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How do you mail merge Excel data into a Word document?



How do you mail merge Excel data into a Word document?


Mail merges are powerful tools that can be used for many different purposes -- such as creating letters or flyers on behalf of your company, newsletters, brochures, etc. They're simple enough that anyone should have no problem learning them but advanced enough to let you create complex documents. You just need some basic knowledge about both programs.

Microsoft Office has had mail merge since version 3, so there's not much reason to learn anything else these days (except maybe VBA). Mail merging is also possible through other office suites like OpenOffice Calc, LibreOffice Base, Google Docs, Zoho Writer, etc., although they don't offer as wide range of options or features. If you want something more robust than what we'll cover here, try using one of those alternatives instead.

For this article, we will focus on Microsoft Word 2010 because it's still widely supported by most people who use Windows 7/8.1/10, which makes our guide easy to follow regardless of your operating system. It may work slightly differently if you use another program, especially older versions of Word. However, if you have questions about any part of the process, feel free to ask us below!

If you've never done a mail merge before, check out our previous articles about all things related to mail merge first:

The Basics Of A Mail Merge In Outlook [Part 1]

How To Create Letters & Postcards With Your Email Signature Using MS Word 2007 [Part 2]

How Do I Make An Appointment Letter From One Program To Another? [Answer]

How Can I Import My Gmail Contacts Into Excellot And Use Them As Sources For A Mail Merged Document? [Answer]

How Do I Connect Multiple Excel Files Together In MS Access Without Opening The Database File? [Answer]

How Do I Convert Text To RTF Before Sending It By E-mail In Linux Ubuntu 11.04 [Answer]

How Do I Copy Cells Between Two Different Spreadsheets In Numbers 4.2 [Answer]

How Do I Find Duplicate Or Similar Words In Large Documents Using Only Free Tools On The Internet [Answer]

How Do I Send Bulk Emails Via Yahoo!? [Answer]

How Do I Prepare An Excel Sheet That Will Be Used For Printing Envelopes? [Answer]

In short, when doing a mail merge, you take information from two separate sources -- usually spreadsheets containing contact names and addresses -- and combine them into one master document. This way, you can print personalized letters or envelopes faster and easier while keeping track of everything yourself rather than relying on someone else.

Below, we'll show you exactly how to perform each individual task required for a successful mail merge. We'll go over how to import data from Excel to Word, how to export word processing files back to Excel, and even demonstrate a few nifty tricks along the way.



How do I prepare an Excel spreadsheet for mail merge?

Before you start making changes to multiple Word files, it helps to get everything organized properly. Here's where an excel file comes in handy. When creating a new document, select "Merge" under "File -& Options." Then click "Excel Data -& Choose Source," followed by "Choose..."

When choosing your data source, make sure the column headers match up correctly between the two sheets. Also remember to include the sheet name at the end of every row header. Otherwise, Word won't know which columns belong together.

You can find additional details regarding selecting the correct data source in our previous article above.

How do I paste an Excel table into Word with formatting?

Once you've selected your data source, choose the Paste Special option located underneath the Table button. Select All Contents then either Pasting Formulas or Values depending on whether you only want text inserted or formulas too, respectively. Finally, click OK.

Note that after pasting, if you accidentally copied cells outside of the intended range, you might need to delete them manually. There are several ways around this issue, including highlighting the entire range, right clicking within the area, or pressing Ctrl + F6.

How do I paste an Excel table into Word and fit it?

Now that you've got your master layout ready, it's time to insert actual content into it. Click inside the leftmost cell of the top row and type whatever you'd like to appear in the letter. Once finished, scroll down until you reach the bottom of the page (or however far you want) and continue typing. Repeat this process for each subsequent line.

To avoid having rows overlap onto the next page, turn off automatic line breaks via View-"Page Setup-"Breaks-"No Line Break". But keep in mind that doing this means you must edit each row individually -- otherwise, Word would automatically adjust the spacing based on its own rules. So double-check your manual settings afterwards.

It doesn't matter whether you intend for each section of text to fill half the width of the screen or the whole thing fits perfectly side-to-side. Just ensure that each line isn't longer than the allotted space.

How do you copy and paste a table in Word without losing formatting Excel?

After copying all the necessary lines, you can now paste them wherever you wish. Simply highlight the desired paragraph(s), press Ctrl+V, and drag across the textboxes. After releasing, the words will paste themselves into their respective locations. Now you can repeat the same steps for the rest of your document.

However, sometimes the format gets messed up during the transfer. Luckily, there's a quick fix for that. Right-click anywhere blank in your document and select Styles-"Set Font Style... At the bottom, change the font style to AutoText. Doing this forces Word to interpret certain characters as special symbols, allowing you to manipulate them as needed.

As long as you maintain consistent fonts throughout, you shouldn't run into any problems unless you specifically add custom styles to alter the appearance.

How do you copy and paste a table in Word without losing formatting Excel?

After copying all the necessary lines, you can now paste them wherever you wish. Simply highlight the desired paragraph(s), press Ctrl+V, and drag across the text boxes. After releasing, the words will paste themselves into their respective locations. Now you can repeat the same steps for the rest of your document.

But sometimes the format gets messed up during the transfer. Fortunately, there's a quick fix for that. Right-click anywhere blank in your document and select Styles-"Set Font Style... At the bottom, change the font style to AutoText. Doing this forces Word to interpret certain characters as special symbols, allowing you to manipulate them as needed.

As long as you maintain consistent fonts throughout, you shouldn't run into any problems unless you specifically add custom styles to alter the appearance.

How do I connect multiple Excel files together in Word?

First, open up your.xlsx file containing all your contacts' info. Next, head to Home-"Find-and-replace-"Replace field. Navigate to Browse and locate the location of your second spreadsheet. Hit Replace All and wait for it to complete.

Finally, navigate to Home-"Find-and-replace-"Search fields. Under Where:, input the address of the merged document to search for duplicate entries. Hit Search and watch as Word scours through thousands upon thousands of records. Depending on how large your database is, it could take a bit of time.

At last, look beneath Match Case: and highlight the first instance of each entry. Highlight them again and hit Delete. Repeat this process for any duplicates you come across. Don't forget to replace each highlighted record with the corresponding values found on the original spreadsheet.

Keep repeating the process until there aren't anymore duplicates, then close the temporary document. Now all you have to worry about is sending your final product to whoever receives it. We recommend saving the main document somewhere safe. Maybe encrypt it with a password or store it in Dropbox. Whatever works best for you!

Have a question about the software? Leave it in the comments below.

Mail merges are useful in many situations. For example, when sending out letters or invitations on behalf of your business. Or maybe it's just something that would be fun to try yourself! In this article we'll explain exactly what is meant by mail merging information into documents, then show you how to perform this task using Microsoft Office programs.

What Is Mail Merging Information Into Documents?

When someone sends out correspondence (e.g., via email), there may be multiple pieces of personalised content included within. These include name, address, telephone number etc. The recipient will receive one piece of paper containing all these details. But instead of manually entering them into the letter each time, they can simply type in some generic text -- such as "Dear Mr Jones" -- and have their full message automatically inserted, along with any other relevant information. This process is called 'data merging'.

The same technique could also apply to invitations, flyers, newsletters, press releases, brochures, advertisements etc. Data merging is a great way to speed up communication while saving money too. It's particularly popular with businesses who send out hundreds of thousands of items per year.

How Do You Perform A Mail Merge From Excel To Word Step By Step?

Before actually performing a mail merge, you need to ensure that you have three things ready:

A list of recipients.

A master copy of the document.

Your own custom template.

If you don't already have a list of people to contact, you should create one before proceeding further. If not, you might want to consider asking colleagues at work to help you compile it. They probably know everyone anyway...

For those who are interested, here's a quick guide on creating lists in Excel. Once created, make sure that you're happy with everything including column widths and row heights so that it looks professional. Then head back to Word where we'll begin our mail merge.

First off, open up Word and select File -& Open & Print. Click Create Document. Select Blank Normal.

Now, go ahead and click OK. When prompted, choose Yes if asked whether you'd like to print your document immediately, otherwise No if you only intend making changes first.

Next, insert the list of names that you prepared earlier. We'll start with the simplest case: John Smith. Go down the list until you find his entry, highlight him, right-click, point to Edit, and select Copy Text. Now switch over to Excel and paste it in.

You now have a very long cell which contains the whole of Column 1. That means that the next part of the merge won't be much easier than it was previously. So let's move onto copying more cells.

Go through the rest of the rows, highlighting every person whose details you wish to add to the final document. Right-click and repeat the action, selecting Paste Special -& Values.

Here's an important note: once pasted, make sure that values aren't formatted as dates, currency, or alphanumeric characters, because doing so would cause errors later on. Instead, convert the value(s) to plaintext ("General").

Once done, head over to Excel again, but this time select Cells rather than Entire Row. Head across to the end of the list and drag down below. Make sure that your cursor isn't above the last item though, otherwise the merge will fail.

Right-click and select Cut Cells. Switch back to Word and delete the extra lines that were added. Finally, enter a space between each group of consecutive entries. Feel free to adjust the spacing however you see fit.

Repeat this procedure for every single row on the list.

Finally, head back to Excel and expand the merged range so that it covers both columns. Drag another box underneath the original selection. This new box represents the area that will contain the actual mail merge output. Hit Enter to fill it with data.

Note that you can continue adding additional rows after this stage. Just remember that you must cut and paste them separately afterwards. Otherwise, even if you modify the contents of individual cells elsewhere in the sheet, Word will ignore them because the entire section has been replaced.

That concludes this basic explanation of how to perform a mail merge in Word. Next, we'll look at how to set up a mail merge in Outlook.

Can A User Use An Existing Excel Spreadsheet As A Data File For Mail Merge?

Yes! There are two ways to achieve this. Either you can import the data directly into Word, or you can export it as CSV and import it into Word. Let's take a closer look at both methods.

Importing Data Directly Into Word

To import the data, follow steps 6 onwards from above. After completing the merge, change the Destination field in the lower corner of the screen to Import Data.

Select Browse..., navigate to the location of your pre-existing.xlsx file, and hit Choose.

In the popup window, check Replace Contents and uncheck Preserve formatting. Hit Finish and wait while Word imports the data.

Afterwards, head over to Word and select Insert -& Object -& Table. Find the newly imported table and double-left-click it. Change its Name property to "Table1", then double-right-click it and select Rename.

Head back to Excel and rename the current worksheet. Also, remove the header row, since you no longer need it. Lastly, update the code in the main body of the sheet so that it matches the following sample:

Exporting Data As Comma Separated Variables (.csv)

If you prefer working outside of Word, you can always export the data as a.csv file. Simply select the desired cells, head to the menu bar, and select Save Selection/Range....

Under Export Range / Options, check Include Delimiter Boxes. Check Split Field Items if necessary, depending on the size of the dataset. Set the Format dropdown menu to either Tabular Formatted String or Comma separated variables. And finally, set the delimiter character to whatever suits your needs best.

Click Ok and give the resulting.csv file a meaningful filename. Then, open up Notepad or your preferred text editor and replace all instances of "$" signs with commas.

Open Word and head to File -& Open & Print. Navigate to your saved.csv file and select Add Other Item Types... followed by Comma Separated Variable Files (*.csv).

Word will ask which fields you'd like to extract. Tick whichever ones you require, i.e. FirstName, LastName, PhoneNumber. Leave EmailAddress blank unless you plan on contacting individuals by e-mail.

Then hit Done and select Close without printing.

With the input data properly stored inside Word, proceed to the mail merge portion of the project.

How Do You Data Merge from Excel To Word?

It really depends upon the kind of document that you've received. However, most users tend to stick to similar procedures regardless. Here are a few tips that will hopefully come in handy during these processes.

Use Shortcuts To Help With Long Lists Of Recipients

Microsoft recommends that you limit the amount of contacts contained in your target document to around 500. Beyond that, it tends to become increasingly difficult to maintain order. Therefore, it's often advisable to split larger lists into smaller chunks.

For instance, you can break up a giant mailing list into sections of 100 records apiece. Alternatively, you can combine several smaller lists together.

Be aware that splitting large files can introduce minor delays. On average, it takes about 0.5 seconds to complete a merge operation involving 10,000+ recipients.

Don't Forget About Searchable Fields Within Your Contacts List

Searchability allows users to search for specific parts of a long document and pull results accordingly. Usually, this feature comes bundled with standard databases. But sometimes companies opt to write their own database system.

As mentioned earlier, Word provides built-in tools for searching through lists of recipients. However, they're limited to certain criteria. For example, you can't sort alphabetically or filter specific elements based on date ranges.

Therefore, if you're looking to utilise this functionality, it's recommended that you download third-party software capable of handling bigger datasets. One excellent choice is DLookup [Broken URL Removed]. Users can easily search through huge amounts of data using filters, sorting options, and advanced logic operators.

Dlookup supports both SQLite and Access Database formats. Furthermore, it offers support for importing data from external sources. All that said, keep in mind that this tool does cost $99 USD annually.

Export Your Results Before Saving Them As A Template

During my tests, I found myself accidentally closing the mail merge window early. Although I closed it quickly enough, it still resulted in a loss of data. Fortunately, Word includes a function that lets you preview the finished product before finishing off the merge itself.

Navigate to File -& Open & Print and select Quick Look Preview under Options. Wait for the app to load, then close the window. Next, return to Excel and head to Ribbon -& Developer -& Design Mode.

Mail merges are one of those tasks that seem like they should be easy but actually take quite some effort. This is especially true if you're using macros or VBA code in your workbook. The good news is that it's not as difficult as you might think -- we'll walk through the process here step by step so you can get started right away!

In this article, we will explain each part of the mail merge procedure, starting at what happens when you open up the mail merge dialog box. We'll also show you how to create a word document out of excel data for printing purposes. Let's jump right in!

How do I merge an Excel spreadsheet into a Word document?

When you click on Mail Merge " Start Mail Merge inside Microsoft Office 2016, 2010, 2013, 2007, or 2003, two things happen simultaneously. First, the program launches a new instance of itself within Word (so don't close down Word while merging). Second, it opens up an Excel file containing all the names, addresses, phone numbers, etc., that you want included in the final product. You can then edit these names as many times as needed before sending them off to print.

To access the Excel data file that contains everything you need, go to File " Open & Print " Data Sheet... If there isn't already a tab called Other Sources, make sure to select Create New Tab. Once you've done that, you'll see a list of files under Other Sources. Select the.xlsx file containing your target data, such as customer lists, resumes, invoices, etc., depending on which type of documents you're trying to add together.

Once you have selected the correct file, you must now rename the tabs in order to organize them properly. For example, let's say you had three different types of letters, A, B, and C. In my case, I would name the first tab after Type A, the second tab after Type B, and the third tab after Type C. It doesn't matter exactly how your tabs are named, just keep track of where they appear in relation to each other.

After renaming the tabs, you may find yourself staring blankly at a screen full of options. Don't worry too much about organizing the tabs yet -- we still have plenty more steps to complete. On the next page, we'll discuss how to bring our Excel data over to Word.

Can you generate a Word document from Excel data?

If you've never used a mail merge before, you probably assume that once you've got your data set up in Word, you simply copy and paste that information onto another piece of paper for distribution. Unfortunately, that won't work very well with any kind of high quality printer because most printers can only reproduce text 100 percent perfectly on white stock. That means you'll end up with misshapen words, incorrect line spacing, crooked paragraphs, misplaced punctuation, and similar errors.

The best way to solve this problem is to convert that messy data into clean, orderly columns that look perfect on standard letterhead sheets. To do this, we'll use a little bit of Excel wizardry to help us automate the entire process. When you launch the mail merge tool, Word will prompt you to choose between importing existing content or creating new content. Since we'll be making custom fields for the records, we'll opt for import instead.

Select Import Existing Content and follow the prompts until you reach the point where you can enter field values manually. Next, highlight all the cells in the column containing your labels (such as Name) and drag them over to a separate section on the left side of the window. Now, you can start editing the contents of those labels. Make sure to check the Format Cells button located near the bottom of the ribbon menu bar. Doing so will allow you to adjust font properties, change cell colors, and apply borders. By selecting More Font Options, you can even change the font style and size. Keep in mind that formatting changes made outside of the mail merge tool could potentially cause problems during the actual mail merge.

Once you've successfully created your labels, move back to the main window. Highlight the header row(s), which contain the headings for your output document, and drag them over to the top of the document area. Then, select Insert " Header / Footer Region... From the Ribbon pulldown menu, pick Page Setup. This brings up the Page Setup window, which allows you to customize various settings related to the layout of your document. One important setting you'll want to pay attention to is Custom Margins. Click the drop-down arrow below this option and select Between Paper and Boundary Box.

Next, select OK. Your headers should automatically populate themselves according to your chosen margins. Now, let's focus on moving the rest of your data over. After highlighting the rows that correspond to individual pieces of correspondence (like Invoice #1), drag them over to the appropriate sections of the document area. Be sure to give each record its own unique label. For example, you'd assign Label 1 to Customer A, Label 2 to Customer B, Label 3 to Customer C, etc. Also, ensure that every single record gets placed horizontally across the page without overlapping each other.

Now comes the hardest part: sorting. If you haven't organized your data correctly, it could turn out looking something like this:

As you can see above, records from multiple sources ended up getting mixed together. Luckily, we have a handy shortcut built into the mail merge tool that lets us sort our data quickly. All we have to do is hover over the Sort Records button and press Enter. Our data should immediately rearrange itself based on the criteria we chose.

Keep in mind that if you accidentally sorted your records incorrectly, you can always reorder them again from the same spot. Simply hold Ctrl+Shift while hovering over the Sort Records button and hit Shift + Enter.

You know that your mail merge has been successful if all of your records align neatly along the left edge of your page. Press Save As soon as possible to avoid losing your progress. With luck, you'll receive beautifully formatted letters in no time!



How do I export mail merge to Word?

Since we can't preview a finished mail merge directly inside Word, we'll need to run it through a few extra processes before exporting it to a PDF. To begin, open up Publisher on Windows 10 and navigate to File " Publish Current Document. There, you can either publish straight to cloud services or send it to someone else via email. However, since we want to try our hand at saving a local version, select Local Copy.

From here, scroll down to the Advanced Settings panel. Under Output Range, select Export Selection.... Here, you can specify whether you want to include images, graphics, charts, tables, equations, footnotes, comments, hyperlinks, and more. Just for fun, leave Include Fields unchecked and unselect all non-header fields. Finally, choose Send to Printer. Depending on your printer preferences, you may have to wait several minutes for the job to finish.

For the sake of simplicity, we didn't bother adding any additional features to our exported document. However, feel free to play around with the settings mentioned above until you achieve the results you desire.

How do I format a mail merge from Excel to Word?

There are lots of ways to tweak the appearance of your document. For starters, you can easily change fonts by clicking on a particular cell and choosing Modify " Font. Alternatively, double-click a specific heading and modify the Text Height and Leading value. You can also change paragraph styles by holding Alt and dragging the mouse over a selection of characters. Another quick method is to place your cursor anywhere in the document and pressing [Ctrl] + U. Each character has its own shortcut key, meaning that you can speedily switch between bold, italics, underlining, strikeout, etc., without having to memorize long keyboard combinations.

However, perhaps the easiest way to manipulate your document is by adjusting the background color. To do so, locate the Home tab and click on the Arrange tab underneath the Alignment group. Choose Fill Color/Border Color from the Colors submenu. Adjusting the Transparency slider will determine how translucent the fill color appears.

One last tip worth mentioning is how to quickly expand or collapse blocks of text. Go to View " Block Elements and toggle Expand Blocks of Text accordingly.


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