How to do a mail merge from word

A mail merge! A classic technique to personalize documents using data from an external source. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do a mail merge from Microsoft Word:

Prerequisites:

1. Microsoft Word 2010 or later version
2. A data source (e.g., an Excel spreadsheet, Access database, or a CSV file)
3. A Word document template with placeholders for the data

Step 1: Prepare your data source

1. Create a new Excel spreadsheet or open an existing one.
2. Enter the data you want to use for the mail merge, such as names, addresses, and other relevant information.
3. Save the spreadsheet as a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file.

Step 2: Create a Word document template

1. Open Microsoft Word and create a new document or open an existing one.
2. Type the text you want to use as a template for your mail merge. Use placeholders (e.g., [Name], [Address], [City], etc.) to indicate where you want the data to be inserted.
3. Save the document as a Word document (.docx).

Step 3: Set up the mail merge

1. Open the Word document template you created in Step 2.
2. Go to the "Mailings" tab in the ribbon.
3. Click on "Select Recipients" and then "Use an Existing List" to select the CSV file you created in Step 1.
4. Click "OK" to import the data into Word.

Step 4: Map the data fields

1. In the "Mailings" tab, click on "Match Fields" to match the data fields in your CSV file with the placeholders in your Word document template.
2. Select the data field you want to match with each placeholder, and then click "OK".

Step 5: Preview and print the merged documents

1. Click on "Preview Results" to see how the mail merge will look with the data inserted.
2. If everything looks correct, click "Print" to print the merged documents.

Tips and Variations:

• You can also use other data sources, such as an Access database or a SQL Server database.
• To merge data from multiple sources, use the "Combine" feature in the "Mailings" tab.
• To save the merged documents as individual files, use the "Save & Send" feature in the "Mailings" tab.
• To automate the mail merge process, use the "Macro" feature in the "Developer" tab.

That's it! With these steps, you should be able to perform a mail merge from Microsoft Word.