Mail Merge in Word from an Excel List

You have a list of recipients in Excel and want Word to produce a personalized copy of a letter or email for each row — without copying and pasting names by hand.

Why: Mail merge connects a Word document to a data source (your Excel sheet) and drops each column’s value into a merge field. One letter template plus one spreadsheet equals as many personalized documents as you have rows.

Step 1: Prepare the Excel sheet

A clean data source prevents most merge problems.

1. Put all the data on the first worksheet, with one row per recipient.
2. Give each column a clear header (e.g. First Name, Last Name, Address, City) — these become the field names you insert.
3. Format ZIP/postal codes and any currency or percentage columns as Text so leading zeros and formatting survive the merge.
4. Finish all edits and save the file on your local machine before connecting it.

Step 2: Start the merge and connect Excel

1. Open your Word letter (or a blank document) and go to the Mailings tab.
2. Click Start Mail Merge and choose the document type — usually Letters or E-mail Messages.
3. Click Select Recipients > Use an Existing List.
4. Browse to your Excel file, open it, and select the worksheet that holds the data when prompted.
5. Optionally click Edit Recipient List to sort, filter, or untick rows you want to skip.

Step 3: Insert the merge fields

1. Click where the recipient’s details go.
2. On the Mailings tab, use:
   • Address Block — a formatted name-and-address block.
   • Greeting Line — a salutation such as “Dear Mr. Smith,”.
   • Insert Merge Field — drop in a single column (e.g. an invoice number) wherever the cursor sits.
3. Type the rest of your letter around these fields, then File > Save.

Step 4: Preview and finish

1. Click Preview Results to see real data in place; use the arrows to step through records.
2. When it looks right, click Finish & Merge and choose:
   • Print Documents to send everything to the printer, or
   • Send E-mail Messages for an email merge (you’ll pick the email-address column and a subject line).

The merge document stays linked to your spreadsheet, so you can reuse it next time the list changes.

FAQ

A field shows the wrong data or “Error! Bookmark not defined”. The column header in Excel doesn’t match the field, or the sheet changed after connecting. Reconnect via Select Recipients > Use an Existing List and re-insert the field.

ZIP codes lost their leading zeros. They were stored as numbers. Format that column as Text in Excel, re-enter the affected codes, save, and redo the merge.

My letter only prints one record. You previewed a single record but didn’t run Finish & Merge. Click Finish & Merge > Print Documents and choose All to output every recipient.

Sources: Microsoft Support — Mail merge using an Excel spreadsheet, Microsoft Support — Prepare your Excel data source for a Word mail merge