How to use mail merge to create a list sorted by category in word

Mail merge is a powerful feature in Microsoft Word that allows you to combine a data source with a document template to create multiple documents with unique information. To use mail merge to create a list sorted by category in Word, follow these steps:

Step 1: Prepare your data source

• Create a table or spreadsheet with the data you want to use for the mail merge. The table should have at least two columns: one for the category and one for the item or information you want to display.
• Save the table as a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file or an Excel file.

Step 2: Create a document template

• Open a new Word document and create a table with the same structure as your data source. This will be your document template.
• Add headers and footers as needed.
• Save the document as a Word document (.docx).

Step 3: Set up the mail merge

• Open the Word document template you created in Step 2.
• Go to the "Mailings" tab in the ribbon.
• Click on "Select Recipients" and then "Use an Existing List".
• Browse to the location of your data source file (CSV or Excel) and select it.
• Click "OK" to import the data into Word.

Step 4: Sort the data by category

• In the "Mailings" tab, click on "Sort" in the "Prepare Documents" group.
• In the "Sort Records" dialog box, select the category column as the sort field.
• Choose the sort order (e.g., ascending or descending).
• Click "OK" to sort the data.

Step 5: Create the mail merge

• In the "Mailings" tab, click on "Finish & Merge" in the "Create" group.
• Select "Edit Individual Documents" to create a separate document for each category.
• Word will create a new document for each category, with the items in that category listed below the category header.

Tips and Variations

• To create a list with subcategories, you can add a second level of sorting by using the "Sort" dialog box again.
• To create a list with multiple columns, you can add additional columns to your data source and then use the "Merge Field" feature to insert the data into your document template.
• To create a list with conditional formatting, you can use the "Conditional Formatting" feature in Word to apply different formatting to different categories or items.

By following these steps, you can use mail merge to create a list sorted by category in Word.