Prepare your Excel data source

Before you discover how to do a mail merge in Word from an Excel document, the first step is to prepare your data source. Here is how you can go about doing it:

• Open Microsoft Excel and create a new Excel Spreadsheet to start mail merge.

• The first row is crucial; it should contain column headers for each column. Examples of headers include: ‘First Name,’ ‘Last Name,’ ‘Address,’ ‘Email,’ ‘postal codes’, etc. These headers will become ‘field names’ in Word, helping identify which piece of data you wish to merge.

• Input the data under each header. Ensure consistency in your entries (e.g., if you use dates, maintain a single format throughout).

• Save the mail merge Excel file and close it. Make sure you remember the location where you saved it.

Launch Microsoft Word

Once your Excel spreadsheet is ready, it is time to start on Microsoft Word. Here is what you will need to do:

• Open a new blank Word document

• Navigate to the ‘Mailings’ tab in the ribbon.

Select the data source

The next step in our journey on how to do a mail merge in an Excel document is to tell Word where to get all the data from. Here is how you can do it:

• Click ‘Start Mail Merge’ in the ‘Mailings’ tab. A drop-down menu will appear

• Select the kind of new document you wish to merge, like ‘Email Messages,’ ‘Letters,’ ‘Envelopes,’ or ‘Labels.’ Now, click ‘Select Recipients,’ then choose ‘Use an Existing Recipient List’

• Browse to the location where you saved your email merge Excel file, select it, and click ‘Open’

• A popup might appear, asking you to select the table or Excel spreadsheet from your workbook. Choose the relevant Excel spreadsheet and click ‘OK’

This step will dictate where each piece of information should appear

• Place your cursor where you want the data from the Excel file to be inserted in the Word mail merge document.

• Click the Insert Merge Field button in the ‘Mailings’ tab
• A drop-down menu dialog box will showcase all the headers from your Excel file. Choose the one you’d like to insert. Repeat this step for all pieces of data you wish to include.

One of the best things Microsoft does is allow you to sneak a peek before finalizing your mail merges. Once you follow the steps on how to create a mail merge from Excel, here is what you will need to do to preview:

• Click on ‘Preview Results’ in the ‘Mailings’ tab

In this last step, it’s time to wrap it up:

• Once satisfied with the preview, click ‘Finish & Merge’ in the ‘Mailings’ tab

• Three options will appear:
  • Print Documents: Sends the merge data directly to the printer.
  • Send Email Messages: If your Excel data contains email addresses, use this to send mass emails.
  • Edit Individual Documents: This creates a new Word mail merge document, allowing you to see and save every document.
• Select the option that best fits your needs.