Guides · Excel

How do you mail merge from Excel to email?

Guide · Last updated 26 October 2026

Excel holds your list, but it can't send email by itself. To send one personal email for each row, use Word with classic Outlook, Gmail's mail merge with Google Sheets, or a desktop app such as Groupmail 7, which reads your sheet saved as CSV and sends from your own Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, Gmail or other email account.

Get your sheet ready

Whichever way you send, the sheet needs:

• one header row, with one person on each row below it;
• a column of email addresses;
• your list on the first sheet, with no merged cells;
• ZIP codes, postal codes, phone numbers and IDs formatted as Text, so leading zeros aren't lost;
• dates and amounts typed exactly as you want them to read in the email.

With Word and Outlook

On Windows, Word's mail merge sends through classic Outlook:

1. In Word, choose Mailings → Start Mail Merge → Email Messages.
2. Choose Select Recipients → Use an Existing List and pick your Excel file.
3. Write the email, and choose Insert Merge Field where the name goes.
4. Choose Finish & Merge → Send Email Messages, pick the email column and a subject, and send.

It only works while classic Outlook is your default mail app; the new Outlook can't do it. You can't attach files or add CC or BCC. Word for Mac can also merge to email, with Outlook set as your default mail app.

Why it isn't working

• You use the new Outlook. Word's merge needs classic Outlook on Windows. The new Outlook's own "Start mail merge" sends each person a copy, but can't put in their name.
• Numbers and dates look wrong. Word can show 50% as 0.5, $12.50 as 12.5, and drop leading zeros. Format those columns as Text in Excel before you merge.
• The list isn't found. Close the Excel file before merging, and keep your list on the first sheet.

With Gmail

Gmail's own mail merge reads a list from Google Sheets, and it's only in some paid Google Workspace editions. It sends to up to 1,500 recipients a day. With personal Gmail you need an add-on such as GMass, Mailmeteor or YAMM, and your list goes into Google Sheets.

Without Word or Outlook: save as CSV

Groupmail 7 doesn't need Word, Outlook or Google Sheets. It imports your list as a CSV file and sends each person their own email from your account.

1. Save your sheet as CSV. In Excel, open the sheet with your list, then choose File → Save As and the file type CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited). UTF-8 keeps names such as José or Łukasz intact. Only the open sheet is saved.
2. Don't reopen the CSV in Excel and save it again. That can change codes and dates. Make changes in your Excel file and save a new CSV.
3. Import it into a group in Groupmail. Map the email column. First name and last name map by themselves when the headings say so. Every other column you keep becomes a field you can use, such as {{custom.company}} for a column called Company.
4. Write the email once. Put {{first_name}} where the name goes, in the subject or the body. An empty cell shows as blank, so write greetings that still read well without a name. For your own columns, you can also set a default value in Settings.
5. Preview, test and send. Groupmail sends a separate email to each person from your address.

If the import preview shows each whole row in one column, your Excel saved the file with semicolons, which happens in many European countries. Open the sheet in Google Sheets and choose File → Download → Comma-separated values (.csv), then import that file.

Which way fits you?

Checked 26 October 2026.

Before you send to a big list

A daily sending limit isn't permission for bulk marketing. Use your own address for emails to your customers, and a sending service such as SMTP2GO for newsletters and large marketing sends. Why, and the limits.

Questions people ask

How do I send a bulk email from Excel?

Excel can't send email on its own. Use Word with classic Outlook, Gmail's mail merge with Google Sheets, or an app such as Groupmail 7 that imports your sheet as a CSV.

Is mail merge still a thing in Outlook?

Yes, in classic Outlook for Windows, through Word. The new Outlook's "Start mail merge" sends each person their own copy, but without their name.

Why isn't my mail merge from Excel to Word working?

Check that classic Outlook is your default mail app, that the Excel file is closed, and that your list is on the first sheet. If numbers or dates look wrong, format those columns as Text in Excel.

Can you do a mail merge from Excel without Word?

Not with Excel alone. Save the sheet as CSV and use an app that imports it, such as Groupmail 7, or move the list to Google Sheets and use Gmail.

How do I mail merge from Excel to Gmail?

Put the list in Google Sheets and use Gmail's mail merge, in eligible Workspace editions, or an add-on. Or save the sheet as CSV and send through your Gmail account with Groupmail 7.

Can I add attachments?

Not with Word for Windows. Groupmail 7 can attach the same file for everyone, but not a different file for each person.

Is it free?

Word with classic Outlook comes at no extra charge with Microsoft 365, and Gmail's mail merge is included in eligible Workspace plans. Groupmail 7 is $599 once, after a 30-day free trial with no card.