Step 1

Open MS Word

Click on Tools in the menu, select Letters and Mailings and then select Mail Merge which opens the Mail Merge task pane on the right side of the screen.

Step 2

At the top of the task pane, under Select document type, select Letters

Under Step 1 of 6 at the bottom of the task pane, click Next: Starting document

Step 3

Under Select starting document, select Use the current document.

Under Step 2 of 6 at the bottom of the task pane, click Next:  select recipients

Step 4

Under Select recipients, select Use an exiting list and then click on Browse

Step 5

The Select Data Source box will open.  Click on the drop down arrow in the Look in: box to locate the Excel file you just saved, select the file and then click Open.

Step 6

In the Select Table dialog box, locate and click to select your list if it is not already highlighted.  Make sure the First row of data contains column headers check box is selected, and then click OK

Step 7

In the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box you have the opportunity to filter or sort the entries in the data file.

You can also eliminate a recipient by clicking the check box at the beginning of the recipient’s row to clear it

Step 8

Under Step 3 of 6 click Next: Write your letter

If you wish to insert the current date, click Insert on the menu, select Date and Time … then select the appropriate format and click OK 

Step 9

Step 10

Click OK again to close the Insert Address Block window

Step 11

Step 12

Under Step 4 of 6 click Preview of your letters

Step 13

To make changes to the recipient list, click on Edit recipient list….

After previewing your letters, under Step 5 of 6, click Next: Complete the merge.

Step 14

Under most circumstances, you do not need to save the merged document. It is simpler and more useful to save the main document and merge it again if you need another copy. Below are examples of times when you might wish to save the merged document:

You wish to keep an archived copy of mailings, including to whom they were sent.

You have personalized individual letters or labels within the merge, and want to save those changes.

Step 15

If you do wish to save the merged document, collect the merged files into a single document by clicking Edit individual letters... under Merge on the Complete the merge task pane. In the Merge to New Document window, select one of the following:

To merge all the documents, click All.

To merge only the document that you see in the document window, click Current record.

To merge a range of documents, click From, and then type the record numbers in the From and To boxes.

Click OK.

Microsoft Word will open one new document that contains all the individual letters. Save the document just as you would a regular document.