Word, Mail Merge Recipient List
In this article I will explain how you can define a list of recipients for the mail merge feature in word.
Contents
Method 1, Creating Recipients from Scratch:
In this method a new list of recipients will be created.
Step 1:
- Click on the Mailings ribbon
- Click on the Select Recipients button
- Click on the Type New List … button

Step 2, Customize Columns:
Each column represents a field of data to save for the recipient. For example:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Post Code
- Phone Number
- …
In the userform that opens clicks on Customize Columns… :
On the userform that opens you can select the fields you need:
Step 3, Create Recipients:
After customizing the columns we can start adding recipients to the list. In order to create a new recipient click on the “New Entry” button:

Step 4, Save the Recipients:
When done, press Ok and save the newly created recipient list:
Method 2, Using an Existing List:
You could any recognized data source file, as an existing list. For example:
- Access database
- Excel workbook
- Sql Database
- text file
- …
An existing list can be any recognized data source format:
Example: In this example I will use an excel worksheet. Assume we have the following data in an excel worksheet:
Step 1:
On the Mailings ribbon click on the following:
- Select Recipients
- Use Existing List
From the open file dialog select the workbook path:
A dialog will open requesting you to choose the sheet where the recipient data is located. In this example we chose sheet1:

Step 2:
When using existing list of recipient it is a good idea to check if the data has been interpreted correctly. Click on the edit recipient list on the Mailing ribbon:
In the userform that opens you can see how the data was interpreted. As you can see the first row of each column, was interpreted
as the column name:
Method 3, Select From Outlook Contacts:
You could also use your outlook contacts as the recipient list.
- Click on the Mailings ribbon
- Click on the Select Recipients button
- Click on the Select From Outlook Contacts … button
In the dialog that opens select an outlook profile then click on OK:
It is a good idea to check how the list has been interpreted similar to method 2.
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