Open MS Word and click on the command sequence: Mailings tab → Start mail merge group → Select recipients button → Type new List.

• A dialog namely “New Address List” will pop up(as shown in the below image). Type here the desired data under the given headings. To add a new record, click on the “New Entry” button at the bottom of the dialog and click OK when you are done.

Step 2: Prepare Master Letter

The second step is to prepare our master letter for use in the mail merge.  Before we enter all the letter text we’d like to link this Word file to our list of names.

• Create a blank word document.
• Click Mailings tab → Start Mail Merge group → Start Mail Merge → Letters command.

• Then click the Mailings tab → Start Mail Merge group →  Select Recipients button → Use Existing List command.

• Now we can start typing the letter.
• Now we would like to add the name and address and other details for the people on the list.
• Mailings tab→ Write & Insert Field group → Insert Merge Field button.
• A pop-down will appear showing all the table headings, so choose Title and press the spacebar to create a space.

Then do this again and choose FirstName, followed by a space (i.e., press only spacebar key and no other key); then choose LastName but this time press the Enter key to create a new line. Then repeat the steps to choose the Address field, and press enter key. 

Before we actually carry out the merge, we must first preview what the merged letters will look like.

• Mailings tab→ Preview Results group → Preview Results button

• Once we are happy with the preview, you can carry out the actual mail merge.
• To do this you click the Mailings tab →  Finish group → Finish & Merge button and choose Edit Individual Documents.

• In the Merge to New Document panel, click All to create a separate letter for each person on the Names list. Word then creates a fresh document with as many pages as there are names on your list, and every page contains a wonderfully merged letter with all the correct individuals’ details.

• We can save this with an appropriate name, such as ABC.docx

Sample Problems

Question 1: What is a mail merge?

Mail Merge, a popular tool for personalizing printed letters, is nowadays also available for emails. Google Mail, Google Sheets make it happen for all Google domain-based emails.

Question 2: what are the uses of mail merge?

Writing a letter to a customer to tell them about upcoming offers or inform about some changes in business context. Mailshot for sending out a survey to a large number of people. Invoices School names on to the certificate Personal

Question 3: Give the advantage of mail merge?

Once the merge has been found out , thousands of letters are often produced very quickly. Easier to check for spelling errors as we need to check and correct at one place only; all letters will show the changes. Letters can be personalized. A standard letter can be saved and reused. In male merge, we can reuse the same data source, and it reduces the risk of errors.

Question 4: What are the main components of the Mail Merge process?

The main document. The data source. The merged document.

Question 5: How many files are created in Mail Merge?

There are two files created in Mail Merge. The first file is called the source file that contains the content of the main document and the second file is known as the data source file that contains the name, address and other important details of the beneficiary.

Question 6: Can we insert an attachment when performing a merge to an e-mail message?

No, we cannot insert an attachment when performing a merge to an email message.

Question 7: In Mail Merge, multiple copies of the merged document are often printed.

Please Login to comment...

Similar reads.

• School Learning
• School Programming
• What are Tiktok AI Avatars?
• Poe Introduces A Price-per-message Revenue Model For AI Bot Creators
• Truecaller For Web Now Available For Android Users In India
• Google Introduces New AI-powered Vids App
• 30 OOPs Interview Questions and Answers (2024)

Improve your Coding Skills with Practice

What kind of Experience do you want to share?

Talk to our experts

1800-120-456-456

• Introduction to Mail Merge - Feature of MS Word
• Computer Science

What Do You Understand by Mail Merge?

Mail merge consists of combining mail and letters . This feature is usually employed in a word processing document which contains fixed text and variables which act as placeholders that are replaced by text from the data source word to envelopes for mailing labels for mass mailings from a form letter. A word processor is a device or computer program that provides for input, editing, formatting, and output of text, often with some additional features.

The functions of a word processor program fall somewhere between those of a simple text editor and a fully functional desktop publishing program. Mail merge is a tool for writing a personalised email or letter to many people simultaneously. It imports data from other sources like worksheets and uses it to replace placeholders throughout the message with the relevant information for each individual that is being texted. The mail merge feature is also known as the Merge field.

Uses of Mail Merge

The mail merge feature of MS Word allows us to create labels, envelopes, and letters with personalised input. For merging, we require two documents, the main document with the text that identifies where the main data is to be inserted and a data source document which contains the variable information to be inserted. 

Uses of Mail Merge in Everyday Life

This invaluable tool can be used for everything from business to personal relationship management, and you can even use it to hire your next accountant. Here are some ways mail merge can be used in everyday life:-

The Automated Way to Get More Relationships: Inviting friends to dinner, or throwing a party can be executed with a mail merge. Your message can be as generic or personalised as you’d like depending on how many custom inserts you include.

Saves Time: Finding accounting and law services online is easy, but contacting each of them individually means a lot of time chasing down potential providers. By using mail merge, you can reach hundreds of providers via email and quickly ask all the right questions.

Job Applications: Searching and applying for jobs can feel like a full-time job. Sending emails with every resume and personal note is tedious and time-consuming. You can simplify your application process by creating a basic introduction template that can be sent to multiple potential employers at once.

Mass Mail Sending

Advantages of Mail Merge

Mail merge has several advantages. Some of the advantages are listed below:-

The Mail Merge feature makes it easy to send the same letter to a large number of people. Many people can be selected at once, so we can send them the letter easily. 

By using Mail Merge, we don’t have to type each recipient’s name separately in each letter.

We need to proofread only the main document.

It is economical and saves a lot of time. It doesn't cost very much as at a time many letters can be sent. 

It is easy to edit the letter as a single change made in the main letter will be reflected in the letters meant for all other recipients.

Mail merge lets you create a batch of documents that are personalised for each recipient. Mail merge is a word processing procedure which enables you to combine a document with a data file, while a word processor is a computer program that provides for input, editing, formatting, and output of text, with some additional features. The mail merge feature of MS Word allows us to create labels, envelopes, and letters with personalized input.

Learning by Doing

Fill in the blanks. .

__ lets you create a bunch of documents that are personalised for each recipient.

__ documents are required to help in the process of merging.

A __ is a device or computer program that provides for input, editing, formatting, and output of text, often with some additional features.

Sample Solved Questions

1. What is Mail Merge? State its features.

Ans: Mail merging means to plug data from an address table into form letters, e-mail messages, envelopes, address labels, or a directory. The four types of mail merge main documents are letters, envelopes, mailing labels and catalogues.

The mail merge feature of MS Word allows us to create labels, envelopes, and letters with personalized input. For merging, we require two documents, the main document with the text that identifies where the main data is to be inserted and a data source document which contains the variable information to be inserted. 

2. How is mail merge helpful in everyday life?

Ans: There are numerous ways in which mail merge can be useful. Some of them are listed below:- 

One standard letter can be written and sent to all without having to add each name manually.

It is the most convenient way of sending the same letter to many people at the same time without having to add names and addresses to each of them.

It helps in saving a lot of time.

FAQs on Introduction to Mail Merge - Feature of MS Word

1. What's a word processor?

Word processing refers to using a computer to create, edit, save and print documents. To perform word processing, specialised software known as a Word Processor is needed. 

One example of a Word Processor is Microsoft Word , but other word processing applications are also widely used. 

Some of the functions of word processing software include: creating, editing, saving and printing documents. Copying, pasting, moving and deleting text within a document. Formatting text, such as font type, bolding, underlining or italicise.

2. What is the difference between mail and mail merge?

Mail merge combines mail and letters and pre-addressed envelopes or mailing labels for mass mailings from a form letter. Electronic mail is a method of exchanging messages between people using electronic devices.

3. What is an example of a mail merge?

Mail merge entails combining mail and letters and pre-addressed envelopes or mailing labels for mass mailings from a form letter. In other words, it is the automatic addition of names and addresses from a database to letters and envelopes This feature is usually employed in a word processor.

Use mail merge to personalize letters

Mail merge lets you create a batch of personalized letters where each letter is identical in layout, formatting, text, and graphics, except for personalized parts like the salutation.

Prepare your letter

Go to Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Letters .

In Word, type the body of the letter that you want to send to your mailing list.

Set up your mailing list

Your mailing list is a data source that contains the information that Word uses to customize your letter. See Data sources you can use for a mail merge .

If you need to sort or filter your mailing list, see Mail merge: Edit recipients .

Add personalized content to your letter

Add content to your letter that’s different for each person who receives it.

Go to Mailings > Address Block .

Choose a format for the recipient's name In the Insert Address Block dialog box.

For more info, see Insert Address Block .

Choose OK .

Choose Greeting Line .

Select the format you want to use in the Insert Greeting Line dialog box.

For more info, see Insert Greeting Line .

Select OK to insert the greeting line field.

Go to File > Save .

To insert other custom information from your mailing list, see add mail merge fields one at a time .

Preview and print the letters

Go to Mailings > Preview Results to preview your letters.

Select Preview Results again switch from the merged results back to the mail merge fields in your letter

Select Finish & Merge > Print Documents .

Choose Edit Individual Documents , Print Documents , or Send Email Messages.

Save your personalized letter

Go to File > Save . When you save the mail merge document, it stays connected to your mailing list for future use.

To reuse your mail merge document, open the mail merge document. Choose Yes when Word prompts you to keep the connection.

Prepare the main document

Add name, address, and other fields in your database through Merge Fields.

Go to Mailings > Insert Merge Field and select the field you want to add.

Continue adding fields until you've added all the information you want on your letter.

Go to Mailings > Preview Results to preview your letter. Use the left and right arrows to scroll through each record.

To make additional changes, select Preview Results again to return to fields view.

When the letters look how you want, select Mailings > Finish & Merge > Print Documents .

Go to Mailings > Finish & Merge > Edit Individual Documents to review and update each letter individually before printing.

Select File > Print to print the letters.

When you save the mail merge document, it stays connected to your mailing list for later use.

You can learn more about how mail merge for letters works in the following video that is part of a training course .

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

Contribute to the Microsoft 365 and Office forum! Click  here  to learn more  💡

April 9, 2024

Contribute to the Microsoft 365 and Office forum!

Click  here  to learn more  💡

• Search the community and support articles
• Microsoft 365 and Office
• Search Community member

Ask a new question

I'm having issues with Mail Merge in Word 2021

I'm having issues with Mail Merge in Word 2021: 1) the step-by-step wizard doesn't appear when I click on it from the start mail merge dropdown list. 2) There is no reference to the last data source I used - it defaults to the my-data sources folder. 3&4) there is no option to create a new file with the merged data when I try to view or print the results. I get the following message: "Word could not merge the main document with the data source because the data records were empty or not nata records matched your query options." I am not having this issue on other PCs. Please help me!

Report abuse

Replies (5) .

• Independent Advisor

Hello Mack W, I'm Shalom and I'd happily help you with your question. In this forum, we are Microsoft consumers just like yourself. I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing issues with Mail Merge in Word 2021. It seems like there could be a few different factors contributing to these problems. Let's go through each issue and its possible solutions: 1. Missing Mail Merge Wizard: If the Mail Merge Wizard is not appearing when you click on it from the Start Mail Merge dropdown list, it might be due to a glitch or setting. Try these steps to resolve it: a. Close Word and restart your computer to ensure any temporary issues are cleared. b. Open Word 2021 and create a new blank document. c. Go to the 'Mailings' tab, and then click on 'Start Mail Merge.' From the dropdown, click on 'Step by Step Mail Merge Wizard.' 2. Default Data Source Issue: If Word is defaulting to the wrong data source folder, you can set the default data source folder manually: a. Go to the 'Mailings' tab, click on 'Select Recipients,' and then choose 'Use an Existing List...' b. Browse to the correct folder where your data source is located and select it. This should set it as the default data source for future mail merges. 3. Creating Merged File Issue: If you're unable to create a new file with the merged data, it might be related to the data source or query options: a. Ensure that your data source contains valid records and that it's correctly formatted. b. Double-check your query options to make sure they match the data in your source. c. If you're using filtering or query options, try removing them to see if it resolves the issue. 4. "No Records Matched" Error: The error message "Word could not merge the main document with the data source because the data records were empty or no data records matched your query options" usually indicates that there is an issue with your query or data source: a. Review your query settings and ensure they're correctly configured to match the data in your source. b. Verify that your data source has valid records that match your query criteria. c. If you're using specific query options, try broadening them to see if any records match. If you're still facing issues after trying these steps, you might consider reinstalling Microsoft Word 2021 on the affected PC. Best Regards, Shalom

1 person found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful? Yes No

Sorry this didn't help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

Thanks for your feedback.

Thank you for your input, Shalom; however, I've tried each of your suggestions without any success. I've used multiple data sources with no success; I've uninstalled Office 365 and reinstalled it, I don't need the step-by-step option, but I suspect its unavailability is part of the same problem.

Since you've already tried multiple solutions and reinstalled Office 365 without success, here are a few more advanced troubleshooting steps you can attempt: 1. Update Office 365: Make sure you have the latest updates installed for Office 365. Sometimes, issues like these can be resolved by simply updating the software to the latest version. 2. Check Windows Updates: Ensure that your Windows operating system is also up to date. Some compatibility issues can arise if Windows is not fully updated. 3. Repair Office Installation: a. Close all Office applications. b. Go to the Control Panel (or Settings) > Programs > Programs and Features (or Apps & Features). c. Locate Microsoft Office 365 in the list of installed programs, right-click on it, and choose "Change" or "Modify." d. Select the option to repair Office. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the repair process. 4. Create a New User Profile: Sometimes, user profile corruption can lead to software issues. You can try creating a new Windows user profile and see if the Mail Merge works under the new profile. 5. Disable Add-ins: Add-ins can sometimes conflict with Office applications. Try disabling any third-party add-ins you might have installed and see if the issue persists. 6. Run Office in Safe Mode: a. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog. b. Type winword /safe and press Enter. This will launch Word in Safe Mode, which disables add-ins and customizations. c. Try performing the Mail Merge in Safe Mode to see if the issue persists. 7. Check Event Viewer: a. Open the Event Viewer (you can search for it in the Start menu). b. Navigate to "Windows Logs" > "Application." c. Look for any errors or warnings related to Microsoft Word or Office applications. These logs might provide more information about the underlying issue. Since you mentioned that the issue is specific to one PC and not occurring on others, it could be related to some unique configuration or setting on that particular system. Best Regards, Shalom

In the Windows Search facility, type Control Panel and then click on the Control Panel App and then on the Uninstall a Program under Programs and in the next screen that appears, select the Microsoft 365 Apps and then click on Change, then in the User Account Control dialog, click on Yes and in the next screen asking how would you like to repair your Microsoft 365 and Office program, select the Online Repair option.

My Mail Merge is malfunctioning! If I'm paying monthly, someone should be available to at least give a phone number to call! I feel as though Microsoft is ripping me off and I'm very PISSED! I know how to use the Mail Merge feature. I tried to use it this morning and when I tried getting my recipients from Microsoft Excel, I had to manually put in the recipients and addresses. then when I printed the letters, instead of the 64 letters with the names and addresses on them, i got 100 pages with no recipient names or address on them. The same with the labels. When I previewed the labels, it said that I needed 500 label pages. I have been using the Mail Merge for years and at first, I thought that it was my computer, so I bought a new one. Then I thought that it was my printer, so I bought a new one and it turns out that this wasn't the problem either. It's too much like right to get tech support, therefore, I have to vent in here. If I cannot speak to a person, then how the hell are they support me with my problem?

Dianna Riley

Question Info

• Norsk Bokmål
• Ελληνικά
• Русский
• עברית
• العربية
• ไทย
• 한국어
• 中文(简体)
• 中文(繁體)
• 日本語

Insert mail merge fields

Once you have a data source connected to your document, adding merge fields is a way to personalize a document with information from the data source. The merge fields come from the column headings in the data source.

Here’s an example of how the Address Block and Greeting Line collections of merge fields might pull data from an Excel spreadsheet into a form letter.

The Address Block and Greeting Line fields are collections of merge fields.

Note:  If the merge field commands appears dimmed, click Select Recipients and choose the kind of mailing list you’re using. If you don’t have a mailing list yet, click Type New List to create your list in Word .

Add an Address Block

Click or tap where you want to add the address block in your document.

On the Mailings tab, choose Address Block

Word gives you options for choosing the formality of the name in the address.

Add a Greeting Line

Click or tap where you want to add the greeting in your document.

Choose Greeting Line .

Choose the name style that you want to use, and set other options.

Add individual merge fields

To include data like phone numbers or email addresses, you insert those merge fields specifically. Also, a merge field like First Name doesn't have to be part of an Address Block or Greeting Line. If you want to personalize a document by including your recipients' first names, insert the First_Name merge field on its own.

Click or tap where you want the merge field.

Choose the down-arrow under Insert Merge Field , and select a field.

If you don’t see your field name in the list, choose Insert Merge Field .

Choose Database Fields to see the list of fields that are in your data source.

Choose Insert .

Note:  If some of the numbers, currencies, or dates aren’t formatted right, see Prepare your Excel data source for a Word mail merge .

Use rules for more sophisticated personalization 

You might want your message to differ, depending on data in certain fields of your data source. For example, invoices could include the words "Past Due" for customers where the value of the Due Date field is a date in the past.

This level of sophistication depends on setting up rules and field codes. On the Mailings tab, in the Write & Insert Fields group, choose Rules , and select the kind of rule you want to add.

For more information about how you can use mail merge rules, see Set the rules for a mail merge .

This level of sophistication depends on setting up rules and field codes. On the Mailings tab, choose Rules , and select the kind of rule you want to add.

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.