Mail Merge in Word Tutorial

Introduction

• Mail merge has been a feature in Word for many years.
• Allows for creation of personalized letters, envelopes, labels, or emails in bulk.
• Useful for sending the same letter to multiple contacts with personalization.

Steps to Perform Mail Merge

Starting the Mail Merge

1. Open Word Document: Create a letter or start from a blank document.
2. Access Mailings Ribbon: Click on the 'Mailings' tab at the top.
3. Select Document Type: In the 'Start Mail Merge' group, select 'Letters'.

Selecting Recipients

• Options for Recipients:
  • Type list manually (suitable for small lists, 10-15 contacts).
  • Use an existing list (Excel spreadsheet).
  • Choose from Outlook contacts.
• Using Existing List:
  1. Browse for the Excel file (e.g., contact list.xlsx).
  2. Select the correct sheet (usually Sheet1).
  3. Confirm that the first row contains column headings.
  4. Option to edit recipient list if necessary (e.g., uncheck specific recipients).

Inserting Merge Fields

1. Address Block:
   • Insert the address block at the top of the letter.
   • Customize how names and addresses are formatted.
   • Specify formatting based on the destination country.
2. Greeting Line:
   • Insert a greeting line (e.g., "Dear [Name]").
   • Choose formatting options for how names are displayed.
3. Individual Merge Fields:
   • Insert individual fields at any point in the letter for further personalization.
   • Access merge fields based on the column headings in the spreadsheet.

Finishing the Mail Merge

1. Finish & Merge:
   • Choose to print letters immediately, send email messages, or edit individual documents.
   • For editing, select 'Edit Individual Documents' and merge all records.
2. Review Merged Letters:
   • Each letter will be personalized for each recipient based on the data from the Excel spreadsheet.

Conclusion

• Mail merge is a powerful tool to save time in creating personalized communications.
• Can also be used for other applications like envelopes and labels.
• Future tutorials will cover additional mail merge applications.

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