#Start mail merge word mac how to
#Start mail merge word mac zip

Click on the Number Format box and choose the correct format from the drop-down list that appears.Ĥ. Select a column that has numeric data entries.ģ.

#Start mail merge word mac zip

Only enter your column headers in the first row, starting in cell A1.Ĭheck your header row to make sure the column headers in your Excel spreadsheet are exactly the same as the field names (or placeholder names) you want to use in your Word template document.įor example, if the column names in your Excel sheet are “FirstName”, “LastName”, and “Email”, the field names in your Microsoft Word document should also be “FirstName”, “LastName”, and “Email”.Įnter your contact information in your Excel database as one record per row, starting from cell A2.ĭata entries such as ZIP codes, percentages, currencies, etc., must be in the correct numeric format. Now you can start entering the details of your address list into the Excel workbook.

If the data is present in a TXT or CSV file, go to Data → From Text/CSV to open the file in Excel. Note: If your contact data is readily available as an Excel spreadsheet, open the file and format it. Open MS Excel and click on Blank workbook to open a blank Excel workbook (or document).

#Start mail merge word mac how to

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up an Excel data file: Let’s now explore the steps involved in using mail merge for bulk letters: Step 1: Create and format your address list in Microsoft Excel

The data file is an Excel spreadsheet containing your recipients’ details.

The mail merge template is a form letter in Microsoft Word.

You can use the mail merge feature in Word and Excel to create auto-personalized individual letters quickly. How to Use Mail Merge to Send Bulk Letters Next, I’ll go over the steps involved in using mail merge to automatically personalize individual letters. If the name of the merge fields and column headers match, the mail merge function would then merge your data file and your letter template to generate a personalized letter for each person. These are placeholders for your recipient’s details, also known as mail merge fields.Ī mail merge field draws the personalization information from your data file (spreadsheet) to help you create your personalized letter.īut to make this work, the name of the mail merge field in your personalized letter template must match the name of the column header in your spreadsheet. No tice the «FirstName», «Address» and other tags in the letter ? Here, your letter is the template file - it has placeholders for your contacts’ names and addresses. įor example, let’s say you want to perform a mail merge to create mass letters.

Each cell in the data file contains different information (first name, last name, email address, etc.) that will be placed in your template file in the corresponding space.Įssentially, a mail merge automatically adds the personalization data from your data file to your template file.

Data File : a data source like a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or a Google Sheets file.

And that data (names, addresses, etc.) is fetched from a data file. It specifies the places where the personalization data will go.

Template File : the document that holds the message you’ll be sending out (like a letter or an email).

How Does Mail Merge Work?įirst, you need to understand the two essential components of every mail merge. Let’s now explore how a mail merge works. Instead of typing a letter for each recipient, you can use a form letter to make quick, unique, personalized letters for each person.Įssentially, if there’s a document you need to personalize at scale, mail merges can take care of it for you! Note: A form letter is a template file used to create mass letters. You can use mail merges to create personalized messages automatically for: This spares you the trouble of manually personalizing each document yourself! What Are Mail Merges?Ī mail merge lets you create personalized documents that are automatically customized on a recipient-by-recipient basis.

How to Use Mail Merge to Send Mass Emails.

Two Problems of Using Microsoft Word to Send Mass Emails.

How to Use Mail Merge to Send Bulk Letters.

(Click on links to jump to specific sections) Later, I’ll mention two issues of using the traditional method for mail merges and suggest a better and more powerful alternative to help you send mass emails.Īdditionally, I’ll also answer seven FAQs associated with mail merges. Then, I’ll go over how to mail merge using an Excel spreadsheet and a Word document. In this article, I’ll first cover what a mail merge is and explain how it works. It works by automatically adding personalization data from a data file (for example, a spreadsheet) to a template file (like a letter or an email). A mail merge is a handy way to send personalized mass letters and bulk emails quickly.