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Quick Answer

In Word, go to the Mailings tab, click Start Mail Merge, select your document type, then click Select Recipients > Use an Existing List to connect your Excel file.

How to Mail Merge from Excel to Word ​

Applies to: Microsoft Word and Excel (Microsoft 365, Office 2021, Office 2019)
Article Type: How-To
Last Updated: 2026-03-09

Summary ​

Mail Merge lets you create personalised letters, labels, envelopes, or emails by combining a Word template with a data source (typically an Excel spreadsheet). Instead of manually editing each document, Mail Merge automatically inserts names, addresses, and other details from your spreadsheet. This article walks through the entire process step by step.

Prerequisites ​

  • Microsoft Word and Excel (desktop apps).
  • An Excel spreadsheet with data organised in rows and columns with headers.
  • No admin rights required.

Instructions ​

1. Prepare Your Excel Data Source ​

Ensure your data is clean and structured.

  1. Open your Excel spreadsheet.
  2. Verify the following:
    • Row 1 contains column headers (e.g., First Name, Last Name, Address, City, Postcode).
    • Each row below contains one record per recipient.
    • There are no blank rows within the data.
    • There are no merged cells.
  3. Save and close the Excel file.

2. Start the Mail Merge in Word ​

Set up the merge document.

  1. Open Word and create a new blank document (or open an existing template).
  2. Click the Mailings tab on the ribbon.
  3. Click Start Mail Merge and choose the document type:
    • Letters — Personalised letters.
    • E-mail Messages — Personalised emails.
    • Envelopes — Pre-addressed envelopes.
    • Labels — Mailing labels.
  4. For this guide, select Letters.

Note: Labels follow a different path from here — you pick a label vendor and product number, and you must click Update Labels or only the first label on the sheet fills. See How to Print Address Labels with Mail Merge in Word for the full label workflow.

3. Connect to Your Excel Data Source ​

Link the Word document to your spreadsheet.

  1. On the Mailings tab, click Select Recipients > Use an Existing List.
  2. Browse to and select your Excel file.
  3. In the Select Table dialog, choose the worksheet or named range containing your data.
  4. Ensure First row of data contains column headers is checked.
  5. Click OK. Word is now connected to your Excel data.

4. Insert Merge Fields ​

Place placeholders in your document that pull data from Excel.

  1. Position your cursor where you want personalised data to appear.
  2. On the Mailings tab, click Insert Merge Field.
  3. Select a field from the dropdown (e.g., First_Name, Last_Name, Address).
  4. The field appears as «First_Name» in the document.
  5. Repeat for each piece of data you want to personalise.
  6. Type the surrounding text as normal (e.g., "Dear «First_Name»,").

5. Preview and Complete the Merge ​

Review the merged documents before printing or sending.

  1. On the Mailings tab, click Preview Results.
  2. Use the record navigation arrows to scroll through each merged document.
  3. Verify that names, addresses, and other fields display correctly.
  4. When satisfied, click Finish & Merge and choose:
    • Edit Individual Documents — Creates a new Word document with all merged letters (recommended for review).
    • Print Documents — Sends all merged letters directly to the printer.
    • Send E-mail Messages — Sends personalised emails (for email merge type only).

Troubleshooting ​

DANGER

Always preview the merge results before printing or sending. Check for missing data, extra spaces, and formatting issues — especially with postal codes and phone numbers that may lose leading zeros.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
Merge fields show field codes instead of dataPreview Results not enabledClick Mailings > Preview Results to toggle the data preview on.
Leading zeros are missing (e.g., postcode 01234 shows as 1234)Excel stored the column as numbersIn Excel, format the postcode column as Text before connecting it to the merge.
"Data source not found" errorExcel file was moved or renamedRe-connect the data source via Mailings > Select Recipients > Use an Existing List and browse to the correct file.