How to Set Up a Mail Merge Data Source in Microsoft Word

Use Word's mail merge function when you want to send a form letter to many people. First, create the letter (see "How to Create a Main Mail Merge Document in Microsoft Word.") Word will automatically insert personalized information - names, addresses, etc. - into the appropriate place in each letter. The data source document is where you store the personalized information, or "merge data." These instructions are for Microsoft Word 97 and 2000 (for the PC) and Word 98 (for Macintosh).

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Microsoft Word

1. Open your mail merge form letter.
2. Go to the Tools menu and select Mail Merge.
3. Select Get Data in the "Data source" field.
4. Select Create Data Source from the drop-down menu.
5. Select each of the field names you did not include in your form letter and click Remove Field Name to remove each of them.
6. Review the list of fields; if the list includes everything in your form letter, click OK; if not, enter the Field Name you want to add and click the Add Field Name button.
7. Save the file with the name Data Source.
8. Click the Edit Data Source button and enter the necessary data (names, mailing addresses, and so on) for the first person you want to send the letter to.
9. Click Add New to add a new entry to the Data Form window; click OK when you have finished adding entries.
10. See "How to Print or E-mail a Mail Merge Document in Microsoft Word," under Related eHows, to print or e-mail the merged documents.

Tips & Warnings

• For mail merge to work, you must have a main document (form letter) and a data source document.

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