How to create separate documents in mail merge
In Microsoft Word, you can create separate documents in a mail merge by using a feature called "Section Breaks" or "Sectioning". Here's a step-by-step guide:
Method 1: Using Section Breaks
- Open your mail merge document and go to the "Insert" tab in the ribbon.
- Click on "Break" in the "Pages" group, and then select "Next Page" from the dropdown menu.
- This will insert a section break, which will create a new page and a new section.
- Repeat steps 2-3 as many times as you need to create separate documents.
- Each section will have its own page and will be treated as a separate document.
Method 2: Using Sectioning
- Open your mail merge document and go to the "Layout" tab in the ribbon.
- Click on "Section" in the "Page Setup" group, and then select "Section" from the dropdown menu.
- In the "Section" dialog box, enter a name for your section (e.g., "Document 1", "Document 2", etc.).
- Click "OK" to create the section.
- Repeat steps 2-4 as many times as you need to create separate documents.
- Each section will have its own page and will be treated as a separate document.
Tips and Variations
- To create a separate document for each record in your data source, you can use a combination of section breaks and mail merge fields. For example, you can use a section break to create a new page for each record, and then use a mail merge field to insert the record's data on each page.
- To create a separate document for each group of records in your data source, you can use a combination of section breaks and group fields. For example, you can use a section break to create a new page for each group, and then use a group field to insert the group's data on each page.
- To create a separate document for each unique value in a specific field, you can use a combination of section breaks and unique field values. For example, you can use a section break to create a new page for each unique value in a field, and then use a mail merge field to insert the value on each page.