When you perform a mail merge, Word
inserts the records from a data source, or
recipients listA file that contains the unique information for each data-merged document. For example, a recipients list could contain the names and addresses for form letter recipients., into your
main documentIn a data-merge operation, the document containing the text and graphics that remain unchanged for each version of the merged document — for example, the return address or body text in a form letter.. A recipients list for a mail merge operation can be an Excel
sheet, the Office Address Book, a FileMaker Pro
database, a Word
document, or a delimited text file.
You use mail merge when you want to create a document, such as a form letter, to send to multiple recipients. Each letter contains the same information, but the recipients are unique. For example, in letters to your customers, each letter can be personalized to address each customer by name. The unique information in each letter comes from entries in a data source. You must create a data source before you can create a mail merge. For more information about creating a mail merge, see
Create envelopes by using Mail Merge, or
Create mailing labels by using Mail Merge.
Do any of the following:
 | Create a data source in Word |
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On the View menu, click Print Layout.
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On the Standard toolbar, click New
.
You use this blank document to create a data source.
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On the Tools menu, click Mail Merge Manager.
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Under 1. Select Document Type, click Create New, and then click Form Letters.
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Under 2. Select Recipients List, click Get List, and then click New Data Source.
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In the Field names in header row box, click any field names that you don't want to include in your data source, click Remove Field Name, and then click OK.
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Type a name and choose a location for your data source, and then click Save.
Remember where you save the data source. You will need to know the location later.
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In the Data Form dialog box, type the data for one
recordA complete set of information in a data source such as information about one client in a client mailing list. A data record corresponds to one row of information in the data source.
(for example, a recipient's first name in FirstName, last name in LastName, street address in Address1, and so on).
 | Note Do not enter spaces in boxes that you want to leave blank. |
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After you finish filling in the boxes for one record, click Add New.
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Repeat steps 8 and 9 for each record that you want to enter.
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After you add all the records that you want, click OK.
 | Tip To return to the Data Form dialog box later, in the Mail Merge Manager, under 2. Select Recipients List, click Edit Data Source . |
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On the File menu, click Close.
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To save the data source, click Save.
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To discard the blank open document, click Don't Save.
 | Create a data source in Excel |
Each column in your Excel
sheet contains a category of information, or data field — for example, name, street address, city, state, and postal code. The first row of cells, called the header record, contains the data field names. Each subsequent row contains one record, such as the name and address of a person.
Important
Make sure that the data is in
listA series of sheet rows that contain related data, such as an invoice database or a set of client names and phone numbers. A list can be used as a database, in which rows are records and columns are fields. The first row of the list contains labels for the columns. format. Each column of data must have a label in the first row. There cannot be any blank rows or columns within the list.
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Open Excel.
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In the first row of the sheet, type a header record for your addresses.
For example, in the first column of the first row, type
Name; in the second column, type
Address; in the third column, type
City; in the forth column, type
State; and then in the fifth column, type
Postal Code, so that your Excel
sheet looks something like this:

 | Note Later, as you create the labels, you use the fields in the header record to specify what data goes where. |
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In the second row, type the name and address information for one recipient.
Add as many additional rows of addresses as you want. Your Excel
sheet should now look something like this:

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Click Save
.
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Type a name for the workbook — for example,
addresses.
Remember where you save the sheet. You will need to know the location later.
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Close the Excel
workbook that contains your recipient list.
If you do not close the Excel
workbook that contains your list, or if you reopen it before you finish the mail merge, you cannot complete the merge.