How To Set Up A Mail Merge

Mail Merge in Word

Do you have a long list of names and addresses that you need to transport letters to? The Postal service Merge process combines a Give-and-take document with a data source to quickly create messages that feel personal.

Mail Merge Definitions
Starting Document	(Main Document) A document that contains the data that is the same for each merged document. The starting document contains the field names for the variable data, like the names and addresses that will exist inserted.
Data Source or Recipients List	A file that contains the data to be inserted into the primary document during a mail merge. For case, it has records containing the names and addresses of the people a mail merge letter is sent to. Excel spreadsheets, Access databases, or Give-and-take document tables are good examples of data sources.
Field	A data category that stores a specific piece of information. For instance, the field «LastName» would simply contain people's last names.
Record	A record is an unabridged set of information fields that chronicle to a single thing or person. For example, a single record would include a person'south offset and terminal names, accost, phone number, and date of nascence.
Merge Field	A merge field is where you desire to insert the information from a data source into a primary certificate. Merge fields appear with chevrons (« ») around them. An example would exist: Dear «FirstName».
Address Block	A group of merge fields that make upwardly an address in a post merge document. For instance, a single address is fabricated up of a proper noun, street address, city, land, and naught code. Give-and-take tin automatically insert all the appropriate address fields at once, so you lot don't accept to insert the 5 or 6 merge fields yourself.
Greeting Line	A group of merge fields that brand up the greeting line of a post merge document, such every bit "Dear Mr. McDonald". Word can automatically insert all the advisable greeting text, championship, and proper noun fields at once, so you don't have to insert the text and required merge fields yourself.
Header Row	Data source information is stored in a table. The offset row of the table is the header row and contains the field names for the data source. For example, FirstName, LastName, and Address are header rows.

Set up and Choose Document Blazon

To begin the mail merge procedure, you commencement demand to cull what sort of document you want to create.

Click the Mailings tab.
Click the Kickoff Mail Merge button.
Select Step-past-Footstep Mail Merge Wizard.
The Mail Merge pane appears on the right, ready to walk yous through the mail service merge.
Select a type of document to create.
Click Next: Starting document.

The Mail Merge wizard advances to the next step.

Select a Certificate

This next footstep is to select a starting certificate.

Select a starting document.
You can use the current document as the basis for the mail service merge, or you tin select a template or existing certificate instead.
Click Side by side: Select recipients.

The Postal service Merge wizard moves on to stride 3.

Select Recipients

Now, you volition need to cull where you'll go your list of addresses from. This example uses an existing list from a database, but you tin also select Outlook contacts or manually create your own listing.

Select Use an existing list.
Click Browse.
Select your data file.
A data file of mail merge recipients can exist in a database file, an Excel spreadsheet, another Give-and-take document, or other types of data files.
Click Open up.
The Mail Merge Recipients dialog box displays the addresses that will exist used. If you're using an Excel spreadsheet as a data source, yous may also be prompted to select a worksheet containing the addresses.

If in that location's an address you lot don't want to use, yous can uncheck it.
Brand sure the right recipients are selected and click OK.
Click Next: Write your letter.

The Mail Merge wizard moves on to step 4.

Write Your Letter

After the main certificate is gear up and the recipient listing is continued and edited, you are ready to insert the merge fields in the document. The merge fields are placeholders in the certificate for unique information from the recipients list.

When yous put a merge field in the main document, information from that field will announced for the document that is unique to that recipient.

Click where yous desire the information.
Select i of the placeholder options.
You can add merge fields from the wizard, or from the Write & Insert Fields group on the ribbon:
- Accost Block: This is a combination of fields to insert the names and addresses of recipients.
- Greeting Line: This is a combination of fields to insert the recipient's proper noun in the greeting line.
- Insert Merge Field: When you click this push, a list of additional merge fields you tin can insert appears.
Customize the placeholder.
Click OK.
(Optional) Repeat steps to add each merge field you lot desire to include.
Click Side by side: Preview your letters.

The Mail Merge sorcerer moves on to stride 5.

Preview Your Mail Merge

Sometimes, it is helpful to see what the information volition look like once it has been inserted into a certificate, instead of only viewing the merge field names.

You can hands preview how the mail merge will appear before finishing the mail merge. This is encouraged to brand sure the results appear as y'all want them to.

Use the arrow buttons in the Mail Merge pane to preview each merged document.
You can also use the arrow buttons in the Preview Results group on the ribbon.

Click the Find Recipient button in the Preview Results group or in the Mail Merge pane to search for a specific recipient.
Click Next: Complete the merge.

The Mail Merge wizard moves on to the final step.

Complete the Merge

One time y'all've added the list of recipients and filled out a document with merge fields, the last stride is to stop the merge by making a separate version of the document for each recipient.

There are a couple of different ways you can finish the mail merge:

Edit Private Documents: Puts the results of the mail merge in a new document. You lot are gratis to edit the results of the postal service merge and save and impress them, just like any other document.
Print Documents: Merges records and sends them direct to the printer.

Select the option you desire to employ to finish the post merge.
You tin as well click the Finish & Merge push button on the ribbon and select a merge pick there.

Yous're also given the pick to choose which records to merge. You lot can merge all the records in the listing, only the currently displayed record, or specify a range.
Select the records you lot want to merge.
Click OK.

Word merges the main document and the information from the data source into a new Word document, or merges it and sends it to the printer, based on the option yous chose.

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