MS Word and mail merge

Hi John

Thank you for your post.

Try the following:
1. Go to Tools - Letters and Mailings - Mail Merge. In 2003 or 2007 you will see the Mail Merge Wizard open on the right hand side.
2. Select Letters at step 1, click Next.
3. Select the appropriate option at step 2 (normally use the current document) then click Next.
4. At step 3 select Use an existing list, then click the Browse button to select your Excel spreadsheet (data source), check all the appropriate recipients are selected and click Next.
5. At step 4 click the More items link. This should allow you to use the headings from your Excel spreadsheet as the fields to insert into the letter. If not, then you will need to check how your spreadsheet is set up - are the headings in row 1, are they bolded and is each recipient listed on each consecutive line?

Select each field you wish to use and click Insert after selecting each one; then click Close.

Then use the spacebar and Enter key to include spaces and divide the fields onto separate lines.

Click Next.

6. You should now be able to preview your letters. If you are happy with this click Next.

7. At the final step, before you print your letters save the document. This means that the document can be used again for further mail merges once your Excel spreadsheet has been updated.

You should see that the next time you open the document that there will be a prompt that comes up to say that Word will run an SQL command (this is what updates the document with the information about recipients from the Excel file). Click Yes.

To see that the document has updated, go to View - Toolbars - Mail Merge. You will be able to flick through all the recipients using the arrow buttons on the mail merge toolbar, and you can click the Merge to Printer button to print the letters off.

I hope this helps.
Amanda