Mail Merge Guide

Mail Merge is a feature of Microsoft Word which is difficult, if not impossible, to figure out. The truth is that Microsoft took a myriad of mailing list options (form letters, address labels, etc.) and reduced them down to a 3-step process. Once the process is understood, Mail Merge becomes as simple as one, two, three.

The first step is to create your data source. This could be a simple table or an Excel, or an Access database. The next step is to create the main document. List all the information commonly found in letters including the dateline, salutation, main body, and the closing. Next go to the Tools menu, and select Mail Merge. The Mail Merge helper will appear. Click the Create button. Choose the Form Letters option. It will ask you to choose the Active Window or a New Main Document. Choose Active Window. Now click the Get Data button and choose Open Data Source. Browse to the folder where your address file is saved and select the file (Note: You may need change the "files of types" dropdown box to the kind of file your addresses is — Excel or Access — before you can select it). A box will show up asking for "named or cell range," with the answer "entire spreadsheet" already typed in. You can type in a cell range (for Excel), choose a table (for Access), or use the entire spreadsheet simply by clicking OK (if you are using an Excel address book that has multiple sheets, you might want to "cut and paste" the addresses you want into a single sheet first.).

You should now see a warning that Word found no Merge fields in your document, and display an Edit Main Document button. Click it. Now it’s time to add your merge fields. Let’s assume you want the addressee’s title and last name to appear after the word "Dear" in the salutation (e.g. - Dear Mr. Wood:). Go to the word "Dear," add a space. You will notice that a Mail Merge toolbar has appeared in the upper part of the screen. Click the Insert Merge Field button. All the fields (title, firstname, lastname, etc.) in your database will appear. Choose the title field. Add a space. Choose the last name field. Add a colon. The salutation should now read: Dear "title" "lastname":

Click View Merged Data to preview your work. The fields will now be replaced with text from the database. Use the Previous Record and Next Record buttons to view more records.

If you are satisfied with how the letters look, click the Merge button in the Mail Merge helper. One last dialog box will appear, asking if you want to merge to a new document. You do. Click the Merge button, and your letters will be created. Save the file, and name it Mergedfile or just print it for a one-time use.

If you are not happy with the letters, click the Edit button under the "Main Document" heading on the Mail Merge Helper (to the right of the Create button). Once you have edited the letter, go to the Tools menu and choose Mail Merge to get the Helper back on the screen. Click Merge, then Merge again in the next dialog box, and you are done!

You can also use this feature to add text to the body of your letters as long as it resides in your database. If, for example, the readers are taking a class from you, and the name of the class is in the database, you could mention something like: "Our records indicate you are taking "classname" with us this spring."

If you are using newer versions of Word or versions prior to Word 2000, the steps above may vary slightly.