# This should be easy, shouldn't it?  (re: use of Excel file for mail from Word)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-easy-shouldnt-it-re-use-of-excel-file-for-mail-from-word/332141>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 21, 2005, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-easy-shouldnt-it-re-use-of-excel-file-for-mail-from-word/332141 "2005-11-21T21:17:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-easy-shouldnt-it-re-use-of-excel-file-for-mail-from-word/332141/1 "2005-11-21T21:17:59Z")

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I’m sure I’ve done this, or something like this before. But MS likes to change this stuff around every release or so, and it’s not something I do that often.

I have a data file in Excel 2002. I want to import it into MS Word 2002, and use the data in a mail merge to create a mailing labels. I don’t mind an intermediate step, such as first converting the Excel file into a Word table of some sort, if necessary. But the Help file for Word seems to indicate I should just be able to use the Excel file as a datafile. But I am drawing a blank on how to do this properly.

The alternative is type about 150 addresses into Excel. By now I should have probably just done that, but I’m obstinate sometimes.

A little help, please?

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**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-easy-shouldnt-it-re-use-of-excel-file-for-mail-from-word/332141/2 "2005-11-21T21:25:05Z")

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Of corse you can do it. On my version of Word, you just go to Tools - Letter and Mailings to start the Mail Merge wizard. Using Excel as a storage location for names and addresses is standard. Just follow the Wizard.

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**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-easy-shouldnt-it-re-use-of-excel-file-for-mail-from-word/332141/3 "2005-11-21T22:34:07Z")

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Right. You don’t need to convert it to Word, just point to the Excel file at the point where the directions tell you to. “Help” is your friend.

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**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-should-be-easy-shouldnt-it-re-use-of-excel-file-for-mail-from-word/332141/4 "2005-11-21T22:48:54Z")

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> [@lissener](#):
>
> Right. You don’t need to convert it to Word, just point to the Excel file at the point where the directions tell you to. “Help” is your friend.

I think what happened was that I gave up on the Wizard too early, or used the wrong wizard. It got to a point where it looked wrong and I stopped there, but the address actually gets filled in later. So thanks to the goading of the two of you I have figured this out.