How To Do A Mail Merge In Word



A main mail merge document in Word contains two important things: 1) the text that will remain the same between the personalized copies, and 2) the codes that tell Word what fields to insert at what points. Follow these steps: Start a new blank document. In Microsoft Office Word 2003 and in earlier versions of Word, point to Letters and Mailings on the Tools menu, and then click Mail Merge Wizard. In Microsoft Office Word 2007, click Start Mail Merge in the Start Mail Merge group on the Mailings tab, and then click Step by Step by Mail Merge Wizard. Under Select document type, click Letters. Placeholders-called merge fields-tell Word where in the document to include information from the data source. You work on the main document in Word, inserting merge. (Mail merge dropdown) When you click the 'Start Mail Merge' button, a dropdown menu is displayed. This menu gives you choices on which merge document type that you want to work with. For this example, a simple letter will be used to mail merge content. The 'Letters' option lets you create a document with several versions of a letter.

Version 4.3.1 — released on December 7, 2020

Naming capabilities for personalized attachments are enhanced: using an optional name and multiple merge fields is possible.

Version 4.3 — released on January 24, 2020

  • New: support of the exclusion list is added: messages are not sent to these recipients, even if the addresses are present in the main recipient list or data source.
  • New: the option of generating detailed report for created messages is added.
  • Fixed: a problem with missing spaces in the attachment names, obtained from the data file field.

Version 4.2 — released on September 5, 2019

  • New: the option 'Save copies of the generated files to folder' is now available for RTF and HTML/MHT attachments as well.
  • New: a possibility to send product logs to the MAPILab Support Team is added.
  • Fixed: an error could appear with the 'PDF/RTF/HTML Attachment' message format if message body was kept blank.
  • Fixed: in the 'Save copies of the generated PDF files to folder' option, an issue with the incorrect file name format is resolved if a data source field is selected as file name.
  • New: the mail profile selection option is added.

Version 4.1 — released on June 17, 2019

  • New: tracking email campaign results with Google Analytics.
  • Check for running programs from the Microsoft Office suite during the installation of the add-in is added, as well as the possibility of force closing them for the correct installation of the add-in.
  • Check of the launch of the installation of the add-in with another user’s rights ('Run as Administrator') and automatic selection of the correct installation method is added.

Version 4.0.1 — released on April 4, 2019

  • Mechanism of embedding images into HTML-formatted messages is significantly improved.
  • Fixed: an error with loading .NET module for connection to SharePoint, known on the systems where different .NET Framework versions are installed, is resolved.

Version 4.0 — released on December 28, 2018

  • New: program interface is completely redesigned. Sending personal mailings is now smarter and faster.
  • New: personal messages sent attached as files in the PDF format can be saved to the specified local folder or network share.
  • New: the number of recipients is displayed.
  • Fixed: an issue with processing file masks in the file names got from the data source.
  • New: options for viewing program logs are added.
  • New: custom setting to delay the start of mailing is added.
  • Program Help item is updated.

Version 3.0.2 — released on October 9, 2018

Support for Microsoft Outlook 2019 is added.

Version 3.0.1 — released on April 19, 2018

  • Diagnostics logs are improved for advanced troubleshooting.
  • Fixed: an issue with processing large recipient lists known with the 32-bit Office 2016 edition.

Version 3.0 — released on February 22, 2018

  • The mechanism of generating personalized PDF-documents is improved.
  • New: Microsoft SharePoint Lists are supported now as Mail Merge data source.
  • Professional edition of the product is released.

Version 2.12.3.3 — released on August 18, 2017

  • Fixed: an issue with adding the add-in toolbar to the 'Mailings' ribbon tab in Publisher and Word, known in several cases with Microsoft Office 2013-1016.
  • Fixed: the 'Invalid registry data type' error, known with the recent updates applied over the version 2.6 and lower installed previously.

Version 2.12.1.0 — released on May 17, 2017

  • Revised and updated installation / deployment mechanism of the add-in for Microsoft Office applications has been added:
    • diagnostics of the current MS Office configuration;
    • add-in loading diagnostics in Word, Outlook and Publisher;
    • mechanism for fixing loading issues in case the add-in is disabled in any Office applications.
  • Diagnostics logs enriched with a new detailed data to simplify troubleshooting.

Version 2.12.0.4 — released on February 10, 2017

  • An update for the mechanism for prevention of a system security warning from Outlook when trying to access items has been implemented. This warning appeared in systems of some languages after installation of Outlook 2016.

Version 2.12.0.3 — released on January 30, 2017

Improved handling of large lists of recipients when operating memory is low.

Version 2.12 — released on October 12, 2016

  • New feature is added: current document name can be used to rename the attached file which contains the main message text, when the “PDF/HTML/RTF Attachment” message format is selected.
  • Fixed: the error known with some specific configurations on closing publication in Publisher.

Version 2.11 — released on July 4, 2016

  • New: Logging level option is added for troubleshooting: Mail Merge Toolkit Help button (down-pointing arrow)-> Logging.
  • New: alternate action for messages with attachments is added: if the file is unavailable, you can select to stop sending the message with failing attachment. Other available alternates: Skip for this message, Skip for all messages, Stop sending.
  • Fixed: an issue with detection of the records number in the data source if some specific filters are used.

Version 2.10 — released on March 22, 2016

If the modes “HTML/RTF/PDF Attachment” are selected for the main document, inserting graphics is now supported for the outgoing HTML message body, generated by the add-in based on the custom form.

Version 2.9 — released on September 7, 2015

  • Support for Microsoft Office 2016 has been added;
  • Support for Windows 10 has been added.

Version 2.8 — released on January 19, 2015

The format of the outgoing message is changed if the modes: “HTML Attachment”, “RTF Attachment”, or “PDF Attachment” are selected as message format in the add-in settings. The new version of Mail Merge Toolkit generates messages in the HTML format, instead of the previously used RTF.

Version 2.7 — released on June 25, 2014

  • An issue with incorrect converting publication to the GIF format by using Mail Merge in Microsoft Office Publisher 2007-2013 is fixed.
  • New feature is added in Microsoft Office Publisher: export of publication to the PDF format.
  • The method of editing in Microsoft Office Publisher is updated: the built-in editor is now used.
  • If you select the 'PDF Attachment' message formats in Publisher, you can configure using a separate template in the message body (so that it is not empty if you send your message text as an attachment).
  • Unicode support is added.
  • The bug of processing filters by the data source record numbers is fixed.

How To Do A Mail Merge In Word On Mac

Version 2.6.4 — released on May 27, 2014

  • Compatibilty with Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1 (KB2817430) is added.
  • New feature is added: you can use a separate template in the message body if selecting message formats like: 'HTML Attachment', 'RTF Attachment', 'PDF Attachment' (in previous versions, message text was sent in the attachment, and message body was empty).
  • An issue with incorrect displaying specific local characters is fixed.
  • The method of sending messages with attachment is optimized.

Version 2.6.3 — released on October 18, 2013

  • An issue when the registration code is unsaved known if running Microsoft Office Word without Administrator credentials is fixed.
  • Unicode paths to the attached files (specific national characters in filenames) are now supported.
  • New feature: file masks are now supported in the name of attached files.
  • An issue with sending blank message body is fixed – it was known in several cases with the systems where non-English local language settings were used.

Version 2.6.2 — released on February 25, 2013

The feature to send personalized messages as PDF attachments has been added.

Version 2.6.1 — released on November 16, 2012

  • Support for Windows 8 has been added;
  • Support for Microsoft Office 2013 has been added.

Version 2.6 — released on December 19, 2011

A possibility to use data source fields inside of automated Word fields (for example, Database field) is added.

Version 2.5.7 — released on October 14, 2010

The problem with displaying full path to the attachments has been fixed.

Version 2.5.6 — released on February 19, 2010

Microsoft Office 2010 Beta (64-bit editions) support has been added.

Version 2.5.5 — released on December 10, 2009

Microsoft Office 2010 Beta (32-bit editions) support has been added.

Version 2.5.4 — released on July 22, 2009

  • Deployment capability has been extended;
  • Minor interface changes.
How to do a mail merge

Version 2.5.3 — released on December 23, 2008

How To Do A Mail Merge In Word 2019

Support for Microsoft Outlook 2007 hotfix package KB958789 has been added.

Version 2.5.2 — released on December 18, 2007

The problem with adding extra character to end of the message has been fixed.

Version 2.5.0 — released on December 11, 2006

  • Support for Windows Vista has been added;
  • Support for Microsoft Office 2007 has been added.

Version 2.4.0 — released on April 20, 2006

  • Attachment Manager has been added;
  • Program Installation Wizard has been improved;
  • The 'Help' section has been enhanced;
  • The list of company's products and their description has been updated.

Version 2.3.0 — released on January 17, 2006

Some bugs have been fixed.

Version 2.2.0 — released on July 8, 2005

  • A possibility to send messages when the 'CC' and 'BCC' fields are filled in has been added.
  • The fields and the settings of the main window of the program can be saved now.

Version 2.1.0 — released on June 11, 2005

  • The way to select accounts has beed changed.
  • Now you can send the merged messages with background images.

Version 2.0.0 — released on May 27, 2005

The message converter has been rewritten and the bugs with message formatting have been fixed.

Mail

Version 1.7 — released on March 14, 2005

The possibility to send messages through a specifed account has been added.

Version 1.6 — released on February 23, 2005

German language has been added.

Version 1.5 — released on January 13, 2005

  • Bug with sending messages by Excel datasource has been fixed.
  • Russian language has been added.

Version 1.4 — released on August 27, 2004

  • Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 compatibility issues are fixed.
  • Product was tested with Windows XP 64-bit Edition, no known issues.

Version 1.3 — released on August 10, 2004

  • The Button 'Mail Merge Toolkit' has been added to the 'Mail Merge' toolbar of Microsoft Word.
  • Now you can send the merged messages like attachments in the RTF format.
  • A possibility to send messages to recipients from exchange server's address book has been added.

Version 1.2 — released on January 14, 2004

  • Add-in now allows the user to choose save or not to save sent messages(to the Sent Items folder).
  • Some bugs have been fixed.

Version 1.1 — released on October 24, 2003

Bug with recognizing the type of message attachment has been fixed.

Version 1.0 — released on October 9, 2003

First public version.

What is mail merge?

Mail merge is the process of generating multiple personalized documents from a single document template and a structured data source. Microsoft Word has been a synonym for mail merge for years now, but with the raise of cloud computing, new mail merge solutions are appearing.

How does it work?

To put it simply, mail merge is a process where you take a template document and replace the data placeholders with the values from the provided data source. This new personalized document is then saved and process is repeated until we reach the end. In most cases data is provided in a tabular format, so a document will be created for each data row in the table.

NOTE

Mail merge is often used in email automation software for generating and sending personalized email messages. This process is sometimes called email merge. The principle is the same. It is just the output that is different, since the latter creates personalized email messages.

To sum it all up, mail merge requires two things: a document template, and a data source. Let's check those two in detail...

Document template

As mentioned before, it all starts with a template. A template is a pre-formatted document with data placeholders that will be replaced with the real data from the data source. In Microsoft Word these placeholders are called MergeFields. Here is an example of a template file created with Word:

As you can see in the picture above, data placeholders are enclosed with « ». The rest of the document is a generic text. Now, you are probably wondering how I created those placeholders? Well, it is quite simple.

For example, I will demonstrate how to add the City placeholder.

First you need to move the cursor to the position where you want to insert the merge field. Next, select Field... from the Quick Parts drop down menu on the Insert tab.

How To Do A Mail Merge In Word For Envelopes

That will open up a Field settings window where you select MergeField from the Field names list, and enter a field name. I have entered City.

Click on OK and the merge field will appear in your document. Keep in mind that style options like font weight, size, and color, must be defined in the template document. They cannot be dynamically updated in the merge process.

NOTE

Another way to add fields is by pressing Ctrl + F9 once you have positioned the cursor. That will create an empty formula field, which you can then edit by clicking on Edit Field... from the right-click context menu.

Data source

The second mail merge ingredient is a data source. It can be any structured data, but in most cases it is provided in tabular format, or as a data table. Since we have already used Microsoft Word for the template document, we will use another Microsoft Office product, Excel, for the data source. Here is a screenshot of our data source file:

In order for mail merge to succeed, placeholders must be matched with the data source values. In case of tabular data like in the example above, merge fields must match the column names. As you can see in the screenshot, the data source contains all the fields from the template file: FirstName, LastName, Street, and City. It also contains an additional column called Email, but that one won't be used for our template. I have added it just to show you that it doesn't matter if your data source contains additional columns. It only needs to contain all the fields from the template. This also shows that you can use one data source for multiple templates. Each template will just use the columns it needs and ignore the rest.

Now that we have all the ingredients, we can start the merge process...

Merging

NOTE

As mentioned at the beginning, for most people Microsoft Word is the synonym for mail merge. That is the main reason why I have used it for this simple mail merge tutorial. If you are looking for Office alternatives, check these LibreOffice and OpenOffice tutorials.

Start mail merge (Step 1)

To start the mail merge process in Microsoft Word, first select the Mailings tab on the ribbon and click on the Start Mail Merge button.

You have to select the document type from the dropdown menu. For this tutorial we will select Normal Word Document, since we have already created the template document with merge fields.

NOTE

You can find out more about mail merge document types on Microsoft Support.

Select data source (Step 2)

Next, we need to select the data source. Click on the Select Recipients button and select Use an Existing List... from the dropdown menu.

An open file dialog will be shown, where you need to select the Excel file you will use as a data source. In my case, that file is called DocBlender Data.xlsx.

Once you have selected the file and clicked on the Ok button, a small window will open showing a list of all sheets found in your data source file. Select the one that contains the data and click Ok. If everything went well, all other ribbon buttons on the Mailings tab (Edit Recipient List, Highlight Merge Fields, Finish & Merge, etc.) will be enabled. It should look like this:

How

Modify merge data (Step 3)

NOTE

This step is optional, but I have included it because it might be helpful to know how you can sort, filter, or modify the data before finishing the merge.

For this tutorial, I am going to sort the customers by last name and check how the final documents will look before finishing the merge. We will start by clicking on the Edit Recipient List button. That will open a Mail Merge Recipients window where you can see the list of recipients (customers) that will be used in the merge process.

Below the list is a Sort... link. Click on it. A Filter and Sort window will popup and here you will choose the LastName from the Sort by dropdown menu. Afterwards, click OK.

You should be back on the Mail Merge Recipients window and if you check the list now you will notice that the customers are now sorted by their last name. You can close the window, since we are done with the editing.

NOTE

Another way to sort the data is by clicking on the LastName column header in the list. Continuous clicks on the same column header will switch between an ascending and descending sort order.

At the end, we will check how the final documents will look. Click on the Preview Results ribbon button and customer data will replace the placeholders in your template.

You can use the pagination buttons to view all customers, or click on the Find Recipient button to search for a specific customer.

Finish mail merge (Step 4)

Once you are satisfied with the results, click on the Finish & Merge button to finish the merge.

A small dropdown menu will appear where you need to select the output. For this tutorial I have selected the Edit Individual Documents... option because that one will generate a new Word document with all customer documents in it.

That's it! You have successfully completed a mail merge.

The downsides?

As you have seen in this tutorial, creating multiple personalized documents with Microsoft Word is easy. It doesn't require any programming skills and the process is pretty straightforward. Still, using Word for mail merge has some drawbacks:

  • You can only use it locally, on your computer. You cannot perform mail merge on your phone while traveling.
  • You need to purchase a Microsoft Office license for every user and it doesn't matter if you will use it on a monthly basis or from time to time.
  • Sharing and managing template files can be complicated.
  • Using the mail merge option for mass mailing can be time consuming and complicated.

What about an online mail merge alternative?

As mentioned at the beginning, times are changing and some new mail merge options are appearing. DocBlender is one of them. It is an online (cloud) mail merge platform, and because of it you can easily create your personalized documents from anywhere. Even from your mobile phone or tablet.

How To Do A Mail Merge In Word For Letters

You don't have to be a software programmer to use DocBlender. On the contrary, it was made with non-technical users in mind so creating and managing documents through its intuitive and simple user interface is a breeze.

Although DocBlender's primary focus is on simplicity, it is still a very powerful mail merge software. It provides all the options that Microsoft Word has and even more. Some of its main features are:

  • Extensive file format support
  • Multiple output options
  • REST API for custom service integration
  • Multiple user support
  • Usage-based pricing

How To Do A Mail Merge In Word For Envelope

To show this simplicity, DocBlender provides a free mail merge web application. You can use it without registration.





Comments are closed.