How to change date format mail merge

The age-old problem of date formats in mail merge!

To change the date format in a mail merge, you can follow these steps:

Method 1: Using the "Format" option in the Mail Merge Wizard

  1. Open your Microsoft Word document and go to the "Mailings" tab in the ribbon.
  2. Click on "Start Mail Merge" and select "Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard".
  3. Follow the wizard until you reach the "Write your letter" step.
  4. Click on the "Date" field in the "Insert Merge Field" dialog box.
  5. In the "Format" dropdown menu, select the desired date format from the list (e.g., "MM/DD/YYYY" or "YYYY-MM-DD").
  6. Click "OK" to apply the changes.

Method 2: Using the "Date" field properties

  1. Open your Microsoft Word document and go to the "Mailings" tab in the ribbon.
  2. Click on "Start Mail Merge" and select "Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard".
  3. Follow the wizard until you reach the "Write your letter" step.
  4. Click on the "Date" field in the "Insert Merge Field" dialog box.
  5. Right-click on the "Date" field and select "Properties".
  6. In the "Date Properties" dialog box, click on the "Format" tab.
  7. Select the desired date format from the list (e.g., "MM/DD/YYYY" or "YYYY-MM-DD").
  8. Click "OK" to apply the changes.

Method 3: Using VBA code

  1. Open your Microsoft Word document and go to the "Visual Basic Editor" (VBE) by pressing Alt+F11 or by navigating to "Developer" tab in the ribbon and clicking on "Visual Basic".
  2. In the VBE, double-click on the "ThisDocument" object in the Project Explorer.
  3. In the code editor, add the following code:
    Sub ChangeDateFormat()
 Dim doc As Document
 Set doc = ActiveDocument
 doc.MailMerge.OpenDataSource
 doc.MailMerge.DataSource.ActiveConnection.Fields("Date").Format = "MM/DD/YYYY"
End Sub
  4. Replace "MM/DD/YYYY" with your desired date format.
  5. Save the code and close the VBE.
  6. Go back to your Word document and run the macro by clicking on "Developer" tab in the ribbon and clicking on "Macros" and then "Run".

Note: The above code assumes that the date field is named "Date". If your date field has a different name, you'll need to modify the code accordingly.

I hope these methods help you change the date format in your mail merge!