Guides · Outlook and Microsoft 365

How do I mail merge in Outlook, the new Outlook and Mac?

Guide · Last updated 26 October 2026

On Windows, Word's mail merge needs classic Outlook. The new Outlook and Outlook on the web have a "Start mail merge" button, but it sends everyone the same email without their name. To send each person their own email with their name in it, from any Outlook, Groupmail 7 sends through your Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com account directly.

Does mail merge work in the new Outlook?

Partly. Here's what works in each Outlook today (checked 26 October 2026):

In the new Outlook, "Start mail merge" is under the arrow next to Send. It sends each person their own copy, but Microsoft says it doesn't put in personal details such as names. A fuller, personalised mail merge for the new Outlook and Outlook on the web is on Microsoft's roadmap ("Mail Merge (Advanced)"). On 26 October 2026 it still showed as in development, past its September 2026 target.

You can switch back to classic Outlook to use Word's mail merge. Microsoft supports classic Outlook until at least 2029. From March 2027 it starts moving organisations to the new Outlook by default, but you can still switch back while that happens, and your IT admin can keep classic Outlook.

Not sure which Outlook you have? If you see a New Outlook switch at the top right that's turned on, you're using the new Outlook. Classic Outlook has a File menu at the top left.

Your options compared

Word with classic Outlook costs nothing extra if you already have it, and it's fine for an occasional send without attachments. Groupmail 7 is for people who email their customers regularly, from whichever Outlook they use.

How to send personal emails from any Outlook

1. Connect your address. In Groupmail 7, open Settings → Sending accounts, choose Microsoft and sign in. Groupmail's mail permission is send-only: it can send email as you, but it can't read your mailbox, contacts or files.
2. Bring in your list. In Excel, save your list as a comma-separated CSV file (File → Save As → CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited)), then import it into a group. If every row lands in one column, see the Excel guide. Columns such as company or town become fields you can use.
3. Write the email once. Put {{first_name}} where the name goes, and any other column, such as {{custom.company}}.
4. Preview and test. Preview the email with a recipient's details, then send yourself a test.
5. Send. Groupmail sends a separate email to each person from your address, so nobody sees anyone else's address.

It doesn't matter which Outlook app you use, because Groupmail sends through your Microsoft account, not through the app.

How many emails can you send?

A Microsoft 365 mailbox can send to 10,000 recipients a day, and Groupmail 7 has a built-in limit to match. A daily limit isn't permission for bulk marketing, though: for newsletters and large marketing sends, use a sending service such as SMTP2GO. Every Microsoft limit, and what happens when you go over.

Mail merge in Word with classic Outlook

If you have classic Outlook for Windows, Word's mail merge costs nothing extra:

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 add Insert Merge Field where the name goes.
4. Choose Finish & Merge → Send Email Messages, pick the email column and a subject line, and send.

You can't attach files this way, and you can't add CC or BCC. It only works while classic Outlook is your default mail app.

If the merge finished but nothing was sent, look in Outlook's Outbox. Merged emails wait there until classic Outlook is open and connected. If they aren't in the Outbox either, check that classic Outlook, not the new Outlook, is set as your default mail app.

Mail merge on a Mac

Word for Mac can mail merge to email when Outlook is your default mail app. Microsoft doesn't say whether this works with the new Outlook for Mac, so if Word's Merge to Email stays greyed out, check your default mail app first. Groupmail 7 runs on Apple-silicon Macs with macOS 11 or later, and sends through your Microsoft account whichever Outlook you use.

What Groupmail 7 can't do

• Groupmail must be open while it sends. A big list through a mailbox can take more than a day.
• Through Microsoft sign-in, the whole email can be about 3 MB, so attachments can be a little over 2 MB. For bigger files, send through SMTP2GO or your own mail server.
• Everyone gets the same attachment. A different file for each person isn't possible.
• It imports CSV files, not .xlsx files. Save your sheet as CSV first.
• On-premises Exchange Server isn't supported. Microsoft 365, Outlook.com and Hotmail are.
• It runs on Windows and Apple-silicon Macs, not Intel Macs.

Questions people ask

Why can't I find the mail merge option in Outlook?

The new Outlook has no link to Word's mail merge. In classic Outlook it's under People, then Mail Merge. In the new Outlook, "Start mail merge" is under the arrow next to Send, and it can't add names.

Can I do a mail merge in the new Outlook?

Only the basic kind today: each person gets their own copy, without their name. Microsoft's personalised mail merge for the new Outlook was still in development on 26 October 2026. Groupmail 7 does personalised mail merge now, whichever Outlook you use.

How do I send the same email to many people separately, without BCC?

Use the new Outlook's "Start mail merge" if you don't need names, Word with classic Outlook if you do, or Groupmail 7 to add names from any Outlook. BCC sends one email to everyone, without names.

Can I send a personalised email to a distribution list?

No. A distribution list or contact list sends everyone the same email. Export the members to a CSV file and import them into Groupmail instead.

Can I attach a file to a mail merge in Outlook?

Not with Word for Windows. In Groupmail 7 you can attach the same file for everyone, up to a little over 2 MB through Microsoft sign-in, or bigger through SMTP2GO. A different file for each person isn't possible.

Do I need Outlook open?

No. Groupmail sends through your Microsoft account directly, so Outlook can stay closed. Groupmail itself must be open while it sends.

Will the emails appear in my Sent Items?

Yes. Microsoft saves each one in Sent Items, as it does for any email you send, so a big send fills it up. Groupmail also keeps its own record of who each email went to.

Can I add an unsubscribe link?

Yes. Insert {{unsubscribe_link}}. With a Microsoft address it opens an "Unsubscribe" email to you. Mark that person as unsubscribed in Groupmail and they're skipped on every future send.