19.1 The Mailings Tab — Overview

All mailing and mail merge features are on the Mailings tab. Understanding its structure before you begin saves significant confusion.

The Three-Stage Mail Merge Workflow

19.2 Envelopes — Formatting & Printing

Word can format and print a single addressed envelope using the standard South African (and international) envelope format — no need to manually measure and type addresses onto blank paper.

Inserting and Printing a Single Envelope

1. Mailings tab → Create group → Envelopes
2. The Envelopes and Labels dialog opens on the Envelopes tab
3. In the Delivery address field, type (or paste) the recipient's address:
   Mr T Nkosi
   45 Sandton Drive
   SANDTON
   2196
4. In the Return address field, type your company's return address — or tick "Omit" if the envelope already has a pre-printed return address
5. Click Options… to configure:
   • Envelope Options tab:
     • Envelope size — standard sizes: C4 (324×229mm — A4 unfolded), C5 (229×162mm — A4 folded once), DL (220×110mm — A4 folded in thirds, the most common business envelope in SA)
     • Delivery address font, size, and position from the top and left edges
     • Return address font and position
   • Printing Options tab: Shows the envelope feed direction for your specific printer — follow the diagram to orient the envelope correctly in the printer tray. Click Reset if the diagram is incorrect.
6. Click OK to return to the main dialog
7. Choose your action:
   • Print — sends directly to the printer
   • Add to Document — inserts the formatted envelope as the first page of the current document (with a section break), where you can review and format it further before printing

Standard SA Envelope Size Reference

Delivery Address Position (SA Standard)

The standard South African business envelope address format places the delivery address in the lower-left area of the envelope face (starting approximately 60–70mm from the top, 20mm from the left). The return address appears in the top-left corner. Envelope Options → Delivery address → From top: 60 mm, From left: 20 mm.

19.3 Labels — Printing Address & Other Labels

Word can print any text onto standard label sheets — address labels, folder labels, name tags, file labels, and product labels. It works by matching your page setup to the manufacturer's label sheet dimensions.

Printing a Single Label or a Full Sheet of Identical Labels

1. Mailings → Create group → Labels
2. The Envelopes and Labels dialog opens on the Labels tab
3. In the Address field, type the label text
4. Under Print, choose:
   • Full page of the same label — prints the address on every label on the sheet (e.g., for your company's return address labels)
   • Single label — choose Row and Column to print on one specific label on a partially used sheet
5. Click Options… to select the label product:
   • Label vendors — choose the manufacturer: Avery A4/A5, Avery US Letter, Microsoft, or other brands
   • Product number — the code printed on the label packaging (e.g., Avery L7160 = 21 labels per A4 sheet in 3 columns)
   • The label dimensions, number across, and number down are displayed for verification
   • If your label is not listed: click New Label… → enter the dimensions manually from the label packaging
6. Click OK → then either Print (direct to printer) or New Document (creates a Word document with the label layout for further editing before printing)

Creating a Sheet of Labels with Different Addresses (Mail Merge Labels)

For a full sheet of labels where each label has a different address — see Section 19.6 (Mail Merge for Labels).

19.4 Mail Merge — Understanding Data Sources

A data source is the list of recipient information that mail merge draws from. Each row in the data source becomes one merged document; each column becomes a merge field you can insert anywhere in the template.

Supported Data Source Types

Preparing an Excel Data Source — Best Practice

19.5 Mail Merge for Letters — Complete Step-by-Step

This is the most common mail merge — a personalised letter sent to multiple recipients. We will walk through the complete process from a blank document to a set of finished, printed letters.

Step 1 — Start the Mail Merge

1. Open a new blank Word document (or your letter template)
2. Mailings tab → Start Mail Merge group → Start Mail Merge → Letters
3. The document is now configured as a mail merge main document — it looks the same, but the Mailings tab commands become active

Step 2 — Select the Data Source (Recipient List)

1. Mailings → Start Mail Merge → Select Recipients
2. Choose from:
   • Type a New List — creates a new Word recipient list from scratch (a simple form appears; fill in each recipient's details and click New Entry for each one)
   • Use an Existing List — browse to your Excel file, CSV, or Access database → Open
   • Choose from Outlook Contacts — selects from your Outlook address book
3. If using Excel: a dialog asks which worksheet to use — select the sheet containing your data → click OK
4. Word reads the data source — the merge fields are now available to insert

Step 3 — Filter and Sort Recipients (Optional)

1. Mailings → Start Mail Merge → Edit Recipient List
2. The Mail Merge Recipients dialog shows all records from the data source
3. Tick/untick the checkbox beside each record to include or exclude specific recipients
4. Sort: Click any column header to sort recipients by that field (e.g., click "Last_Name" to sort alphabetically by surname)
5. Filter: Click the dropdown arrow ▾ on any column header → choose a filter value — or — click Filter… at the bottom for advanced multi-condition filtering (e.g., only recipients in Cape Town AND with a balance over R5,000)
6. Find duplicates: Click the Find duplicates link to highlight possible duplicate records
7. Click OK — only ticked/filtered records will be merged

Step 4 — Write the Document and Insert Merge Fields

1. Type your letter content as normal — set up your company letterhead, date, salutation, body, closing
2. Where personalised data should appear, position the cursor and insert a merge field:

Inserting the Address Block

1. Position cursor where the inside address should go
2. Mailings → Write & Insert Fields → Address Block
3. The Insert Address Block dialog gives you options:
   • Name format (how the recipient's name appears: "Mr Thabo Nkosi", "Thabo Nkosi", "Mr T. Nkosi")
   • Include company name: Yes/No
   • Include postal address: Yes/No
   • Country/region formatting
4. Click Match Fields… if Word cannot automatically map your Excel column names to the standard address fields (e.g., if your column is "Addr_Line1" Word needs to be told it maps to "Address 1")
5. Click OK — a merge field placeholder appears: «AddressBlock»

Inserting the Greeting Line

1. Position cursor on the salutation line
2. Mailings → Write & Insert Fields → Greeting Line
3. Configure the greeting format:
   • Format: "Dear" / "To" / other prefix
   • Recipient name format: "Mr Nkosi" / "Thabo" / "Thabo Nkosi" / etc.
   • Greeting for unknown names: "Dear Sir or Madam" / "To Whom It May Concern"
4. Click OK — the placeholder «GreetingLine» appears

Inserting Individual Merge Fields

1. Position cursor anywhere you want a specific data field to appear
2. Mailings → Write & Insert Fields → Insert Merge Field dropdown
3. A list of all your Excel column headers appears — click any to insert it as a merge field
4. Example: type "Your account balance is R " then insert the merge field «Balance» → then type " as at " then insert «Statement_Date»

Step 5 — Preview Results

1. Mailings → Preview Results group → Preview Results
2. The merge fields in the document are replaced with actual data from the first recipient
3. Use the navigation arrows ◄ ► in the Preview Results group to step through different recipients and check each merged version
4. If a field shows incorrectly (wrong data, extra spaces, missing information), return to the data source to fix the data — or adjust the field or surrounding text in the template
5. Click Preview Results again to toggle back to the merge field view for editing

Step 6 — Check for Errors

1. Mailings → Preview Results group → Check for Errors (the ABC ✓ button)
2. Choose:
   • Simulate the merge and report errors in a new document — runs through all records and lists any errors without producing the merged output
   • Complete the merge, pausing to report each error as it occurs — merges document by document, stopping when an error is found
   • Complete the merge without pausing — report errors in a new document — merges everything and reports all errors at the end

Step 7 — Finish & Merge

1. Mailings → Finish group → Finish & Merge dropdown
2. Choose the output method:

19.6 Mail Merge for Labels

Printing a sheet of address labels — each with a different recipient's address from your data source — is one of the most practical mail merge applications for any office.

Step-by-Step: Merge Labels from an Excel List

1. Mailings → Start Mail Merge → Labels
2. The Label Options dialog opens — select your label brand and product number (e.g., Avery L7160 for a standard 3×7 sheet of 21 labels)
3. Click OK — Word creates a document formatted to match the label sheet dimensions with a table of empty label cells
4. Mailings → Select Recipients → Use an Existing List → browse to and open your Excel file → select the worksheet → OK
5. Your cursor should be in the first label cell (top-left) — insert the merge fields:
   • Mailings → Address Block → configure and OK → «AddressBlock» appears in the first cell
   • — or — Insert individual merge fields: «Title» «First_Name» «Last_Name», press Enter, «Company», press Enter, «Address_1», press Enter, «City» «Postal_Code»
6. Mailings → Write & Insert Fields → Update Labels — this copies the merge field layout from the first cell to every other label cell on the sheet. (Without this step, only the first label gets data.)
7. Mailings → Preview Results — check that labels look correct
8. Mailings → Finish & Merge → Edit Individual Documents (choose All) — a new document appears with all labels filled in from the data source
9. Review the labels → print on your label sheet

19.7 Mail Merge for Email Messages

Sending personalised emails to a list of recipients — each with their own name, account details, or custom content — without a third-party email marketing tool. Word uses Outlook to send each email individually (not as a bulk CC/BCC).

Prerequisites

• Microsoft Outlook must be installed and configured with a working email account
• Your data source must have a column containing each recipient's email address (e.g., column header: Email)
• You must be connected to the internet / your mail server when sending

Step-by-Step: Email Mail Merge

1. Open a new Word document — this will be the email body
2. Mailings → Start Mail Merge → E-mail Messages
3. Mailings → Select Recipients → Use an Existing List → open your Excel file
4. Write the email body — insert merge fields where personalisation is needed:
   • Insert «Greeting_Line» or individually: Dear «Title» «Last_Name»
   • Insert body merge fields as needed: «Company», «Balance», «Event_Date», etc.
5. Format the email body with appropriate fonts, bullet points, and any images or attachments
6. Mailings → Preview Results → step through recipients to verify
7. Mailings → Finish & Merge → Send Email Messages…
8. In the Merge to E-mail dialog:
   • To: select the column that contains email addresses (e.g., Email)
   • Subject line: type the email subject — you can include a merge field in the subject (type it manually using angle brackets: e.g., "Your Statement — <<Account_Number>>" — note: not all versions support merge fields in the subject)
   • Mail format:
     • HTML — sends the Word document formatting as a rich HTML email (fonts, colours, images)
     • Plain Text — strips all formatting; text only
     • Attachment — sends the merged document as a .docx attachment to a plain email
   • Send records: All / Current / From–To
9. Click OK — Outlook opens briefly for each email being sent, or sends them silently depending on Outlook security settings

19.8 Mail Merge for a Directory or Catalogue

The Directory merge type is different from Letters — instead of one document per record, all records are merged into a single continuous document, one after another. Perfect for generating catalogues, member directories, product lists, and data-driven tables from an Excel source.

Step-by-Step: Member Directory

1. Mailings → Start Mail Merge → Directory
2. Mailings → Select Recipients → Use an Existing List → open the data source
3. Design one record's layout — e.g.:
   
   «Last_Name», «First_Name»  │ «Company»  │ «City»  │ Tel: «Phone»
4. Mailings → Finish & Merge → Edit Individual Documents → All
5. A new document appears with all records listed consecutively — one line (or block) per record, all in the same document
6. Sort, format, and add a heading to produce a complete directory

This approach is also used for generating data tables, product catalogues with descriptions and prices, and any report that repeats a fixed layout for each database record.

19.9 Mail Merge Rules — Conditional Content

Rules allow you to insert conditional logic into a mail merge — showing different text depending on a field value. The most powerful and commonly used rule is IF…THEN…ELSE.

IF…THEN…ELSE Rule

Example: The merged letter should say "Dear Mr Nkosi" for male recipients but "Dear Ms Dlamini" for female recipients — the salutation changes based on the value in the "Title" column.

1. Position the cursor where the conditional content should appear
2. Mailings → Write & Insert Fields → Rules → If…Then…Else…
3. In the Insert Word Field: IF dialog:
   • Field name: select the column to evaluate (e.g., Title)
   • Comparison: Equal to / Not equal to / Less than / Greater than / Contains / etc.
   • Compare to: the value to compare against (e.g., Mr)
   • Insert this text: text to insert when the condition is TRUE (e.g., "Dear Mr «Last_Name»")
   • Otherwise insert this text: text to insert when FALSE (e.g., "Dear Ms «Last_Name»")
4. Click OK

Other Available Rules

19.10 The Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard

For beginners, the Mail Merge Wizard walks you through the entire process in a guided six-step pane on the right side of the screen — without needing to navigate the Ribbon independently.

Launching the Wizard

1. Mailings → Start Mail Merge → Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard…
2. The Mail Merge pane opens on the right

The Six Steps

Navigate between steps using the "Next: …" and "Previous: …" links at the bottom of the wizard pane.

19.11 Common Mail Merge Problems & Fixes

19.12 Quick Self-Check

Q1: You need to send 350 personalised account statement letters to customers. Each letter must include the customer's name, address, account number, and current balance from an Excel file. Which mail merge document type do you choose, and outline the seven steps of the process?

✓ Document type: Letters. Steps: (1) Mailings → Start Mail Merge → Letters. (2) Select Recipients → Use an Existing List → open the Excel file. (3) Edit Recipient List to filter/sort if needed. (4) Write the letter template and insert Address Block, Greeting Line, and individual merge fields (Account_Number, Balance). (5) Preview Results and step through a few records to verify. (6) Check for Errors. (7) Finish & Merge → Print Documents (or Edit Individual Documents to review before printing).

Q2: You have just set up the merge fields in the first label of a 3×7 label sheet (Avery L7160). You preview the result and find only the first label has data — the other 20 labels are blank. What did you forget and how do you fix it?

✓ You forgot to click "Update Labels". After setting up the merge fields in the first label, go to Mailings → Write & Insert Fields → Update Labels. This copies the merge field layout from the first cell to all other label cells in the document. Preview again and all 21 labels (or as many as you have recipients) should now show data.

Q3: Your merged letters show the date field as "45678" instead of "15 January 2025". What caused this and what are two ways to fix it?

✓ Excel stores dates as serial numbers (days since 1 January 1900). When Word reads the date column, it sees the raw number rather than the formatted display. Fix 1: In Excel, change the date column cells to Text format and retype the dates as text strings ("15 January 2025"). Fix 2: In Word, right-click the date merge field → Toggle Field Codes → the code shows as { MERGEFIELD Date } → modify it to { MERGEFIELD Date \@ "dd MMMM yyyy" } → right-click → Update Field. The \@ switch applies a date picture format to the raw serial number.

Q4: You want the salutation in your merged letter to say "Dear Mr Nkosi" for male titles and "Dear Ms Dlamini" for female titles, reading from a "Title" column in your Excel data (values: Mr or Ms). How do you implement this conditional content?

✓ Position the cursor at the salutation line. Mailings → Write & Insert Fields → Rules → If…Then…Else. Field name: Title. Comparison: Equal to. Compare to: Mr. Insert this text: "Dear Mr «Last_Name»,". Otherwise insert this text: "Dear Ms «Last_Name»,". Click OK. For more complex titles (Dr, Prof, Rev), add additional IF rules nested within each other, or simplify by using the Greeting Line field which handles multiple titles automatically.

Q5: What is the difference between "Edit Individual Documents", "Print Documents", and "Send Email Messages" in Finish & Merge — and when would you use each?

✓ "Edit Individual Documents" creates one new Word document containing all merged letters as separate pages — use this when you want to review each letter before printing, manually edit specific records, or archive the complete merged output. "Print Documents" sends all merged documents directly to the printer without creating a separate file — use this when you have verified the output in Preview Results and are confident the merge is correct. "Send Email Messages" uses Outlook to send one personalised email per record — use this for mass personalised email campaigns where each recipient gets a unique email addressed directly to them.

Q6: You are creating a member directory from an Excel database of 200 members. You need all 200 members listed in a single continuous document (not 200 separate documents), formatted with Name | Company | City | Phone on each line. Which mail merge type do you use?

✓ Use the Directory merge type (Mailings → Start Mail Merge → Directory). Unlike Letters which creates one document per record, Directory merges all records into a single continuous document — each record's data appearing one after the other. Set up the layout for a single record using merge fields (e.g., «Last_Name», «First_Name» │ «Company» │ «City» │ «Phone»), then Finish & Merge → Edit Individual Documents → All. The result is a single document with all 200 members listed.

✓ Module 19 Complete — You Have Learned:

• The Mailings tab structure — ASCII diagram of all groups and commands
• The three-stage mail merge workflow: Set Up → Design → Finish
• Envelopes — Envelopes and Labels dialog, delivery address, return address, Envelope Options (size, font, position, printing orientation), standard SA envelope sizes (DL★, C5, C4, C6)
• Labels — Labels dialog, full sheet vs single label, Label Options (vendor, product number, new label dimensions), printing to a label sheet
• Mail merge data sources — all 6 types (Excel, Word table, CSV, Outlook, Access, Word's own list)
• Preparing an Excel data source — 7 best practice rules including column headers, no blank rows, dates as text, currency as text
• Complete 7-step mail merge for letters — Start Mail Merge, Select Recipients, Filter/Sort, Write template (Address Block, Greeting Line, Insert Merge Field), Preview Results, Check for Errors, Finish & Merge
• Match Fields — manually mapping data source columns to Word's expected field names
• The three Finish & Merge options — Edit Individual Documents, Print Documents, Send Email Messages — with use cases
• Mail merge for labels — full step-by-step including the critical "Update Labels" step
• Mail merge for email messages — prerequisites (Outlook), steps, Merge to E-mail dialog (To column, subject, HTML/Plain/Attachment format)
• Mail merge for Directory/Catalogue — single continuous output document for all records
• Mail merge Rules — IF…THEN…ELSE for conditional content; all 7 available rules (Ask, Fill-in, Merge Record #, Merge Sequence #, Next Record, Skip Record If, Set Bookmark)
• The Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard — six guided steps via the task pane
• Mail merge troubleshooting — 7 common problems with causes and fixes (date serial numbers, currency formatting, blank labels, field codes showing, missing columns, blank address lines, Outlook email issues)