How to create a Mail Merge template from an existing document
It may be easier to use an existing document as the basis for a mail merge template than to create a new one. After opening the existing document, edit and format its contents as is appropriate for your mail merge document. Then, save the document as a template that can be reused. Supported text files are .rtf, .txt, .doc, and .docx only.
- If necessary, select the desired organization from the Organization list.
- On the toolbar, click (Mail Merge). From the menu, select Merge Selected Records (0). The number in parentheses represents the number of records you selected from the grid. In this case, no records are selected because you are just creating a template.
The Mail Merge window opens:
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Click the open one link. The Open Local Document window opens.
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Click Browse. Navigate to the location on your computer where the file you want to use is stored. Select the file. Then, click Open. The name of the file you selected now displays in the file name field. If you selected the wrong file, click to remove it from the file name field.
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Click Open. The contents of the file are inserted into the document text area. For example:
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If desired, change the look of your document by doing the following: (For formatting tips, go to Formatting Merge Fields.)
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Use the features on the Home tab's toolbar (see the previous illustration) to change the format and fonts used in your document. For example, you can use the controls to change the font and font size and to bold and italicize text. You can quickly create numbered and bulleted lists, indent, and center text, add headings to divide your content into sections, and change the color behind paragraphs of text.
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Use the options on the Page Layout tab to change the design of your document. For example, you can change the page margins, add a background color, and create columns of text. Use the Breaks option to add page breaks to the document.
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If desired, insert a graphic into the document.
- You can now add merge field to the document.
- To do this, complete the following:
- Click your mouse in the location where you want to insert the merge field. The cursor marks the location, as shown in this illustration:
- Select the Mail Merge tab.
- Click (Insert Merge Field) to open the Insert Merge Field window.
The Fields menu lists the merge fields you can select to insert into the document. For descriptions of the fields, go to Available Merge Fields.
The Insert Merge Field window remains open until you click X (in the top right corner) or click Close. If the window is blocking your view, you can move it out of the way by placing your cursor at the top of the window near the title. The cursor changes to this drag icon: . Click and drag the window to the desired location. Release the mouse button to "park" the window in that location. - Select the desired merge field from the Fields menu, then click Insert.
The merge field is inserted in the document at the cursor location. In the following example, we inserted this merge field between the word "Dear" and the comma: <>:
If you make a mistake, select the inserted field to highlight it, and then press Delete on your keyboard.
- (last step for 8) Click your mouse in the document text area where you want to insert the next merge field. Then, go back to the Fields menu and select the desired merge field. Click Insert to insert it into the document.
For example, suppose that you want to add an address block at the top of your document. Click inside the document on the line where you want to insert the address. You may need to press the Tab key to move the cursor to the far-right side of your document. Then, go back to the Fields menu and select the <>field to insert it. Click in the document text area again and repeat the previous steps until your address block looks something like this:
- Repeat the last step under 8 until you place all of the desired merge fields in the correct positions in your template. Then, click Close to close the Insert Merge Field window.
- Click your mouse in the location where you want to insert the merge field. The cursor marks the location, as shown in this illustration:
- To do this, complete the following:
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When done inserting merge fields, save the template. Choose one of the following methods:
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Save the template to the My Templates or Global Templates folder. To do this:
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Select the File tab.
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Click (Save) or (Save As) to open the Save New Template window.
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In the Template Name field, type the name of the template.
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If you want other users to be able to view your template, select the Global checkbox to save the template in the Global Templates folder. Alternatively, leave the Global box unchecked to save the template in the My Templates folder where only you can see and use it.
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Select the Read Only check box if you want to lock the template. Locking a template prevents future changes from being made to it.
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Click Save.
The template is now available for use in a mail merge. For instructions on performing a Mail Merge, go to How to perform a Mail Merge.
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- OR Save the template to your local computer. To do this:
- Select the File tab.
- Click (Save Local).
- In the Save As window, select the file type from the dropdown list.
- Click to download the file to your computer. Make note of where you saved the file.
- Go to the location where you saved the file. Open it, and then save it with a new name.
The template is now available for use as a mail merge document. For instructions on performing a mail merge, go to How to perform a Mail Merge.
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