SEPTEMBER 2017
6
How to perform a mail merge
of Word and Excel
By Arnold Villeneuve
The mail merge function is an efficient way to produce a
batch of personalized documents (letters, envelopes, bulk
mailing labels, emails, etc.) at once from various sources,
helping you communicate to a large group of recipients
more efficiently.
This guide gives you step-by-step instructions on how to
create a batch of documents using the mail merge function
with a contact list in an Excel spreadsheet.
Step 1: Prepare personalized data in Excel for mail merge
The first and most important step in the mail merge process is to prepare your data. Here are some tips for best
results:
• Column names in your Excel spreadsheet must match the field names you want to insert in your mail merge Word
document. For example, to use a person's first name in your document, you'll need separate data columns for first
and last names.
• All data to be merged must be present in the first worksheet of your Excel spreadsheet.
• Data entries with currencies, percentages, and zip codes are correctly formatted in the spreadsheet so that Word
can read the values.
• In Word, choose File > New > Blank document.
• On the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail merge group,
choose Start Mail Merge, and then choose the kind of
merge you want to run.
• Choose Select Recipients > Use an Existing List.
• Locate your Excel spreadsheet, and then choose Open.
• When Word prompts you, choose Sheet1$ > OK.
• Choose Edit Recipient List.
• In the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box, use the
checkbox to select and deselect recipients.
Step 2: Start the Word mail merge process from the Ribbon Menu
