Prepare excel spreadsheet for mail merge

To prepare an Excel spreadsheet for a mail merge, follow these steps:

Step 1: Set up your data

  1. Open your Excel spreadsheet and create a new worksheet or use an existing one.
  2. Set up your data in a table format with the following columns:
    • Name (or any other identifier you want to use to match with your mail merge document)
    • Address (street, city, state, zip)
    • Email (optional)
    • Phone (optional)
    • Other relevant fields (e.g., company name, job title, etc.)
  3. Enter your data in the table, making sure to format the columns correctly (e.g., dates in a date format, numbers in a number format).

Step 2: Prepare your data for mail merge

  1. Select the entire table by pressing Ctrl+A or by clicking on the top-left cell and dragging the cursor down to the bottom-right cell.
  2. Go to the "Data" tab in the ribbon and click on "From Table/Range" to convert your table into a range.
  3. In the "Create from Table" dialog box, select the table range and click "OK".
  4. In the "Data Tools" group, click on "Data Validation" and select "Text Length" to ensure that the data in each column is the correct length.

Step 3: Save your Excel spreadsheet

  1. Save your Excel spreadsheet with a meaningful name, such as "Mail Merge Data.xlsx".
  2. Make sure to save it in a location that is easily accessible, such as your desktop or a shared network drive.

Step 4: Set up your mail merge document

  1. Open your mail merge document (e.g., a Word document or a template) and go to the "Mailings" tab in the ribbon.
  2. Click on "Select Recipients" and then "Use an Existing List" to select your Excel spreadsheet.
  3. In the "Select Data Source" dialog box, browse to the location where you saved your Excel spreadsheet and select it.
  4. Click "OK" to connect to your data source.

Step 5: Map your fields

  1. In the "Mailings" tab, click on "Match Fields" to map your Excel fields to the corresponding fields in your mail merge document.
  2. Select the fields you want to match and click "OK".

Step 6: Preview and test your mail merge

  1. Click on "Preview Results" to see how your mail merge document will look with your data.
  2. Test your mail merge by clicking on "Print" or "Send to" to see if everything is formatted correctly.

By following these steps, you'll be ready to perform a mail merge using your Excel spreadsheet as the data source.