How to Use Mail Merge in Microsoft Word

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Easily send bulk personalized emails and letters
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This wikiHow teaches you how to use the "Mail Merge" feature in Microsoft Word. Mail Merge allows you to use a spreadsheet containing contact information to automatically assign unique addresses, names, and other pieces of information to each copy of a document. This is useful when personalizing newsletters or statements, as you won't have to write by hand each person's name or address at the top of each document. Keep reading to learn how to lay out your contact sheet in Excel, then use it to mail merge in Word.

Using Mail Merge in Microsoft Word: Quick Steps

  1. Create a contact list in Excel using descriptive column headers.
  2. Open Word and click the Mailings tab.
  3. Go to Select Recipients > Use an Existing List…
  4. Select your Excel contact list.
  5. Click Start Mail Merge and choose a document type.
  6. Insert fields by clicking Insert Merge Field , followed by a field name.
  7. When finished, click Finish & Merge .
Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Creating a Contact Sheet

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  1. After opening Excel, click Blank workbook in the upper-left side of the "New" page.
  2. Starting in cell A1 and moving right from there, enter the following headers: [1]
    • 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 ).
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  3. Starting in column A, cell 2, begin entering the contact information for each of the people for whom you want to generate a mail merge.
    • Make sure that this information is accurate before proceeding.
  4. To do so:
    • 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.
    • Close Excel when you're finished.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Importing Contacts to Word

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  1. Upon launching Word on your PC or Mac, choose the Blank document option to create a new document. 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.
  2. This tab is at the top of the Microsoft Word window. A toolbar will appear just below the row of tabs here.
  3. Doing so prompts a drop-down menu. [2]
  4. You'll find this option in the drop-down menu. A new window will open.
    • 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.
  5. Click the folder where you saved the Excel sheet, select the sheet, and click Open to display it in Word.
  6. Click the Excel sheet's name in the pop-up window, then click OK at the bottom of the window. Your Excel sheet will be selected as the location from which your contacts will load.
    • Make sure that the "First row of data contains column headers" checkbox at the bottom of this window is checked.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Using Mail Merge

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  1. 1
    Click the Mailings tab. It's at the top of Word.
  2. 2
    Click Start Mail Merge on the toolbar. A list of document types will appear. [3]
  3. 3
    Select the type of document you want to create. For example, if you want to email a letter to multiple people, select E-Mail Messages . If you plan to print the document or create PDFs, select Letter instead. [4]
  4. If you haven't already created the document, start typing the content as you want it to appear to the recipient. When it's time to enter information from the contact list (such as a first name, last name, or email address), click the place where you want to insert some information. [5]
    • For example, you might start a letter "Dear [customer's name]." In this case, click right after "Dear" so the mail merge will merge the customer's names into their respective letters.
  5. It's an option in the "Write & Insert Fields" section of the Mailings tab. A drop-down menu will appear.
    • You may have to click the Mailings tab again before doing this.
  6. In the drop-down menu, click the name of one of the headers from your Excel document to insert it. [6]
    • For example, you would click FirstName in the drop-down menu if you wanted to insert a tag for contacts' first names.
    • You can select multiple values here if you'd like. For example, you might enter the first name, type a space after it, and then select the LastName field.

    Tip: To make it easier to see the fields you've inserted, click "Highlight Merge Fields" in the toolbar.

  7. This might include contacts' addresses, last names, phone numbers, and so on.
    • When you're finished adding fields, click Close to close the window.
  8. 8
    Click Preview Results to see a preview. Before committing to the mail merge, clicking this option on the toolbar will display a preview of how the document will look once the fields have been replaced with contact information. This will help catch mistakes. [7]
    • Click Preview Results again to replace the actual contact info with the name of the field.
  9. When you're ready to create the mail merge, click the Mailings tab, then click Finish & Merge on the toolbar. This prompts a drop-down menu.
  10. There are a few different options to choose from: [8]
    • Edit Individual Documents - This opens each recipient's document so you can view them individually and make any custom changes before mailing.
    • Print Documents... - Choose this if you want to print the documents instead of sending them via email. This will print a copy of your document for each individual listed in your contact sheet.
    • Send Email Messages... (PC) or Merge to Email (Mac)- Allows you to send out the documents as emails. The contacts' email addresses will be selected as the destination email addresses.
  11. The final step of the mail merge is to edit, print, and/or send the documents. The options you will see vary depending on the type of mail merge you're doing: [9]
    • If you're editing individual documents, you'll be asked if you want to merge the data into a new document. Select Yes , then click OK to create a new document that contains all the letters or email messages.
    • If you're printing the documents, you'll be asked if you want to print all of them or choose a range. To print all of them, select All , then click OK . Then, use your printer's dialog window to print the documents.
    • If you're sending the documents via email, select the Email_Address field for the "To" value, then enter the email's subject into the subject line. Select All , then OK to email the document to everyone on your contact list.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How can I perform a mail merge on MS word?
    Community Answer
    Go to the Mailings tab and click on the tab "Start Mail Merge;" it should be on the left side of the Mailings panel. Then select recipients and either make a list, or find a file if you already made one by choosing "Use existing list." Type your letter, and press "Add merge field" whenever you need to use something from your list. Make any additional changes needed, and press "Finish and merge," and then print if you need to.
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    Not Helpful 18 Helpful 49
  • Question
    If I don't use Outlook can I still send a mail merge?
    Community Answer
    Yes. You can either copy and paste, print, or click finish and merge and then go to settings regarding where you want to send your documents, and choose your destination. Also you can save to somewhere else in your computer and send it from there.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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  • Question
    What are the features of Microsoft Excel?
    Community Answer
    There are hundreds of formulas available to use, as well as a tool for copying data entries, continuing data patterns (1,2,3, or Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.). Also you can convert data into charts or import and edit files from other programs.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      • Mail Merge is especially useful when creating invoices , statements, reports, or any other form of mass-produced documentation that requires including personal names, addresses, or similar details.
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      • 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.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Mail-merge-using-an-Excel-spreadsheet-858c7d7f-5cc0-4ba1-9a7b-0a948fa3d7d3
      2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/data-sources-you-can-use-for-a-mail-merge-9de322a6-f0f9-448d-a113-5fab317d9ef4#DataSources=macOSNewer&datasources=macos
      3. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-mail-merge-to-personalize-letters-d7686bb1-3077-4af3-926b-8c825e9505a3#letter_merge=newer_mac_
      4. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-mail-merge-to-personalize-letters-d7686bb1-3077-4af3-926b-8c825e9505a3#letter_merge=newer_mac
      5. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/mail-merge-using-an-excel-spreadsheet-858c7d7f-5cc0-4ba1-9a7b-0a948fa3d7d3#mergewithexcel=macos
      6. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/mail-merge-using-an-excel-spreadsheet-858c7d7f-5cc0-4ba1-9a7b-0a948fa3d7d3#mergewithexcel=macos
      7. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-mail-merge-to-personalize-letters-d7686bb1-3077-4af3-926b-8c825e9505a3#letter_merge=newer_mac_versions
      8. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-mail-merge-for-bulk-email-letters-labels-and-envelopes-f488ed5b-b849-4c11-9cff-932c49474705
      9. ↑ https://www.sgul.ac.uk/about/our-professional-services/information-services/library/documents/Merging-From-Scratch-2023.pdf

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      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.

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