Add last name to mail merge
To add a last name to a mail merge, you'll need to follow these steps:
Assumptions:
- You have a Microsoft Word document with a mail merge field (e.g.,
First Name
) that you want to expand to include the last name. - You have a data source (e.g., an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV file) that contains the first name and last name columns.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Open your Word document: Open the Word document that contains the mail merge field.
- Insert a new field: Click on the "Insert" tab in the ribbon and then click on "Quick Parts" > "Field" (or press
Alt + F9
). - Select the "Merge Field" option: In the "Field" dialog box, select "Merge Field" from the "Categories" list.
- Enter the field name: In the "Field name" box, enter the name of the field that contains the first name (e.g.,
First Name
). - Add the last name field: Click on the "Insert" button to insert the field. Then, click on the "Insert" tab again and repeat steps 2-4, but this time enter the name of the field that contains the last name (e.g.,
Last Name
). - Combine the fields: Select both fields (the first name and last name fields) and click on the "Format" tab in the ribbon. In the "Format" group, click on the "Merge" button and select "Merge Fields" > "Merge Fields into One" (or press
Ctrl + Shift + M
). - Enter the combined field name: In the "Merge Fields" dialog box, enter a name for the combined field (e.g.,
Full Name
). - Update the field: Click on the "Update" button to update the field with the combined values.
Example:
Suppose your data source contains the following columns:
First Name | Last Name |
---|---|
John | Smith |
Jane | Doe |
Your Word document contains a mail merge field named First Name
. To add the last name to the field, follow the steps above. The resulting field would look like this:
John Smith
Alternatively, you can use the "Concatenate" function in Word to combine the first name and last name fields. To do this:
- Insert a new field using the steps above.
- Enter the following formula:
=First Name & " " & Last Name
- Update the field to apply the formula.
This will combine the first name and last name fields with a space in between, resulting in a field that looks like this:
John Smith