About mail merges using Microsoft Office in Windows

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You can use the mail merge feature of Microsoft Word to automatically insert personal data (such as names and addresses) from many different people into form letters, directories, email messages, envelopes, or labels. You can pull this data from your Outlook Contacts or from another source.

In most cases, it is probably easiest to begin a mail merge from within Word. However, if you sort your Outlook Contacts by categories, and want to use those categories to select your recipients from a large Contact folder, you may want to begin the merge from within Outlook. For more, see In Microsoft Word, why isn't the "Categories" field available when I import my Outlook address book?

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Using Word 2007 to perform a mail merge

In Word, from the Mailings tab, click Start Mail Merge, and then select Step by Step Mail Merge Wizard.
In the Mail Merge task pane, under Select document type, click the type of document you want to work on. At the bottom of the task pane, click Next: Starting document.
Select Use the current document if you want to start fresh, or if you prefer, select a template or existing document. Click Next: Select recipients.
Choose one of these options:
- To use a file or database (such as an Excel spreadsheet) with your intended recipients, choose Use an existing list, and then click Browse... to select the file.
- To use your Outlook contacts:
  1. Choose Select from Outlook contacts, and then click Choose Contacts Folder. If you have more than one Contacts folder, select the folder(s) you want to use. Click OK.
  2. You will see a list of recipients. Uncheck the box next to any contact you do not want to include. If the list is correct, click OK.
- To enter new recipient information directly in Word:
  1. Select Type a new list, and then click Create... .
  2. In the New Address List dialog box, type information about each recipient in the appropriate fields (press Tab to advance to the next field). For additional recipients, either click New Entry or press Tab until you advance to the next line.
  3. When you are done, click OK. You will be prompted to save your address list.
  4. The Mail Merge Recipients dialog box will appear, with your recipients listed. If the list is correct, click OK.
Click Next: Write your letter and begin typing. When you come to a place where you'd like to insert data from your Outlook Contacts or other data source, click Insert Merge Field, and then select the field from the drop-down list.
When you are finished with your document, in the Mail Merge task pane, click Next: Preview your letters. To see individual records, click << or >>.
Click Next: Complete the merge. Depending on the type of document you are working on, you may see one or more of the following options:
- Print... : Choosing this will take you to the Merge to Printer dialog box, where you can choose to print all your records, the current record, or a numbered range of records (e.g., records 4 to 7).
- Edit individual letters... or To New Document... : Choosing this will take you to the Merge to New Document dialog box, where you can choose to send all, one, or a numbered range of records to a new Word document, which you can edit as you would any Word document. (This allows you to customize each letter.)
- Electronic Mail... : Choosing this will take you to the Merge to E-mail dialog box, where you can enter a subject line, choose the mail format, and send all, one, or a numbered range of records as email messages. The Email_Address field of your recipient information appears in the To: box by default, but you can select a different field from the drop-down list.

Using Word 2003 to perform a mail merge

In Word, from the Tools menu, select Letters and Mailings, and then select Mail Merge.
In the Mail Merge task pane, choose the type of document you want, and at the bottom, click Next: Starting document.
Select Use the current document if you want to start fresh, or if you prefer, select a template or existing document. Click Next: Select recipients.
Choose one of these options:
- To use a file or database (such as an Excel spreadsheet) with your intended recipients, choose Use an existing list, and then click Browse... to select the file.
- To use your Outlook contacts:
  1. Choose Select from Outlook contacts, and then click Choose Contacts Folder. If you have more than one Outlook profile, select the profile(s) you want to use. Click OK.
  2. You will see a list of recipients. Uncheck the box next to any contact you do not want to include. If the list is correct, click OK.
- To enter new recipient information directly in Word:
  1. Select Type a new list, and then click Create... .
  2. In the New Address List dialog box, type information about your first recipient in the appropriate fields (press Tab to advance to the next field).
  3. To add additional recipients, click New Entry.
  4. When you are done, click OK. You will be prompted to save your address list.
  5. The Mail Merge Recipients dialog box will appear, with your recipients listed. If the list is correct, click OK.
Click Next: Write your letter, and begin typing. When you come to an area where you need to insert data from your contacts, click Insert Merge Fields in the Mail Merge toolbar. A window will pop up with two data field options, Address Fields and Database Fields. Database Fields has more entries, while Address Fields has the more commonly used fields. Regardless of which you use, double-click the field you wish to insert, and click Close.
Note: If the Mail Merge toolbar is not visible, right-click an open space in the toolbar area, and then select Mail Merge.
When you have finished your letter, at the bottom of the Mail Merge side pane, click Next: Preview your letters.
At the top of the Mail Merge side pane, you can scroll through your letters to see each recipient's copy. If you are satisfied with the results, click Next: Complete the merge at the bottom.
Depending on the type of document you are working on, you may see one or more of the following options:
- Print... : Choosing this will take you to the Merge to Printer dialog box, where you can choose to print all your records, the current record, or a numbered range of records (e.g., records 4 to 7).
- Edit individual letters... or To New Document... : Choosing this will take you to the Merge to New Document dialog box, where you can choose to send all, one, or a numbered range of records to a new Word document, which you can edit as you would any Word document. (This allows you to customize each letter.)
- Electronic Mail... : Choosing this will take you to the Merge to E-mail dialog box, where you can enter a subject line, choose the mail format, and send all, one, or a numbered range of records as email messages. The Email_Address field of your recipient information appears in the To: box by default, but you can select a different field from the drop-down list.

Using Outlook 2007 to perform a mail merge

In Outlook, click Contacts. Select the contacts you want to use, or click the - (minus sign) to hide any group you do not want to include. To select multiple non-adjacent contacts, Ctrl-click each one. To select a group of adjacent contacts, click the first contact you want, hold down the Shift key, and use the arrow keys to move to the last contact you want.)
From the Tools menu, select Mail Merge... .
Click OK, and a blank Microsoft Word document should open automatically.
To check or modify the list of recipients, click Edit Recipient List. It should contain only those recipients you selected (or that were visible) in step 1. Uncheck the box next to any contact you do not want to include. If the list is correct, click OK
To work on a specialized document (e.g., an email message or a set of labels), click Start Mail Merge, and then choose from the drop-down list. For an ordinary letter, just start typing.
When you come to a place where you'd like to insert data from your Outlook Contacts or other data source, click Insert Merge Field, and select the field from the drop-down list.
To check your field values, click Preview Results. To see individual records, click the horizontal arrows, or search by clicking Find Recipient. To return the fields to their default views, click Preview Results again.
When you are finished with your document, click Finish & Merge, and then select one of the following:
- Edit Individual Documents... : Choosing this will take you to the Merge to New Document dialog box, where you can choose to send all, one, or a numbered range of records to a new Word document, which you can edit as you would any Word document. (This allows you to customize each letter.)
- Print Documents... : Choosing this will take you to the Merge to Printer dialog box, where you can choose to print all your records, the current record, or a numbered range of records (e.g., records 4 to 7).
- Send E-mail Messages... : Choosing this will take you to the Merge to E-mail dialog box, where you can enter a subject line, choose the mail format, and send all, one, or a numbered range of records as email messages. The Email_Address field of your recipient information appears in the To: box by default, but you can select a different field from the drop-down list.

Using Outlook 2003 to perform a mail merge

In Outlook, click Contacts, and then select the contacts you want to use. To select multiple non-adjacent contacts, Ctrl-click each one. To select a group of adjacent contacts, click the first contact you want, hold down the Shift key, and use the arrow keys to move to the last contact you want.)
From the Tools menu, select Mail Merge... .
Click OK, and a blank Word document should open automatically.
To check or modify the list of recipients, click the Mail Merge Recipients icon in the Mail Merge toolbar. It should contain only those recipients that were selected in step 1. Uncheck the box next to any contact you do not want to include. If the list is correct, click OK.
Note: If the Mail Merge toolbar is not visible, right-click an open space in the toolbar area, and select Mail Merge.
To work on a specialized document (e.g., an email message or a set of labels), in the Mail Merge toolbar, click the Main document setup icon. For an ordinary letter, just start typing.
When you come to a place where you'd like to insert data from your Outlook Contacts, click the Insert Merge Fields icon, and select the field to insert. A window will pop up with two data field options, Address Fields and Database Fields. Database Fields has more entries, while Address Fields has the more commonly used fields. Regardless of which you use, double-click the field you wish to insert, and then click Close.
To check your field values, click the View Merged Data icon. This will change the inserted fields to show their actual values. Clicking the Next Record icon will move through all of the recipients you chose earlier. To return the fields to their default views, click the View Merged Data icon again.
When you are finished typing the form letter, click one of the following icons:
- Merge to Printer: Choosing this will take you to the Merge to Printer dialog box, where you can choose to print all your records, the current record, or a numbered range of records (e.g., records 4 to 7).
- Merge to New Document... : Choosing this will take you to the Merge to New Document dialog box, where you can choose to send all, one, or a numbered range of records to a new Word document, which you can edit as you would any Word document. (This allows you to customize each letter.)
- Merge to E-mail: Choosing this will take you to the Merge to E-mail dialog box, where you can enter a subject line, choose the mail format, and send all, one, or a numbered range of records as email messages. The Email_Address field of your recipient information appears in the To: box by default, but you can select a different field from the drop-down list.

Using prior versions of Outlook to perform a mail merge

In Outlook, under "Outlook Shortcuts" or in the left panel, click Contacts.
From the Tools menu, select Mail Merge... .
Note: Depending on how Outlook is set up, you may receive a warning message; if so, click OK.
Click OK, and a blank Microsoft Word document should open automatically.
To select the Contacts you would like to use, click the Mail Merge Recipients icon. You can check or uncheck selection boxes to choose whom to include in this mail merge. Click OK.
Begin typing your letter. When you come to a place where you'd like to insert data from your Outlook Contacts, click the Insert Merge Fields icon, and then select the field to insert.
Note: In Outlook 2002 and 2003, you will receive a dialog box where you can choose the field variables. You have the choice of Address Fields or Database Fields. You'll almost always use Address Fields, as they contain the more commonly used Contacts fields.
To check your field values, click the View Merged Data icon. This will change the inserted fields to show their actual values. To see the different recipients' copies, click the Next Record icon. To return the fields to their default view, click the View Merged Data icon again.
When you are finished with your document, click the Merge to Printer icon. You may have other options, such as Merge to Fax or Merge to E-mail. If so, choose the appropriate one.)
If you chose Merge to Printer, the letter should print a number of copies equal to the number of Contacts you chose.

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Last modified on March 31, 2010.