1) What Mail Merge does

Takes a main document (letter/labels/envelopes/email) + a data source (Excel/CSV/Word list/Outlook contacts), inserts merge fields (like «Name»), and produces personalized outputs for each record.

2) The workflow (8 steps, always works)

1.   Start: Mailings → Start Mail Merge → choose Letters / E-mail Messages / Envelopes / Labels / Directory.

2.   Select Recipients:

·         Use an Existing List… (Excel/CSV) → pick sheet/table.

·         Type a New List… (creates a small table in Word).

·         Choose from Outlook Contacts (if using Outlook).

3.   Match Fields (important): Mailings → Match Fields so Word knows which column is First Name, Address, City, etc.

4.   Insert merge fields:

·         Use Address Block, Greeting Line, or Insert Merge Field for precise placement (e.g., «FirstName» «LastName», «City»).

·         Format the surrounding punctuation/spaces in the main document.

5.   Conditionals & rules (optional): Rules →

·         If…Then…Else (e.g., salutation by Gender),

·         Skip Record If / Next Record If,

·         Next Record (used in labels for each cell except the first).

6.   Filter/Sort recipients: Edit Recipient List → filter out blanks/duplicates; sort by name, city, etc.

7.   Preview: Preview Results → use arrows «<< >>» to check a few records.

8.   Finish & Merge:

·         Edit Individual Documents… (creates a multi-page doc—safest for review/printing).

·         Print Documents…

·         Send E-mail Messages… (needs Outlook; set To: field/column, Subject line, HTML format).

3) Special cases

A) Labels (Avery & others)

• Mailings → Start Mail Merge → Labels → Label Options… pick vendor/product.

• Design the first cell (Address Block + any logos).

• Click Update Labels to copy fields to all cells.

• Ensure Next Record appears at the start of each cell except the first.

• Preview a few; then Finish & Merge.

B) Envelopes

• Mailings → Envelopes to set delivery/return addresses & feed method.

• Or use Mail Merge: choose Envelopes at Start; insert Address Block and Return address placeholders.

C) E-mail merge

• Choose E-mail Messages at Start; write the body in Word.

• Finish & Merge → Send E-mail Messages…

• To: select the email column; Subject line: enter text; Mail format: HTML.

• Requires a configured Outlook profile (attachments not supported in basic merge).

4) Field formatting (dates, currency, case)

• Show field codes: Alt+F9 (toggles). Insert braces with Ctrl+F9.

• Examples inside a merge field:

• Date: { MERGEFIELD Date \@ "dd-MMM-yyyy" }

• Currency: { MERGEFIELD Amount \# "₹#,##0.00" }

• Uppercase: { MERGEFIELD LastName \* Upper }

• After changes, Alt+F9 back, Preview Results again.

5) Data source tips

• Excel/CSV: First row = headers; no blank header names; consistent data types; avoid blank rows.

• Clean names: Consider separate FirstName and LastName columns.

• Addresses: HouseNo, Street, City, State, Pin in separate columns for better control.

• Save and close the Excel file before merging (avoids locks).

6) Troubleshooting

• Wrong fields in Address Block? Use Match Fields.

• Labels all show same person? You forgot Update Labels or Next Record in cells 2..n.

• Extra blank lines in address: Use the Address Block (auto-suppresses blanks) or turn on “Don’t print blank lines” in field options.

• Odd date/number formats: Add field switches (\@, \#) as above.

• Emails not sending: Outlook must be open and configured; some orgs limit bulk mail.

7) Mini practice set

1.   Build a 3×4 price table with AutoFit to Contents, header row bold, shaded; Sort by Price; add =SUM(ABOVE) total.

2.   Convert a tab-separated list of students to a table; apply Table Style, Repeat Header Rows, and Distribute Columns.

3.   Mail Merge letters using an Excel sheet (Name, Course, Fee). Insert Greeting Line, conditional “Paid/Unpaid” with If…Then…Else, and format Fee as currency.

4.   Create Avery address labels—ensure Next Record is in every cell except the first—then Finish & Merge → Edit Individual Documents.

8) Exam-friendly Q&A

1.   How do you convert text into a table?
Ans: Select text → Insert → Table → Convert Text to Table… → choose separators (tabs/commas).

2.   How to repeat a table’s header on each page?
Ans: Select the header row → Table Layout → Repeat Header Rows.

3.   Difference: AutoFit to Contents vs AutoFit to Window.
Ans: Contents adjusts columns to text width; Window stretches table to page width.

4.   List Mail Merge steps in order.
Ans: Start document type → Select recipients → Match fields → Insert fields → (Rules/Filter/Sort) → Preview → Finish & Merge.

5.   Why use ‘Match Fields’ in Mail Merge?
Ans: Maps your column names to Word’s expected fields (e.g., First Name) so Address/Greeting work correctly.

6.   What does ‘Next Record’ do in labels?
Ans: Tells Word to use the next data row for the next label cell.

9) One-page recap

• Tables: Insert/resize, AutoFit, distribute, merge/split, styles, borders/shading, alignment & margins, repeat header rows, page-break options, sort & Formula (=SUM/AVERAGE), convert table↔text.

• Mail Merge: Pick output type → connect clean data (Excel/CSV/Outlook) → Match Fields → insert fields (Address/Greeting/MergeField) → optional Rules → Preview → Finish & Merge (to new doc/print/email).

• Field formatting: Use Alt+F9 and switches \@ for dates, \# for numbers, \* for case.

• Labels: Design first cell → Update Labels → ensure Next Record is present.

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