įor example, let’s say you want to perform a mail merge to create mass letters. Each cell in the data file contains different information (first name, last name, email address, etc.) that will be placed in your template file in the corresponding space.Įssentially, a mail merge automatically adds the personalization data from your data file to your template file. Data File : a data source like a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or a Google Sheets file.And that data (names, addresses, etc.) is fetched from a data file. It specifies the places where the personalization data will go.

Template File : the document that holds the message you’ll be sending out (like a letter or an email).How Does Mail Merge Work?įirst, you need to understand the two essential components of every mail merge. Let’s now explore how a mail merge works. Instead of typing a letter for each recipient, you can use a form letter to make quick, unique, personalized letters for each person.Įssentially, if there’s a document you need to personalize at scale, mail merges can take care of it for you! Note: A form letter is a template file used to create mass letters. You can use mail merges to create personalized messages automatically for: This spares you the trouble of manually personalizing each document yourself! What Are Mail Merges?Ī mail merge lets you create personalized documents that are automatically customized on a recipient-by-recipient basis.

How to Use Mail Merge to Send Mass Emails.Two Problems of Using Microsoft Word to Send Mass Emails.How to Use Mail Merge to Send Bulk Letters.

(Click on links to jump to specific sections) Later, I’ll mention two issues of using the traditional method for mail merges and suggest a better and more powerful alternative to help you send mass emails.Īdditionally, I’ll also answer seven FAQs associated with mail merges. Then, I’ll go over how to mail merge using an Excel spreadsheet and a Word document. In this article, I’ll first cover what a mail merge is and explain how it works. It works by automatically adding personalization data from a data file (for example, a spreadsheet) to a template file (like a letter or an email). A mail merge is a handy way to send personalized mass letters and bulk emails quickly.

Mail merge on a mac excel to word