Prepare excel spreadsheet for mail merge
To prepare an Excel spreadsheet for a mail merge, follow these steps:
Step 1: Set up your data
- Open your Excel spreadsheet and create a new worksheet or use an existing one.
- 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.)
- 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
- 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.
- Go to the "Data" tab in the ribbon and click on "From Table/Range" to convert your table into a range.
- In the "Create from Table" dialog box, select the table range and click "OK".
- 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
- Save your Excel spreadsheet with a meaningful name, such as "Mail Merge Data.xlsx".
- 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
- Open your mail merge document (e.g., a Word document or a template) and go to the "Mailings" tab in the ribbon.
- Click on "Select Recipients" and then "Use an Existing List" to select your Excel spreadsheet.
- In the "Select Data Source" dialog box, browse to the location where you saved your Excel spreadsheet and select it.
- Click "OK" to connect to your data source.
Step 5: Map your fields
- In the "Mailings" tab, click on "Match Fields" to map your Excel fields to the corresponding fields in your mail merge document.
- Select the fields you want to match and click "OK".
Step 6: Preview and test your mail merge
- Click on "Preview Results" to see how your mail merge document will look with your data.
- 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.