How to Mail Merge Certificates - Office 365, by Kevin Stratvert on YouTube. 5 min 33 s.
- Video length
- 5 min 33 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Open Excel and create a table with one column for each certificate detail, such as First Name, Last Name, Course and Date. Put column headings in row 1 and one recipient per row.
Save the workbook as an.xlsx file and close it. In Word, open your certificate template or create a new certificate, leaving clear space for the recipient details.
On the Mailings tab, click Start Mail Merge and choose Letters. Certificates are treated as letters because each copy is a separate page.
Click Select Recipients > Use an Existing List, find your Excel file, and choose the sheet or table that holds the names. Tick First row of data contains column headers if needed.
Click where the name should appear, then click Insert Merge Field and choose the matching column. Add spaces, commas or labels around the field as needed.
Repeat for every detail on the certificate, such as course name and date. Use the Preview Results button and the record arrows to check each recipient.
Fix any spacing or missing text, then click Finish & Merge > Edit Individual Documents. Choose All and click OK to create one certificate per recipient.
Review the merged document, then print it or save it as a PDF. Keep the Excel list and the Word certificate file so you can reuse them next time.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep Excel column headings short and avoid blank rows, because blank rows can create empty certificates.
If a date or number looks wrong after merging, change its formatting in Excel before you start the merge.
Use Edit Individual Documents rather than printing straight away, so you can check every certificate first.
Close the Excel workbook before selecting recipients if Word has trouble finding or locking the file.
Questions
Can I create certificates without Excel?
Yes. You can type a new list in Word during the Select Recipients step, but Excel is easier for many names and extra details.
Why do my merge fields show curly braces or codes?
Press Alt+F9 in Word to switch between field codes and their results. If the data is still wrong, check that the correct Excel sheet and header row were selected.
Can I email the certificates instead of printing them?
Yes. Finish the merge to individual documents, then save each as a PDF or use Word's email merge with an email address column in your list.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
