Word: how to mail merge letters and labels

A mail merge lets you write one letter and have Word fill in each person's name and address from a list. It saves hours when you are sending the same letter to many people or printing address labels.

Ribbon names differ a little between versions, but everything lives on the Mailings tab.

Prepare your list first

The list is usually an Excel spreadsheet. Before you start:

• Put column headings in the first row, such as Title, FirstName, Surname, Address1, Postcode.
• Have one person per row, with no blank rows or merged cells.
• Format postcode and phone number columns as Text so leading zeros are not lost.
• Save and close the spreadsheet.

Set up the merge

1. Open a new Word document and click the Mailings tab.
2. Click Start Mail Merge and choose Letters (or Labels or E-mail Messages).
3. Click Select Recipients, then Use an Existing List, and choose your spreadsheet. If asked which sheet, pick the one with your data.
4. Type your letter. Where you want a name, click Insert Merge Field and choose the heading, for example FirstName.
5. For an address block, click Address Block. For a greeting, click Greeting Line.

Check and finish

1. Click Preview Results and use the arrows to flip through the records.
2. If one looks wrong, fix the spreadsheet and reopen the merge.
3. Click Finish & Merge, then Edit Individual Documents to produce a new document with every letter in it. Check it before printing. Choose Print Documents to send it straight to the printer.

Sending by email works with classic Outlook installed. It may not work with other mail programs or the newer Outlook.

Common problems

• Postcodes lose a zero or dates look odd: the spreadsheet formatting is the cause, so change the column to Text.
• You get a message about data sources: the spreadsheet may have moved or be open elsewhere. Close it and try again.

On a Mac the Mailings tab works in the same way.

When to get more help

If your first merge is for something important, such as invoices or customer letters, contact us and we can walk through it with you before you print anything.