How to avoid excel decimal points while mail merge

When performing a mail merge in Excel, you may encounter issues with decimal points, especially if you're working with financial data or numbers with many decimal places. Here are some tips to help you avoid decimal points while mail merge:

  1. Format the cells as text: Before performing the mail merge, select the cells containing the numbers and format them as text. This will prevent Excel from automatically adding decimal points. To do this, go to the "Home" tab > "Number" group > "Text" button.
  2. Use the TEXT function: You can use the TEXT function to convert numbers to text, removing decimal points. For example, =TEXT(A1,"0") will convert the value in cell A1 to a text string with no decimal points.
  3. Use the ROUND function: If you need to keep a certain number of decimal places, use the ROUND function to round the numbers to the desired precision. For example, =ROUND(A1,2) will round the value in cell A1 to 2 decimal places.
  4. Use a formula to remove decimal points: You can create a formula that removes decimal points from the numbers. For example, =LEFT(A1,FIND(".",A1)-1) will remove the decimal point from the value in cell A1.
  5. Use a custom number format: You can create a custom number format that removes decimal points. For example, #,##0 will display numbers without decimal points. To apply this format, go to the "Home" tab > "Number" group > "Format" button > "Custom" > "Type" field.
  6. Use a third-party add-in: There are several third-party add-ins available that can help you remove decimal points during mail merge. For example, the "Mail Merge Helper" add-in can help you format numbers and remove decimal points.

To perform the mail merge, follow these general steps:

  1. Open your Excel file and select the data range you want to merge.
  2. Go to the "Mailings" tab > "Start Mail Merge" group > "Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard".
  3. Follow the wizard's prompts to select the recipients, layout, and fields.
  4. In the "Write & Insert Fields" step, select the field containing the numbers you want to merge.
  5. In the "Format" dropdown menu, select the format you created earlier (e.g., text, rounded, or custom).
  6. Click "OK" to merge the data.

By following these tips, you should be able to avoid decimal points during your mail merge and produce a clean, formatted output.