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Start a Word letter from an Outlook contact

There are many ways to incorporate Outlook data into a Word letter, depending on which version of Outlook you're using, whether you're comfortable editing code, or whether you prefer a third-party tool. 
 

Word Mail Merge | Merge Limitations | Word Letter Wizard | Insert Address in Word | Code Methods | Other Tools | More Information

Word Mail Merge

Both Outlook 2000, 2002 and 2003 (but not previous versions) allows you to merge just selected items and to use custom Outlook fields in a mail merge if you start the merge from Outlook, rather than from Word. You can also use a merge to generate all kinds of printed reports from Contacts, including labels, not just form labels. With Outlook 2000, you can create plain text email messages in a merge. In Outlook 2002, you can create HTML messages.

Outlook 2000:

  1. In the Contacts folder, select a contact, then choose Tools | Mail Merge.
  2. On the Mail Merge Contacts dialog, select Only selected contacts. (You can also choose All contacts in current view if that's what you prefer.)
  3. If you have an existing merge document, select Existing document and specify it. 
  4. Click OK.
  5. If you're creating a new merge document, use the Insert Merge Field button to add field codes to hold the Outlook field data. 
  6. Click the Merge button to complete the merge.

You'll probably want to save the merge document -- the one containing the field codes -- so that you can use it again for other contacts by choosing Existing document as in Step 3 above.

Outlook 2002:

You must install the April 25, 2002, Word 2002 Update if you want to be able to perform merges that don't trigger security prompts and leave hyperlinks intact.

  1. If you are performing a merge to email in Office XP, in Word, choose Tools | Options | General | Web Options and clear the Rely on CSS for font formatting box. (This will change the compatibility to IE/Netscape 3.0.)
  2. In the Contacts folder, select a contact, then choose Tools | Mail Merge.
  3. On the Mail Merge Contacts dialog, select Only selected contacts. (You can also choose All contacts in current view if that's what you prefer.)
  4. If you have an existing merge document, select Existing document and specify it. 
  5. Click OK.
  6. If you're creating a new merge document, use the Insert Merge Field button to add field codes from the Database Fields list for the Outlook field data. 
  7. Click the appropriate Merge button (separate buttons for document, printer, and email to complete the merge.
  8. If you click Merge to E-mail, you will need to choose the field that contains the To address (usually Email); enter a Subject line, if you haven't already; and select HTML as the Mail format (see Limitations below).

See:

  • HOW TO Use Mail Merge to Create Form Letters in Word 2002
  • WD2002: How to Use Mail Merge to Create E-mail Messages
    •

    Outlook 2003

    Use Outlook's Contacts with Mail Merge

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    Merge Limitations and Notes

    		 To perform a mail merge, you need compatible versions of Outlook and Word, either both 2000 or both 2002.

    You cannot attach files when merging to email. If you need to attach files, you will need to use a third-party tool.

    In Office 2000, merge to email will produce only plain text messages.

    In Office XP, you should follow the instructions above for installing a Word update and selecting the HTML format. If you choose the plain text or attachment format, Outlook will display a security prompt for each message you try to send and force you to wait 5 seconds before you can click each one. If you choose HTML format, but have not installed the Word update, recipients will see hyperlinks in your messages as blue and underlined, but they will not function as live links.

    If you don't see a particular custom field in Word, check Outlook to make sure that the field is listed under User-Defined Fields in Folder. If it's not there, add it. The field needs to be in the Outlook folder before Word can use it in a merge. 

    You cannot use the Categories field reliably to filter a merge. If you want to merge by category, apply a By Category view to the folder in Outlook, select the contacts in that category, then proceed as usual by starting the merge from Outlook.

    In Office XP, you cannot start a merge with a public contacts folder from Word. You must select the folder in Outlook and start the merge from Outlook.

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    Word Letter Wizard
    1. In Outlook Contacts, choose Contacts | New Letter to Contact to start the Word Letter Wizard. 
    2. On the Recipient Info tab, the Recipient's name is entered with Courtesy Title, First, Middle, Last and Suffix name fields. The Delivery address includes the Street, City, State/Province, Zip/Postal Code and Country fields. If you reselect the name from the Address Book at this point, the fields change. On the Recipient Info tab, the Recipient's name now omits the Courtesy Title, while the Job Title and Company Name are added to the Delivery address. I don't know how to control the fields used in either case.

    See the MSKB article Custom Template Does Not Appear in Word Letter Wizard for details on how to make your own custom templates appear on the list of Page Designs in the Letter Wizard.
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    Insert Address in Word

    		 From Word, use the Insert Address function to select a name and insert it. See Inserting Addresses in Word Documents for information on how to change the fields that are inserted and how to add an Insert Address button to the toolbar.
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    Code Methods

  • Use Helen Feddema's code sample 6 for creating a custom Microsoft Outlook form that lets you select a contact, then transfer its information to one of your Word templates.

  • Use Helen Feddema's code sample 56 to add a procedure to a Word template that pops up the Address Book and fills in fields.
  • Use Helen Feddema's code sample 30 and sample 31 (for Outlook 2000 only) to select multiple contacts and generate Word letters, labels or other documents.
  • Insert Outlook contact information into Word documents -- sample VBA code
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    Tools
    LookMeUp   Automatically looks up Outlook contact information and inserts it into Word documents, including fax cover sheets and letters.
    Office Documents   Office Documents adds powerful mail-merge capabilities to Outlook, with merge to Word DOcuments, Excel Spreadhseets and Outlook EMails. Perfect for fully personalizing email messages, Word documents and Excel spreadsheets, making Aladdins the premium solution for all your mail-merge needs. Version 4.
    PocketKnife   System tray add-in to quickly look up Outlook 2000 contacts, use contact data in Word 2000 letters and other documents, assign hotkeys to Outlook folders and tasks, dial contacts, and launch shortcuts.
    ProWrite   Create letters, faxes, email messages, envelopes and labels using Word and Outlook Contact and other address book data. Supports workgroup templates, multiple languages, reusable distribution groups and sending personalized attachments with e-mail messages. Displays the Outlook Email Security Update prompts.
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    More Information

    In addition to the specialized tools listed above, many of the tools listed on these pages include the insertion of addresses as a feature:

  • Contact Management Tools
  • Outlook mail merge tools
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  • Use Outlook's Contacts with Mail Merge
  • OL2000: Letter Wizard Template Does Not Display Body Text/Graphics
    • Updated Jul 15 2008
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