How to Set Up a Mailing List in Excel

You can use Microsoft Excel to coordinate your mailing lists. Follow these steps to gather your data on a spreadsheet and prepare your labels.

Things You'll Need

• Mailing address labels

Instructions

Set Up the Mailing List Data

1. Start your Microsoft Excel program.

2. Call up an Excel spreadsheet. Open "File" and click "New." Make the first row of the sheet your data labels. For a mailing list, your labels should contain the addressee's name, street address, city, state and zip.

3. Adjust the width of the columns to match the average width of the text that will go into it. This will usually be around 25 character spaces, although you will need less space for state and zip codes.

4. Type your data into each subsequent row matching the column headings with the correct data. You now have a column of names, one of addresses and so on through all of the Excel headings.

5. Save and close the spreadsheet file after you have typed in all of the data for the addresses on your list.

Prepare the Mailing List Labels

1. Open Microsoft Word to finish the labels from your mailing list.

2. Choose "Tools," "Letters and Mailings" and then "Envelopes and Labels." Click "Labels," and then "Options." Choose the label description that matches the labels you bought. Match your brand and number of the label to the computer's description and press "OK." This action sets up your source document.

3. Add the name and address field codes that match what you have in the first row of your address spreadsheet. Follow the prompts at the bottom of the screen that starts with an arrow. The first step is to start the data portion of the document. You will see "Select Recipients."

4. Browse for the address file. Select the Excel file that you just saved with your name and address information from your document directory.

5. Work your way through the files and directories until you find the file you want. Select the file and press the button that says "Open." Press "Okay," and then "Okay" again.

6. Press "Edit Recipient List" to see if everything looks right. If it does, press "Okay." Press "Write Your Letter," "Preview Your Letter," and then "Complete the Merge."

7. Edit individual letters. When the programs asks, tell it again to "Complete the Merge."