How to remove duplicate labels in mail merge

The pesky duplicate labels in mail merge!

There are a few ways to remove duplicate labels in a mail merge:

Method 1: Use a unique identifier

If you have a unique identifier column in your data source (e.g., a customer ID), you can use it to remove duplicates. Here's how:

  1. In your mail merge document, go to the "Mailings" tab > "Select Recipients" > "Edit Recipient List".
  2. In the "Edit Recipient List" dialog box, click on the "Advanced" button.
  3. In the "Advanced" dialog box, click on the "Unique Identifier" button.
  4. Select the unique identifier column from your data source.
  5. Click "OK" to close the dialog boxes.

This will remove any duplicate records based on the unique identifier.

Method 2: Use a filter

You can also use a filter to remove duplicates. Here's how:

  1. In your mail merge document, go to the "Mailings" tab > "Select Recipients" > "Edit Recipient List".
  2. In the "Edit Recipient List" dialog box, click on the "Filter" button.
  3. In the "Filter" dialog box, select the column you want to filter on (e.g., email address).
  4. Choose the "Unique" filter option.
  5. Click "OK" to close the dialog boxes.

This will remove any duplicate records based on the selected column.

Method 3: Use a third-party add-in

If you're using Microsoft Word 2010 or later, you can use a third-party add-in like "Remove Duplicates" or "Duplicate Remover" to remove duplicates from your mail merge list.

Method 4: Manually remove duplicates

If you don't have a unique identifier or filter option available, you can manually remove duplicates by:

  1. Opening your data source in a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel.
  2. Sorting the data by the column you want to remove duplicates from (e.g., email address).
  3. Manually removing any duplicate records.
  4. Saving the updated data source.
  5. Re-opening your mail merge document and re-selecting the updated data source.

I hope these methods help you remove duplicate labels in your mail merge!