How to mail merge from Excel to Word

A mail merge takes a list in Excel and a document in Word, and makes one personal copy for every row: letters, labels, envelopes or emails. Here is how to do each one, and how to fix the usual problems.

By David Ray · Updated October 30, 2026 · 7 min read · How we research

Before you start: set up the Excel sheet

Most mail merge problems start in the spreadsheet. Five minutes here saves an hour later.

1. Put the column names in row 1. Use short, clear names with no blank cells: FirstName, LastName, Email, Address, City, State, ZIP. These become your merge fields.
2. One person per row, starting in row 2. No blank rows, no merged cells, no totals at the bottom.
3. Keep first and last names in separate columns. Then you can write "Dear Jane" or "Dear Ms. Lopez".
4. Put the list on the first sheet of the workbook. Microsoft recommends this.
5. Format ZIP codes as Text so leading zeros survive (more on this below).
6. Save the file on your computer and close it before you connect it to Word. Make all your edits first: Word reads the sheet as it was when you connected.

Mail merge letters from Excel

These steps are for the Word desktop app in Microsoft 365, Word 2021 and Word 2019 on Windows. Word for Mac has the same Mailings tab and buttons.

1. Open a blank document in Word, or the letter you already wrote.
2. Go to the Mailings tab and click Start Mail Merge › Letters.
3. Click Select Recipients › Use an Existing List. Find your Excel file and click Open.
4. In the Select Table box, pick the sheet with your list (it ends with a $, like Sheet1$). Leave First row of data contains column headers ticked. Click OK.
5. Optional: click Edit Recipient List to untick people, sort, or filter (for example, only one state).
6. Write your letter. Where a name or address should go, click Insert Merge Field and choose the column. The field shows as «FirstName». You can also use Address Block and Greeting Line for a ready-made address and "Dear ..." line.
7. Click Preview Results. Use the arrows next to it to step through each person and check the spacing and punctuation.
8. Click Finish & Merge. Choose Edit Individual Documents to get one big Word document with every letter (good for a last check or saving as PDF), or Print Documents to print straight away.
9. Save the main letter. Next time you open it, Word asks to reconnect to the spreadsheet: choose Yes.

Prefer to be guided? Start Mail Merge › Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard walks you through the same steps in a side panel.

Mail merge labels from Excel

1. In a new Word document, go to Mailings › Start Mail Merge › Labels.
2. In Label Options, choose the Label vendors (for example, Avery US Letter) and the Product number printed on your label pack. Click OK. Word draws a table of empty labels.
3. Click Select Recipients › Use an Existing List and open your Excel file, as above.
4. Click in the first label and choose Address Block (or insert fields one by one: «FirstName» «LastName», then «Address», then «City», «State» «ZIP» on separate lines).
5. Click Update Labels. This copies the first label's layout to every label on the page.
6. Click Preview Results to check. If text is cut off, make the font smaller or remove extra spacing.
7. Click Finish & Merge › Edit Individual Documents, then print a test page on plain paper. Hold it against a label sheet to check the alignment before you use real labels.

Envelopes work the same way: choose Start Mail Merge › Envelopes and pick your envelope size.

Mail merge emails from Excel

Word can send a personal email to every row through Outlook. You need classic Outlook on the same computer, set up with your account. Word's email merge doesn't work with the new Outlook for Windows yet (see mail merge in Outlook for details and workarounds).

1. Go to Mailings › Start Mail Merge › E-mail Messages.
2. Click Select Recipients › Use an Existing List and open your sheet. It must have a column of email addresses.
3. Write the email. Add Greeting Line or Insert Merge Field where you want names.
4. Click Preview Results and check a few people.
5. Click Finish & Merge › Send E-mail Messages.
6. In the box that opens, set To to your email column, type the Subject line, and pick HTML (keeps your formatting) or Plain text. Under Send records, choose All, or test first with Current record.
7. Click OK. Word hands each email to Outlook, which sends them one by one from your Outbox.

Two limits to know. You can't add attachments (Microsoft says to use links instead), and you can't Cc or Bcc anyone. Your provider's daily sending limit still applies: about 500 a day on a personal Gmail and 5,000 recipients a day on Outlook.com with Microsoft 365.

Test on yourself first. Add a row with your own address at the top, merge only that record, and check the email on your phone.

Fix dates, ZIP codes and numbers

Word reads the raw value in each cell, not what Excel shows. That causes the three most common surprises:

To format a field in Word:

1. Press Alt+F9 to show field codes. A field now looks like { MERGEFIELD Date }.
2. Click just before the closing brace and type a format switch:
   • Dates: { MERGEFIELD Date \@ "MMMM d, yyyy" } gives March 14, 2026.
   • Money: { MERGEFIELD Amount \# $#,##0.00 } gives $1,250.50.
   • Phone numbers: { MERGEFIELD Phone \# ###'-'###'-'#### } gives 512-555-0147.
3. Press Alt+F9 again to hide the codes, then Preview Results.

The date switch is case-sensitive: MM is the month and mm is minutes.

Common mail merge errors and fixes

• Word can't see the sheet or shows an empty list. The workbook is open in Excel or stored only in OneDrive online. Close it, make sure it is saved on your computer, and connect again.
• Column names show as F1, F2, F3. Row 1 doesn't hold the column names, or First row of data contains column headers was unticked.
• Some people are missing. Check Edit Recipient List for unticked rows or a filter, and look for blank rows in the sheet.
• "Hi ," with no name. That person's name cell is empty. Fill it in, or use Greeting Line, which lets you set a fallback like "Dear Customer".
• Send E-mail Messages is greyed out. You started with Letters, not E-mail Messages, or classic Outlook isn't installed and set up.
• Emails sit in the Outbox. Classic Outlook is offline, or you hit your provider's sending limit. Open Outlook and check Send/Receive.
• Extra blank lines in the address. Some rows have an empty second address line. Address Block skips empty lines for you.

Questions people ask

How do I do a mail merge from Excel to Word?

In Word, go to Mailings, Start Mail Merge and pick Letters, Labels or E-mail Messages. Click Select Recipients, Use an Existing List and open your Excel file. Add fields with Insert Merge Field, check them with Preview Results, then click Finish & Merge.

Why do my ZIP codes lose the leading zero?

Excel stored them as numbers. Format the ZIP column as Text in Excel, re-enter or re-import the codes, then reconnect the sheet in Word.

Can I mail merge with attachments?

Not with Word's built-in email merge. Microsoft suggests putting a link to the file in the message. Some paid Outlook add-ons can attach files.

Can I mail merge from Google Sheets?

Download the sheet as a CSV or Excel file (File, Download) and use that in Word. For email, paid Google Workspace plans also have a mail merge in Gmail.

Does mail merge work in Word for Mac?

Yes. Word for Mac has the same Mailings tab: Start Mail Merge, Select Recipients, Insert Merge Field, Preview Results and Finish & Merge.