Xls mail merge

A classic!

XLS (Excel) mail merge is a process that combines data from an Excel spreadsheet with a template document to create multiple output documents, such as letters, labels, or reports. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

Prerequisites:

  1. Microsoft Excel (2007 or later)
  2. Microsoft Word (2007 or later)
  3. A template document (e.g., a Word document or a PDF file)

Step 1: Prepare your data

  1. Create an Excel spreadsheet with the data you want to use for the mail merge. This data should include the fields you want to use in your output documents.
  2. Make sure the data is organized in a table format, with each row representing a single record and each column representing a field.

Step 2: Create a mail merge template

  1. Open your template document (e.g., a Word document or a PDF file) and prepare it for mail merge.
  2. Identify the areas where you want to insert the data from your Excel spreadsheet. These areas will be replaced with the actual data during the mail merge process.
  3. Use Word's built-in mail merge features to create a mail merge main document. To do this:
    • Go to the "Mailings" tab in Word.
    • Click on "Start Mail Merge" and select "Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard."
    • Follow the wizard's prompts to create a new main document.

Step 3: Link your Excel data to the mail merge template

  1. Open your Excel spreadsheet and go to the "Data" tab.
  2. Click on "From Other Sources" and then select "From Microsoft Query."
  3. In the "Query Wizard," select "Excel Files" as the data source and choose your Excel spreadsheet.
  4. In the "Available Fields" list, select the fields you want to use in your mail merge. These fields will be linked to the corresponding fields in your template document.
  5. Click "Finish" to create the query.

Step 4: Merge your data with the template

  1. Go back to your Word document and click on the "Mailings" tab.
  2. Click on "Finish & Merge" and select "Edit Individual Documents."
  3. In the "Merge to Document" dialog box, select the Excel query you created earlier as the data source.
  4. Choose the output format (e.g., Word document, PDF, or email).
  5. Click "OK" to start the mail merge process.

Step 5: Review and refine your output

  1. Review the output documents to ensure they contain the correct data and formatting.
  2. Refine the output documents as needed by making changes to the template or the Excel data.

That's it! With these steps, you should be able to perform a successful XLS mail merge.