In this article I will explain how you can define a list of recipients for the mail merge feature in word.

Method 1, Creating Recipients from Scratch:

In this method a new list of recipients will be created.

Step  1:

1. Click on the Mailings ribbon
2. Click on the Select Recipients button
3. 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:

1. Select Recipients
2. 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.

1. Click on the Mailings ribbon
2. Click on the Select Recipients button
3. Click on the Select From Outlook Contacts … button

In the dialog that opens select an outlook profile then click on OK:

Select your contacts folder:

It is a good idea to check how the list has been interpreted similar to method 2.

If you need assistance with your code, or you are looking for a VBA programmer to hire feel free to contact me. Also please visit my website  www.software-solutions-online.com