How to Use the Mail Merge Function in Word and Excel

Working with large datasets while creating personalized documents can get quite tedious. However, today’s technology provides various tools to alleviate some of that burden and help us.

Mail merge allows you to mass-produce personalized letters, labels, and more. It pulls data from an Excel sheet and places it into a Word document using placeholders defined by you.

Understanding the Basics of Word Mail Merge

What is Word Mail Merge?

Mail Merge is an MS Word feature that takes data from an Excel sheet (names, addresses, and so on) and inserts them into a Word document. This way, you can create a set of identical documents with personalized fields.

How to Mail Merge in Word: A Quick Guide

The next logical question is, “So, how do I merge Excel data into a Word document?” Worry not, because we will show you exactly how it is done.

  1. Open MS Excel and create a new workbook.
  2. In your new workbook, name the columns containing your data with a proper name (First Name, Last Name, Address, City, etc.)
    • Each recipient’s data will be placed in a row
    • The column names (headers) will correspond with the merge fields that you will insert later in MS Word.
  3. Save your Excel file in an easy-to-find location.
  4. Open MS Word and create a new document.
  5. Go to the Mailings tab and click "Start Mail Merge". Then select "Letters" (or “E-mail messages”, “Envelopes”, “Labels” - depending on what you want to create).
  6. Click on "Select Recipients" and choose "Use an Existing List".
    • A dialog window will open, where you have to look for your Excel file and select it.
    • Confirm the use of the first sheet in the workbook, or select another one, if needed.
  7. Place your mouse cursor in the place where you want to insert personalized data in the Word document.
  8. Go to the Mailings tab and click on "Insert Merge Field". This should open a list of your column headers from the Excel file you previously connected to.
  9. Repeat the “Insert Merge Field” until you place all the placeholders you want.
  10. In the Mailings tab, you can click on "Preview Results" to check if the data is displayed correctly.
  11. Click on "Finish & Merge". In case you want to print your personalized documents right away, select "Print Documents". Otherwise, choose "Edit Individual Documents", which will create a new document containing all your merged data.

Common Issues with Mail Merge and How to Deal with Them

Problems do sometimes occur when using Mail Merge, so here are the most common ones and how to solve them:

Data is missing in Merge Fields

  • Check for blank rows or missing values in your Excel file - for each of the fields that you wanted to merge.
  • Ensure that Excel column names are identical to the Word merge fields (capitalization, typos, mistakenly edited merge fields, etc.)

The formatting is incorrect in the merged document

  • Change the formatting directly in the Word document or Excel before merging.

The Excel file does not update

  • Sometimes you will have to connect the Excel file again in Word (Mailings > Select Recipients > Use an Existing List) if you changed the data it contains.

No data is showing in the merged document

  • Try saving and closing your Excel file - leaving it open sometimes causes connection issues.

Incorrectly aligned fields

  • Addresses or names fields sometimes do not align as intended. Try clicking on "Show/Hide ¶" - this way, you can see if there are any layout-breaking formatting marks placed.
  • Ensure that Excel column names are identical to the Word merge fields (capitalization, typos, mistakenly edited merge fields, etc.)

Can You Make Avery Labels from an Excel Spreadsheet?

The short answer is “Yes!”. Most of the steps are identical to the guide we show in the previous part. The only difference is in the steps 5 & 6.

  1. Go to the Mailings tab and click "Start Mail Merge". Then select "Labels".
  2. Choose your label size
    • A dialog window will appear, named "Label Options".
    • From the Label vendors drop-down list, choose the Avery label brand. And the type fitting the labels that you use.
  3. Continue with steps 7. through 11. of our guide.

We would like to mention some specific tips for printing labels:

  • Always check the label alignment - try printing a test page on paper and matching it with your label sheet.
    • Incorrect alignment can be remedied in your document by going to Layout > Margins and playing around with the top and side margins until the label fits your vision.
  • Do not overcrowd your labels - too much information on your labels will make them illegible.
  • Place your label sheets correctly - check whether the labels are facing the right direction.
  • Check your printer settings - select the right paper type and the tray containing your label sheets

Mail Merge is a valuable tool for personalized mailing, whether for physical or digital formats. Microsoft Office has been the go-to solution for tasks like printing labels and sending snail mail for decades. However, with the rise of digital marketing, many users are switching to cloud services and online tools. For marketing emails with basic personalization (e.g., name, salutation), using an email client with built-in mass mailing features is often more efficient and user-friendly.

eM Client’s mass mail feature will simplify your personalized emails and easy contact management while keeping your contact information synchronized and up to date in the cloud.

Want to learn more about eM Client’s mass mail and variables tools? Make sure to check out this article.