To mail merge from Excel to Word, open desktop Word and use Mailings to connect your saved Excel workbook, insert merge fields, preview recipients, and finish the merge. Your spreadsheet supplies the names and other personalized values, while Word creates the letters, labels, envelopes, or emails.
You can follow the main workflow in Word for Microsoft 365 and Word 2024 on Windows and Mac. Word for the web cannot run a mail merge or edit its settings, so you need desktop Word to complete it.
The short version
- Prepare Excel: Use column headings in the first row and one recipient per row below them.
- Connect Word: Choose Mailings > Select Recipients and select your locally saved workbook.
- Personalize: Insert merge fields for the Excel values you want in each document.
- Check and finish: Preview multiple recipients, then print or create an editable merged document.
| Output | Choice under Start Mail Merge | How to finish |
|---|---|---|
| Personalized letters | Letters | Print Documents or Edit Individual Documents |
| Mailing labels | Labels | Update Labels, preview, then Print Documents |
| Addressed envelopes | Envelopes | Check the layout, then Print Documents |
| Personalized emails | E-mail Messages on Windows or Email Messages on Mac | Send E-mail Messages on Windows or Merge to E-Mail on Mac |
| One continuous list | Directory | Edit Individual Documents |
Prepare your Excel recipient list
Put your column headings in the first row, with a separate column for each value you want Word to insert. For a mailing list, you could use FirstName, LastName, Street, City, State, and PostalCode. Enter one recipient per row below the headings and keep the merge data on one worksheet.
Store postal codes as text before entering or importing them so leading zeros stay intact. Select the postal-code column, then choose Home > Number Format > Text. Changing the format after Excel has discarded zeros will not restore those missing digits, so correct the values before continuing.
Finish your edits and save the workbook locally before connecting it to Word. For a workbook in Excel for the web, choose File > Create a Copy > Download a Copy. Select that downloaded file when connecting your recipient list, since Word does not support a web address as a native merge source.
Start the letter and connect your workbook
Open your letter in desktop Word, or draft the text you want every recipient to receive. Select Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Letters. Keep the shared wording in the document and leave room for names, addresses, and other personalized details.
On Windows, select Mailings > Select Recipients > Use an Existing List, then open your saved Excel workbook. In Select Table, choose the worksheet containing your recipients, select First row of data contains column headers, and choose OK. On Mac, use Mailings > Select Recipients to connect the saved workbook and select your worksheet.
For a document open in Word for the web, select Editing > Open in Desktop App to continue in installed Word. The command may also be labeled Open in Desktop. If you need desktop Word, get a plan that includes it through the official Microsoft Word product page.
If the Mailings tab is missing in Windows desktop Word, select File > Options > Customize Ribbon. Select the checkbox beside Mailings and choose OK. On Mac, use View > Ribbon to show a hidden ribbon, or Word > Preferences > Ribbon and Toolbar to restore the tab through the customization controls.
Insert names addresses and other fields
Place the cursor where you want a personalized value, then select Mailings > Insert Merge Field and choose the matching Excel heading. Repeat for each value your letter needs. Add spaces, punctuation, and line breaks between the fields as part of the letter's layout.
For example, insert the first-name field after your greeting, or place the street, city, state, and postal-code fields in the address area. Use Word's field insertion command for each value. Typing ordinary braces or guillemets around a column name does not create a functioning field.
Windows Word also offers Address Block and Greeting Line on the Mailings tab for combined address and greeting elements. If either leaves out information, select Mailings > Match Fields, match the required elements to your Excel columns, and confirm. On Mac, correct the source headings in Excel or the inserted fields in Word, then reconnect or reopen the merge and preview again.
If field-insertion commands are dimmed, connect your recipient list through Mailings > Select Recipients and choose your workbook. Once the connection is established, insert the fields into the letter.
Choose recipients and preview the results
Select Mailings > Preview Results to display recipient values in place of the merge fields. Use the record arrows to inspect several recipients. Check names, full addresses, spacing, and any dates or amounts before creating the final output.
To exclude people on Windows, open Mailings > Edit Recipient List and clear the checkbox beside each unwanted record. Recheck your recipient selection before finishing.
To narrow the list using a column value, select Mailings > Edit Recipient List > Filter on Windows, or Mailings > Filter Recipients on Mac. Choose Field, Comparison, and Compare to, using a comparison such as Equal to, Is blank, or Contains. Use And or Or for additional conditions, then select OK.
Save or print the completed letters
When the preview looks right, select Mailings > Finish & Merge > Edit Individual Documents to create editable merged output. Save the resulting document through File > Save or Save As. To print directly, choose Finish & Merge > Print Documents.
For a PDF, generate the merged document first, then save the Word document as PDF. On Windows, use File > Save As or Save a Copy, select Browse, choose PDF, and select Save. On Mac, use File > Save As or Save a copy, then File Format > PDF > Save.
Save the main merge document separately from the generated letters so you can reuse its fields and Excel connection. When you reopen the main document, select Yes when Word asks whether to keep the data-source connection. Preview the records again before running Finish & Merge.
Use the list for labels envelopes or a directory
For labels, select Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Labels, choose the supplier and Product number, then connect your workbook through Select Recipients. Use New Label for a custom size. Insert and format the fields in the first label, select Mailings > Update Labels, then use Preview Results before Finish & Merge > Print Documents.
For Windows envelopes, choose Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Envelopes, configure Envelope Options, and select OK. Connect the workbook through Select Recipients, place the cursor in the delivery-address area, and select Mailings > Address Block. Check the results, then select Finish & Merge > Print Documents. If the printer feeds envelopes incorrectly, check Mailings > Envelopes > Options > Printing Options.
On Mac, select Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Envelopes, then use Printing Options > Page Setup to choose Paper Size. Connect your Excel workbook through Mailings > Select Recipients, then replace the delivery-address placeholder using Insert Merge Field. Select Preview Results, followed by Finish & Merge > Print Documents.
For one continuous list, choose Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Directory. Connect the workbook through Select Recipients and insert the fields and text that should repeat for each record. Select Preview Results, then Finish & Merge > Edit Individual Documents. Add any heading that should appear only once to the resulting document, then save or print it.
Send personalized emails instead of letters
Include an email-address column in Excel before starting an email merge. On Windows, choose Mailings > Start Mail Merge > E-mail Messages, connect the workbook through Select Recipients, insert your fields, and select Preview Results. You need a compatible desktop email client, and Microsoft requires classic Outlook when you use Outlook.
Select Finish & Merge > Send E-mail Messages, set To to your email-address column, and enter the Subject line. Under Mail format, choose HTML or Plain text, select the records under Send records, and choose OK. Native Windows email merging does not provide attachments, CC, or BCC.
If you use new Outlook on Windows, open Outlook (classic) from Start if it is installed. You can also use new Outlook's toggle and choose Switch back to classic Outlook where offered. Configure your sending account in classic Outlook, then return to Word to finish the email merge.
On Mac, choose Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Email Messages, connect the workbook through Select Recipients, insert fields, and select Preview Results. Select Finish & Merge > Merge to E-Mail, choose the To field, subject, and delivery format, then select Mail Merge To Outbox. You need a compatible default desktop email application. Microsoft also documents a Mac attachment delivery mode with no message-body text.
Fix postal codes currency and dates
Excel's displayed formatting may not carry over through Word's normal data connection. For missing postal-code zeros, correct the source values and store the column as text before reconnecting. Changing the Excel display format cannot reconstruct digits that have already been lost.
For currency formatting in Windows Word, press Alt + F9 to display field codes and add a numeric switch inside the existing amount field. Preserve Word's existing field braces when editing. For a field named Amount, use this field-code format:
{ MERGEFIELD Amount \# "$#,##0.00" }Dates use a date switch instead of the numeric switch. Edit the existing date field to use the following format, keeping uppercase M for months because lowercase m means minutes. Replace Date with your actual field name:
{ MERGEFIELD Date \@ "MMMM d, yyyy" }Press Alt + F9 again to return to field results, then select Preview Results and inspect several records. Check the corrected amounts and dates before generating new output. Save these changes in the main merge document so you can reuse the formatting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Word save a separate file for every recipient?
You can save recipients individually, but Edit Individual Documents does not automatically create separately named files. On Windows, preview a recipient, choose Finish & Merge > Edit Individual Documents > Current record > OK, and save that output under its own filename. Return to the main merge document, advance to the next recipient, and repeat.
Is there a step by step mail merge wizard?
Yes, in Windows Word, select Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard. Choose Letters > Next: Starting document > Use the current document > Next: Select recipients. Choose Use an existing list > Browse and open your workbook and worksheet. Continue through Next: Write your letter, Next: Preview your letters, and Next: Complete the merge, then choose Print or Edit individual letters.
Do you need to enable macros for mail merge?
No, you can complete an ordinary mail merge through Word's Mailings ribbon without enabling VBA or macros. Macro settings apply when you use macro automation or macro add-ins.
Can you use a CSV file for an Excel to Word mail merge?
Yes, on Mac you can select a CSV or tab-delimited text file through Mailings > Select Recipients. In Excel for Microsoft 365, you can also import CSV or TXT data through Data > From Text/CSV and set postal-code columns to Text. Select Load or Import, save the result as a workbook, and connect that workbook to Word as your existing recipient list.
Can a mail merge insert different text based on an Excel value?
Yes, connect your workbook and choose Mailings > Rules > If...Then...Else. Set Field name, Comparison, and Compare to, then fill in Insert this text and Otherwise insert this text. Choose OK to insert the conditional rule.